Session Information
14 SES 04, Transitions in Education: Vertical, Horizontal and Intercultural
Paper Session
Contribution
Introduction
Comprehensive school provides a central developmental context for children (Eccles, 2004). During their school career pupils encounter variety of transitions that provide range of learning and developmental opportunities, demands and challenges for them. The way, in which pupils cope with the transitions have significant impact on their everyday life and the future (Jindal-Snape, 2010; Salmela-Aro & Tynkkynen, 2009). Most pupils make these transitions successfully (Tram & Cole, 2006). However research on school transitions has also shown that some pupils face severe problems in coping with the transitions such as stress, anxiety, decrease in academic mastery and overall life satisfaction, that are likely to increase the risk of exclusion from the school activities (Anderson, Jacobs, Schramm, & Splittgerber, 2000; Galton & Hargreaves, 2002; Kvalsund, 2000; Muschamp, Stoll, & Nausheem, 2001; Rimpelä et al., 2007). Yet little is known how pupils themselves perceive transition in their school path. The aim of this study is to identify and explore horizontal and vertical transitions perceived by the pupils that construct discontinuities or coherence for the pupils’ school career and challenge their learning in a comprehensive school.
Theoretical framework
During their school career pupils face both contextual changes and developmental transitions (e.g. adolescence) which are intertwined with the expression of physical, psychological, social and emotional changes and challenges (Anderson et al., 2000; Gillison et al., 2008). Pupils also face several normative, predictable and structural changes such as entering school or moving to the secondary school. The various school transitions pupils encounter opportunities and problems that challenge them to reflect and adjust their actions and previous ideas.
However, not all the significant transitions experienced by the pupils are likely to be situated in predictable structural and normative events such as beginning of the comprehensive school or sift from primary to secondary school. Also everyday practices of school may provide significant turning points, for example in terms of pupil’s well-being or academic mastery that may constitute major socio-psychological transition for the pupil, as perceived by one. In this article the normative and structural changes in the pupil’s school career such moving from lower grades to upper grades or in a more abstract sense advancing in learning and knowledge construction are referred as vertical transitions. At the same time other considerable changes in the pupil’s life, for example, in pupil’s social environment that challenge the pupil to reconsider one’s role as a student and member of the school community are here referred to as horizontal transitions. In order to be able to actively regulate their action in transitions, pupils should have learned strategies to analyze and anticipate the forthcoming challenges in their school career and simultaneously regulate their own intentions and actions in relation to challenges present in the school. From this perspective transitions can be understood as a learning process in which pupils re-negotiate their role as a member of school community in variety of school activities.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Anderson, L.W., Jacobs, J., Schramm, S., & Splittgerber, F. (2000). School transitions: beginning of the end or a new beginning? International Journal of Educational Research 33(4), 325–339. Eccles, J. S. (2004). Schools, academic motivation, and stage-environment fir. In R. M. Lerner & L. D. Steinberg (Eds.) Handbook of adolescent psychology (2nd ed., pp125-153). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Galton, M., & Hargreaves, L. (2002). Transfer a future agenda. In M. Galton, & L. Hargreaves (Eds.) Transfer from primary classroom: 20 years on (pp. 185–208). London: Routledge Falmer. Gillison, F., Standage, M., & Skevington, S. (2008). Changes in quality of life and psychological need satisfaction following the transition to secondary school. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 78, 149–162. Jindal-Snape, D. (Ed.). (2010). Educational Transitions. Moving stories from around the world. New York: Routledge. Kvalsund, R. (2000). The transition from primary to secondary school level in smaller and larger rural schools in Norway: Comparing differences in context and social meaning. International Journal of Educational Research, 33(4), 401–423. Muschamp, Y., Stoll, L., & Nausheem, M. (2001). Learning in the Middle Years. In C.W. Day & D. Van Veen (Eds.), Educational Research in Europe Yearbook 2001 (pp. 323–350). Belgium: Garant Publisher. Rimpelä M., Rigoff A-M., Kuusela J., & Peltonen H. (Eds.). (2007). Hyvinvoinnin ja terveyden edistäminen peruskouluissa – perusraportti kyselystä 7.–9. vuosiluokkien kouluille. [School Health Promotion Study. Grades 7.-9.] Helsinki: Ministry of Education & National Research and Development Center for Welfare and Health. Salmela-Aro, K. & Tynkkynen, L. (in press) Trajectories of Life Satisfaction Across the Transition to Post-Compulsory Education: Do Adolescents Follow Different Pathways? Journal of Youth and Adolescence. Tram, J. M., & Cole, D. A. (2006). A multimethod examination of the stability of depressive symptoms in childhood and adolescence. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 115, 676-686.
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