Abstract:

Puberty represents the physical and psychical development of the child in order to become able to reproduce. It starts between 8 and 13 years for females and between 9 and 14 years for males. However, there is a constant observation for precocious puberty (PP) to be present more frequent in girls compared to boys. Observational studies linked PP with the exposure to chemicals that can interfere with the endocrine system, by disrupting different hormonal processes. Current studies draw attention to this problem and suggest the need for the educational system to be more flexible in terms of the type of response for students with PP.

The current study is an extensive research carried out at the level of primary school students, as well as of the teaching staff with whom they work. Our study aimed to identify students with secondary sexual characteristics determined by PP in primary schools. The psycho-emotional and medical evaluations of these students were performed by teams of psychologists and medical doctors that were helped by teachers and parents. Our research was carried out over a period of 42 months, on a population of 2430 students (1375 girls and 1055 boys) from urban and rural areas and 230 teaching staff. We identified 57 girls under 9 years and 3 boys under 10 years with secondary sexual characteristics. All students with PP were further directed to the endocrinology doctor for evaluation and 16 children (13 girls and 3 boys) have been diagnosed with an underlying cause that needed treatment. Our findings suggest that students with PP have low motivation for learning, have different interests and different models comparing to normal children and have a superficial type of communication with adults and fellow students.

The psychological changes generated by PP naturally require changes regarding the motivational system used in the didactic activity. The need for recognition and affirmation of the young generations tends to exceed the educational spectrum and to pursue the achievement of some surface models that they find very easily outside of school in various media and socialization channels. Current generations tend towards depersonalization, superficial communication and often emotional-affective sterility. This is where the lack of interest in a career that requires a sustained educational effort results most of the time. The emergence of PP naturally requires a curricular rethinking and a reinterpreted didactic approach in terms of contents, form, methods, but also approaches regarding the elements of counseling and support for these young students.

Our research suggests the need to adapt the educational system from the perspective of educational policies, as well as the didactic style to the changes imposed by the physiological nature of the current generations of students. We conclude that changes regarding educational policies must be done in order to help both parents and children with PP adapt. Creating school partnerships with non-governmental organization can help supporting the awareness of PP in the society. Moreover, special courses and camps for teachers, students and even parents are important to be organized in order to help identifying children with PP, since some of these children might need medical care.

Keywords:

Premature puberty, educational system, motivational system, psychological.