'Division of International Special Education and Services (DISES)'
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine whether there existed covariant characteristics among children labeled by society as well-behaved. Findings in the literature indicated unanimous support in describing the well-behaved child as quiet and conforming. There existed a small percentage of quiet and conforming children who were also described as shy. The study was designed to determine if these minority groups of shy children, often labeled by their teachers well-behaved, were also well-adjusted. A middle class pre-school population of 63 children, aged 2½-6 years, was used. Burke's Behavior Rating Scale was implemented, using coded names to insure the privacy of each subject. After results were obtained from the rating scale, teachers were asked to rate each child in two ways: l) conforming or non-conforming; and 2) shy or non-shy. Shyness was defined as an extreme measure of quietness. Results of the three scales were compared to determine if there existed a significant relationship between the shy child and his adjustment. It was concluded that there was a definite negative relationship between the described well-behaved shy child and his adjustment. Evidence emerged which merits further research. Age of the population studied was a major factor. Even though the child to whom the author addressed herself was in a minority (approximately 11.11% in this study), he has been overlooked.California State University, Northridge. Department of Education.Includes bibliographical references (pages 29-32
