Developing indicators of emotional school readiness of South African children and possible therapeutic use thereof

Abstract

The year 2002 saw the amendment of section 5(4) of the South African Schools Act no 84 of 1996. The amended Act now allows children of five years or younger to enter school. The entry of five year olds and younger into the school system left the researcher with the question: when is a child emotionally ready for school? The test and mediums currently used to determine school readiness do not place emphasis on the emotional aspects, although this plays an integral part in the child’s scholastic success. This scientific investigation was to determine the emotional development of children between the ages of four and seven years. The aim of this study was to determine which emotional aspects a child should have to be emotionally ready for school. These findings were discussed and information gathered through semi-structured interviews with grade 1 teachers. The teachers were a good source of practical and personal experience and observations on children who enter school. The information gathered from the literature study and interviews formed the basis for developing an emotional school readiness checklist and related programme that can be used to determine the emotional school readiness of a child entering grade 1. The emotional school readiness checklist and related programme that was designed was not in question, rather the aspects deemed necessary for a child to be emotionally ready for school and how therapy could be developed based on these aspects. Thus the inventory was not tested on a child, but was implemented in a case study to illustrate a therapeutic plan that could be designed based on the emotional school readiness checklist.