The second question reflects the thinking behind the goodness of fit model .
According to the model, how well a child does in school is partly a function
of how well the learning environment matches the child ’s“capabilities, char-
acteristics, and style of behaving ”(Thomas & Chess, 1977). In other words,
not all children come to school with the same learning styles or abilities. Wecan’t do much to change a child ’s temperament, but an optimal amount of
learning can take place if lessons and assignments are presented in a waythat matches the child’ s learning style. Several investigations find support for
the goodness of fit approach (Keogh, 2003). Students get higher grades and
better evaluations from teachers when the student ’s temperament matches the
teacher ’s expectations and demands.
These research findings provide an obvious strategy for improved teach-
ing. Classroom assignments that require extensive concentration create a
problem for the easily distracted girl with a short attention span. However,this girl will probably have little difficulty mastering the assignment if the
same material is presented in short, easily processed segments. A slow-to-
warm-up boy will fall behind when his teacher works at a pace set for theaverage member of the class. If allowed to progress at his own rate, however,
the boy eventually will do as well as his classmates.
The goodness of fit model can also be applied to preschool settings.
Of particular importance is the child ’s ability to adjust to the regimen and
rules of an organized social situation. Of course, as part of their preparation
for elementary school, children must learn to follow rules and consider
the needs of others. But impulsive chil dren who have a difficult time sitting
still are likely to be frustrated and get into trouble in a rigid one-size-
fits-all preschool (Coplan, Bowker, & Cooper, 2003; De Schipper,
Tavecchio, Van IJzendoorn, & Van Zeijl, 2004; Rudasill, Rimm-Kaufman,
Justice, & Pence, 2006). P reschool teachers find fewer adjustment problems
when they adapt their style in consideration of the child ’s temperament,
and improved adjustment paves the way for academic development. Onestudy found that a good match between Head Start teachers ’styles and stu-
dent temperament was associated with higher math and preliteracy scores
(Churchill, 2003).
Teachers who match teaching style with temperament not only increase
the child’ s chances of academic success, they also contribute to the child ’s
feelings of self-worth (Chess & Thomas, 1991). Children who do poorly in
school begin to blame themselves. These feelings are often reinforced by par-
ents and teachers who accuse the child of not trying or communicate to thechild in various ways that he or she simply may not have the ability to keep
up with classmates. The resulting decline in self-esteem may add to the child ’s
academic difficulties, which can create a downward spiral effect. Fortunately,
today most teachers are aware of differences in temperament and take steps
to adapt their teaching to meet students ’individual styles (Keogh, 2003).
Although time and resources may limit teachers ’abilities to meet the individ-
ual needs of all their students, recognizing temperament differences is an im-portant step toward that goal.242 CHAPTER 9 The Biological Approach