The emotional expressions of preschool children who disengage from the learning process

Active participation of children in the learning process is an indication of current performance and a predictor of successful schooling. In contrast, disengagement from the learning process is associated with resignation and the formation of an ineffective academic identity that can lead to school dropout in the long term. At the same time, active participation and disengagement from the learning process are linked to and shaped by the emotional state of children. This announcement presents the results of a broader research, which aims to capture the emotional expressions of preschool children who disengage from the learning process. The research took place in 2 public kindergartens and 2 daycare centers in the city of Ioannina, during the school years 2022-24 and included two phases. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of the data provided valuable information about the emotional state of children who disengage from the learning process and their interaction with their peers and educators. The results show that children who exhibit signs of disengagement, for some time in their daily educational life, experience anxiety, discomfort, worry and low self-efficacy, feelings that seem to affect their sense of belonging and their academic self-image.