PSYCHO-PEDAGOGICAL COMMUNICATION AS A KEY CONDITION FOR CHILDREN’S SUCCESSFUL ADAPTATION TO SCHOOL

Abstract

Effective acculturation into educational institutions is an ongoing issue in the early stages of schooling, and most studies have focused on the initial preparedness of children without necessarily specifying the processes of classroom interaction. Empirical data on solitary communication-focused pedagogical processes within the context of first-grade transition are limited, thereby limiting practical advice in instructional design. This paper explores the significance of psycho-pedagogical communication as the central force behind early school adaptation. We tested a communication-based intervention, which was structured and aimed at improving the quality of teacher–student interaction in the first semester of Grade 1. With the help of a quasi-experimental design, first-grade classrooms were assigned to either intervention or standard instruction conditions for data collection, and multi-domain adaptation was evaluated using validated measures of emotional, motivational, behavioral, and social aspects. It was discovered that children in the intervention group showed greater improvement in overall school adaptation than controls (Δ = +18.4, d = 0.62). The researchers observed better outcomes in emotional regulation (d = 0.58), learning motivation (d = 0.51), behavioral adjustment (d = 0.47), and peer integration (d = 0.55), with play-integrated pedagogical communication emerging as the most significant factor. This paper offers solid evidence that psycho-pedagogical communication is an important and practical process in early school adaptation, with immediate implications for teacher education and developmentally responsive pedagogy.