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THE INCIDENCE AND NATURE OF MALADJUSTMENT AMONG CHILDREN IN SCHOOLS FOR THE EDUCATIONALLY SUBNORMAL
Author(s) -
CHAZAN MAURICE
Publication year - 1964
Publication title -
british journal of educational psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.557
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 2044-8279
pISSN - 0007-0998
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8279.1964.tb00640.x
Subject(s) - psychology , juvenile delinquency , hostility , incidence (geometry) , developmental psychology , attendance , clinical psychology , physics , optics , economics , economic growth
S ummary . An investigation has been carried out into the incidence, nature and aetiology of maladjustment among children in special schools for E.S.N. children in South Wales. This article discusses the findings of the first stage of the enquiry, in which detailed information was obtained about the incidence and nature of maladjustment, in the school situation, among 169 E.S.N. pupils and the same number of children in ordinary schools, matched for age, sex and socio‐economic background. The E.S.N. pupils were a complete sample of two age groups (9+ to 10+ and 13+ to 14+) in eight special schools. The E.S.N. pupils came predominantly from the lower social strata. They had more physical ailments and defects than the controls. On the basis of the Bristol Social Adjustment Guide, over a third of the E.S.N. children were maladjusted, nearly three times as many as in the control group. The E.S.N. children showed considerably more symptoms of depression, hostility towards adults, inhibition and emotional tension than the controls. There was also a higher incidence of speech defects, unsatisfactory attendance at school, delinquency and behaviour associated with delinquency in the E.S.N. sample. Maladjustment among the E.S.N. children was often associated with low sociometric status. These findings underline the importance of attention to the emotional and social needs of E.S.N. children.