Synonyms

Accommodation; Adaptation; Allowance; Alteration; Modification; Piagetian

Definition

Adjustment involves the behavioral process as the person maintains physiological and psychological needs in a response to environmental changes or challenges.

Description

Adjustment involves the act of making suitable accommodations in response to a new environment. The act of adjusting connotes adaptation to a particular condition, position or purpose. Implied in its meaning is the act of making it right, to regulate, adapt, or settle. It can be defined as the natural human response to a discrepancy or change in the environment. For instance, consider a child moving abroad for several years. The challenges the child will encounter throughout the foreign country experience will cause alterations to daily routines and ultimately lead to an adjustment or accommodation in response to the conditions of that particular country and new environment. This process does not occur rapidly; the child may endure a series of cultural shocks and adjustment phases. These phases include a preliminary stage, initial euphoria, irritability, gradual adjustment, adaptation and biculturalism, an lastly re-entry phase. In considering any new school experience as a condition requiring personal adjustment, the phases of adaptability may proceed as follows.

Preliminary Stage

In the preliminary stage there is excitement and preparation in response to the new challenge. The student prepares for the first day of school. There is a feeling of excitement about beginning a new school year, and setting personal goals. Also facing the student is a sense of uncertainty in response to the new environment. The student will attempt to work out an adjustment either by modifying or changing a position to cope with the new setting. The student may ask for assistance or set up a support system to aid with the transition. In this phase everything is exciting, and the obstacles the student may face have not surfaced. The student may also experience a feeling of fascination and idealism. There are assumptions that are developing; both rational and irrational that may prove to be false with the upcoming change.

Because the student is optimistic, there may be built in negative assumptions that can be detrimental to self-adjustment. The student at this period is not in the classroom environment, and therefore lacks the reality of the experience and any support or motivation the teacher can provide.

Initial Euphoria

In this phase, the reality of the school experience occurs. Anticipations from the previous stage are met with the student’s “first day of school” excitement of making new friends, and meeting new people. Unfortunately, as the student becomes more accustomed to school, and things begin to become routine, enthusiasm fades, and the obstacles that were never present before are now prevalent. It is here that if the teacher can execute engaging activities, this phase will last longer, and thus minimize the following phases.

Irritability Stage

The third stage is the most difficult stage. In this stage the student becomes accustomed to the environment, and has adjusted to the new culture that is now becoming more demanding. The student exhibits irritability at having to deal with difficult situations. There no longer is the excitement of new friends, or starting a new school, or even a new phase of life. During this stage, the student begins to make comparisons with previous years’ experiences, and sometimes these comparisons can become overwhelming and difficult to deal with. For example, a student may compare how prior teachers allowed them to do things that the current teacher does not allow. Throughout this time, the student becomes irritable with any changes presented. These can be insignificant changes, but can cause the student to become extremely stressed and upset. This stage is the most difficult stage of adjustment because of the comparisons that are made. The changes that face the students make the situation more difficult to accept, because of the student’s desire to have things the way they used to be. It is important for students to maintain a positive attitude, and accept the modification(s) as assets instead of hindrances.

Gradual Adjustment

At this point, the student is able to orient and organize self in the school environment. By this time, the student has made new friends, become acquainted with the teacher, and has become aware of any course challenges. The student will be gradually adjusting, and may become aware of the transition. For students who are struggling here to make sense of presented information, it will be important to monitor for a negative attitude toward the obstacles presented. The teacher may consider reaching out to these students before they develop a negative attitude.

Adaptation and Biculturalism

The student is now able to function normally in the new environment. What seemed to be a hardship in the past is now part of the daily routine. School is becoming easier because of the increasing knowledge and ability to apply what has been learned. An important aspect of the student’s progress of adjustment is their ability to handle difficult situations. The student generally will no longer let disruptions interfere. It is important for the student to stay active in school, and with the new friendships developed. The confidence level of the student by this time has increased dramatically. The student is no longer fighting challenges to change. Rather the student is more likely to have an optimistic approach to accomplish personalized goals. New insights are being made and the student develops a new perceptive.

Effective Adjustment Phase

The student has completely adjusted to the new culture, and has changed to accommodate a new way of life. The student continues to immerse self in the new (school) culture and is forced to consider deeper cultural issues. This requires self-awareness, study and interaction with the school culture, to ultimately resolve and accept another way of life. Eventually the students begin to respect and enjoy the material being learned, while simultaneously feeling that things are becoming routine and easy. The student is finally comfortable with the new environment, and has reached a new level of maturity.

Relevance to Childhood Development/Education

There are many ways in which adjustment occurs in childhood and beyond. Facing a new school culture is only one example. It is how the child receives the challenge, and adjusts to it that becomes the largest consideration to the accomplishment of personal goals. Suggested are stages in how the student enters a new classroom, school, or even grade level. Educators should regard the beginning of the school year as a new cultural experience for each student. The suggested phases serve as an insight for the teacher to be able to relate to the students, and overall allow the educator an opportunity to cultivate the best student functioning at their fullest potential. The emotions involved in these adjustment stages can affect the student’s performance in school. It is helpful for teachers to understand and find ways to lessen the cultural shock of school in order to attain the highest level of achievement, and to ensure that the students grow in both their acquisition of knowledge and maturity.

Teachers, however, are not the only tools in easing the adjustment (transition) for students. As the students enter new phases of their lives, especially as adolescents, it is not only the culture of school that they have to become acquainted with, but also their own identity and emotional development. Adolescents at the ages of 12–14 are entering a new phase in their lives where they are experiencing new emotions and are in quest for self-identity. Many adolescents are confounded on how best to handle these experiences, causing many to turn to items beyond their maturity level, such as sex, drugs, and other delinquent behaviors. The teacher cannot be the sole initiator of the intervention in the student’s lives, and in fact research has proven that quality parent-child relationships can ease the stresses and provide a coping mechanism for adjustment.