Abstract:

Children at the age of six or younger attend the first grade in 22 out of 28 member states of EU, and in 134 out of 202 states all over the world the 6 year olds go to school. Polish authorities was preparing the reform that aimed at restoring the European order in elementary education. Since the beginning, the issue of lowering the school age became the subject of many disputes. Crucial argument that stopped the reform was as follows: The six-year-olds are not emotionally mature to become pupils. However, neurobiologists stated: Maximum creativity of our brain is observed between fifth and sixth year of age. The brain develops very quickly and achieves maximum creativity at the age of five-six years. Since the seventh year of age the neurons start to die off.

School year 2015/16 was the only year of obligatory school education for the six-year-olds because new authorities decided to restore the previous school threshold (7 years). Parents were given the option to send the six-year-olds to school after pre-school preparation or a visit in a psychological - pedagogical clinic.

The issue is important for current social changes and transformations of the educational law. This article presents results of several years of research concerning children’s readiness to start school education, their emotions, feelings and emotional behaviors.

Based on the concept of school readiness the following research problem was formulated: Are the six-year-old children emotionally and socially mature to start education in the 1st grade of elementary school?
Due to general nature of the abovementioned problem, following specific problems were defined to determine the subject of the study.
1. Which level of social development (pro-social attitude, openness, cooperation with peers, initiative, leadership, abiding social rules) is achieved by children who complete pre-school education?
2. Which level of emotional development within the scope of control, awareness and expression of emotions and overcoming difficulties is achieved by children who complete pre-school education?

A pedagogical observation sheet was used to collect empirical data. The behaviors that were observed allowed to define specific tendencies in experiencing emotions by an individual or a group of people. To evaluate the level of abovementioned skills, the author examined some behaviors and features and use an intensity scale.

The study was conducted in March/April 2017 among seven-year-old children from preschools in Czestochowa, who did not start education in the 1st grade and remained in preschool. In general 73 and 79 boys were examined. The results achieved by the children were collected and compared with analogical periods in years 2016, 2015, 2014, and presented in the form of arithmetic average.

Nowadays, development of children is intensive, however it is sometimes arrhythmic. It may result from fast pace of social and family life, which affects the children. All emotional and social relations result from experience; they are mutually correlated and may be generalized. Hence, it seems to be necessary to pay attention on emotional education since an early age.

Thanks to starting school education in the 1st grade the six-year-olds can expand their knowledge, cultivate and expand their interests, practice foreign language, learn new skills and interpersonal competencies. So, where is the place of the six-year-old child? Is it in the school or in the “golden cage” of the preschool?

Keywords:

School reform, system of education, school threshold, school readiness, social-emotional maturity.