Transitions as Critical from a Perspective of Inclusive Education – Part I: Transitions in Pre-school and to the first School Year

Author(s):

Anders GarpelinGunilla SandbergKenneth Ekström

Conference:

ECER 2009

Network:

4. Inclusive Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

04 SES 01 C, Transitions in Schooling

Paper Session

Time:

2009-09-28

09:15-10:45

Room:

NIG, HS C

Chair:

Kieron Sheehy

Contribution

In most countries, children pass through several transitions during their years in the educational system. Characterized as being more or less marked, these transitions might be considered as natural, something everyone has to pass, or regarded as critical, with risks for the well-being of the individual. In previous research, we found how marked transitions between primary and lower secondary school, from young peoples’ perspectives, might be interpreted as an important step between childhood and adolescence, a rite of passage recognized by the adult world. Applying a perspective of inclusive education, our current research is focused on the part of the transition process where the individual meet the new setting. We have chosen to scrutinize four transitions during the educational career. In this presentation (Part I) we will focus on two of them: the transition between different age-groups within the pre-school institution (age-group 1-5), in particular the role of the pedagogical environment; and, the transition from the pre-school class (age-group 6) to the first year of the compulsory school (age-group 7-8), in particular the new expectations, i.e. learning how to read and write. The remaining two examples of transitions will be presented in Part II. The aim of our research (Part I+II) is, to deepen our understanding of what transitions during the educational career mean for the diversity of children/young people involved, especially meeting the challenges in a new educational setting with reference to learning, participation and marginalization. Data will be collected from two pre-schools in the first case, and from two pre-school classes and two first year school classes in the second case. The data material collected will be scrutinized from the actors’ perspectives as well as the field workers’. Through a comparative analysis we hope to get an even deeper understanding of the meaning of these transitions for children and young people from a student as well as a life perspective, especially with reference to the concept “Rites of passage”.

Method

To deepen our understanding of what transitions during the educational career mean, for the children involved – with reference to learning, participation and marginalization – we apply an interpretive approach. We are interested in the perspectives of the children as well as the teachers and the educational institution. In the research, we work as ethnographers using data collection methods, as i.e. interviews, participant observation, recordings and taking photos. A research overview of the field is also conducted.

Expected Outcomes

At the conference, we will present a research overview of transitions in educational settings; and report on some results from both case studies on transitions. From a perspective of inclusive education, we stress on the meaning of transitions, especially with reference to learning, participation and marginalization. The data, from the two pre-schools scrutinized, revealed two different perspectives on transitions within their pre-school, one taking into account how mature and prepared the individual was, the other focusing on how prepared the new environment was, to meet for the diversity of children in an age group. The data from the case study, with the transition from the pre-school to the first year school class, is not yet collected, and at the presentation there will be some preliminary results presented.

References

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Author Information

Anders Garpelin

Malardalen University

UKK

Västerås

186

Gunilla Sandberg

Uppsala University

The Department of Curriculum Studies

Uppsala

186

Kenneth Ekström

Umeå University

Department of Child and Youth education, Special Education and Counselling, BUSV

Umeå

186

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