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The Shy Child Adapting to the Challenges of School

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Adaptive Shyness

Abstract

Formal schooling presents shy children with many challenges in terms of teaching and learning—speaking up in front of class, participating in discussions, and answering questions aloud are difficult for children—as well as making friends and avoiding social rejection or neglect. In this chapter, I consider evidence for shy children’s adaptation to academic challenges, focusing on educational attainments, performance on language assessments, adjustment to school, and the long-term implications of social anxieties. Much research has emphasized the deficits of shy students in these areas, although I suggest that the evidence for these deficits is not robust. I analyze shy students’ reluctance to volunteer answers in class to consider their reticence as a form of management of the risks and rewards involved. The educational applications of this analysis are discussed.

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  1. School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK

    W. Ray Crozier

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Correspondence to W. Ray Crozier .

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  1. Department of Psychology Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Louis A. Schmidt  & Kristie L. Poole  & 

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Crozier, W.R. (2020). The Shy Child Adapting to the Challenges of School. In: Schmidt, L.A., Poole, K.L. (eds) Adaptive Shyness. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38877-5_8

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