The purpose of the present study is to examine the relations between communication patterns of elementary school sixth graders with their parents and their adaptation to school life. In this study were established the following research questions - th...
The purpose of the present study is to examine the relations between communication patterns of elementary school sixth graders with their parents and their adaptation to school life. In this study were established the following research questions - that is, the relations between: 1) gender of the children and their communication patterns with the parents; 2) gender of the student and their adaptation to school life; 3) their communication patterns with the parents and the adaptation to school life.
Data was collected from 395 sixth graders in 15 elementary schools randomly selected in Daejon metropolitan city. The subject was composed of 194 boys and 201 girls.
The result of analyzing the collected data is as follows.
First, there is no significant difference between the two children groups of opposite sex in the communication patterns with their parents - either with father or with mother (p>.05). In other words, the proportions of open-type children were similarly high (around 80%), and those of problem-type children were similarly low (around 20%) both in the boys and the girls, communicating either with father or with mother.
Second, the boys group shows relatively higher scores in the 'school regulations' scale, while the girls group shows higher scores in all the other scales. However, the only two scales, that is 'school classes' and 'school regulations' show statistically significant differences between the two gender groups (p<.05).
Third, in terms of communication patterns either with father or with mother, the open-type group yielded higher scores than the problem-type group in all the scales measuring their adaptation to school life. However, the discrepancies in the scores of both groups classified by their communication patterns - that is, open-type and problem-type groups - are statistically significant in the level of at least 5% in all the scales.
Although the findings of the present study should be interpreted with caution because of the limitations the sample and measurement tool, the conclusion can be drawn as follows:
First, gender variable of the elementary school children doesn't have any relationship with their communication patterns with the parents. The proportion of open-minded communication is absolutely higher either in boy or in girls.
Second, gender variable of the students is partly related with their adaptation to school life. In other words, significant differences by gender were witnessed in some parts of the domains of school adaptations, such as 'school classes' and 'school regulations'.
Third, there is a significant relationship between parents-children communication patterns and the children's adaptation to school life. That is, children in open-minded communication group tend to adapt themselves better in all the domains of school life compared with problematic communication group.
Concerned with the present study, studies to develop tools for measuring the quality of communications between the parents and their children might be necessary. Furthermore, it may also be necessary to conduct follow-up studies to develop and apply communication training programs, and to verify their effects in order to enhance the quality of parents-children communications.