Peer adjustment as a correlate of academic achievement amongst the cidldren of working and non-working mother -a study

Abstract

Piaget (1932) suggests that children relationship with peer were different in both form and function from their relationship with adult. Piaget argued that children interact more openly and spontaneously with their peers than with adults. Thus it is possible to view peer relationships as unique and important with regards to general human development. A child's long-term social and emotional adaptation, academic and cognitive development and citizenship are enhanced by frequent opportunities to strengthen social competence during childhood. The main focus of education is overall development of a child. But until he/she does not get adjusted to the environment process of learning cannot takes place. Current researches support that children who are accepted by peers have been found to be more academically successful than children who are rejected or not accepted by their peer. Students with friend in the classroom can use that peer as a source of support to deal with problems and avoid becoming lonely. Friendships can affect students' success in the transition from elementary to junior high school. With respect to friendship quality, research shows that children and adolescents whose friendships have a positive quality display greater precocial behaviour, are more popular, hold higher self-esteem, have fewer emotional problems, have better attitudes toward school, and achieve at a higher level in school, compared with other students (Berndt & Keefe, 1996). Friendships with negative qualities lead to less student classroom involvement and more disruptive behaviour. Interestingly, number of friends is weakly correlated with school adjustment. Thus, relationship quality is more influential than quantity. 1 1.2 What is Adjustment? According to the Shaffer, L.S. "Adjustment is the process by which living organism maintain a balance between his needs and the circumstances that influence the satisfactions of these needs. Coleman, James C., "Adjustment is the outcome of the individual's attempts to deal with the stress and meet his needs: also his efforts to maintain harmonious relationships with the environment. "Adjustment" can be defmed as a process of altering one's behaviour to reach a harmonious relationship with their environment. This is typically a response brought about by some type of change that has taken place. The stress of this change causes one to try to reach a new type of balance or homeostasis between the individual (both inwardly and outwardly), and with their environment.