Browsing by Subject "youngsters"

Objectives. Differences in people and the reasons behind them have been a subject of interest through-out history and, among others, the concept of temperament has been used in an attempt to explain them. According to theoretical literature, temperament is biologically-based, at least partly inherited behaviour-al and reactional tendency, which appears early and is relatively stable through life. Temperament ex-plains the individuality in people and serves as a biological foundation for personality, which develops through the joint influence of temperament and environment. Temperament is composed of different temperament traits, the number of which is debated by different temperament theorists. Temperament is in constant interaction with environment, including at school, where temperament has been suggested to contribute to an unequal treatment of children. The objectives of the present study were to discover how temperament is being defined within school context, what kind of effect temperament has on children’s educational experience, and how it should be taken into account in connection to children’s educational experience. The aim is to analyse current theoretical and empirical literature and advance temperament-related knowledge and understanding in the field of education. Methodology. The present study was executed as a descriptive literature review. The material was com-prised of international and Finnish theoretical literature as well as numerous research articles, published in prestigious, peer-reviewed international journals. The material included research conducted specifical-ly in the Finnish school context as well. Results and conclusions. In research conducted in school context, temperament was defined based on the theoretical literature with small variations mostly in temperament traits. According to research, chil-dren’s temperaments were directly and indirectly linked to children’s school adjustment, social relation-ships with teachers and peers, and academic achievement, including school grades. Reviewed studies suggested more temperament-related education for teachers and rethinking of assessment practices. Temperaments’ different kinds of effects on children’s school experiences put them in unequal posi-tions at school. Some children, based on their innate attributes, have more negative relationships with teachers and peers, and worse grades, which, in turn, are connected to different kinds of educational opportunities in the future. Temperament-related education for teachers and more equal assessment practices might improve educational experience of children with all kinds of temperament.