The Relation of Temperament and Other Factors to Children's Kindergarten Adjustment Phillip T. Slee, Ph.D. South Australian College of Advanced Education ABSTRACT: In this longitudinal study adjustment to kindergarten during the first year was examined as a function of individual temperament characteristics and other so- cial and demographic factors in 127 girls and 133 boys. Adjustment was measured using a scale developed by Thompson. 1 Temperament was assessed using the Parent Tempera- ment Questionnaire. 2 In all, 13.3% of the sample were judged by teachers to be expe- riencing some or considerable difficulty adjusting to kindergarten in term 1 and 5.7% were experiencing problems in term 3. Children of "difficult" temperament were per- ceived by teachers to be significantly more poorly adjusted than children of "easy" temperament in term i but not term 3. Results indicated that the temperament charac- teristic of low adaptability was most closely linked to poor kindergarten adjustment. However, temperament and various social and demographic factors only accounted for a small amount of variance. The findings were discussed in relation to the need to further understand the nature of factors contributing to kindergarten adjustment and to under- standing why some children's adjustment problems persist throughout the first year. Estimated proportions of children experiencing adjustment difficul- ties in kindergarten vary from 13% to 20-30% of the population2 '4 Furthermore, evidence suggests there is a small but important group of children who have persistent difficulties throughout the first two years of school. 5In light of the extent of these figures it is surprising to find only a limited amount of information available concerning factors associated with children's kindergarten adjustment. One factor that has received some attention in relation to kindergar- Received March 9, 1986. Accepted March 14, 1986. Address correspondance to Phillip T. Slee, South Australian College of Advanced Edu- cation, Sturt Site, Sturt Road, Bedford Park, Adelaide, S.A. 5042 I should like to acknowledge the invaluable assistance of Ms. Diane Lawson in this study. The assistance of Dr. M. O'Neil of the Kindergarten Union of South Australia is gratefully acknowledged as is the co-operation of the teachers and parents involved in the study. This work was supported by a grant from the South Australian Institute of Technology (No. 276). Child Psychiatry and Human Development, Vol. 17(2), Winter 1986 104 9 1986 Human Sciences Press