Journal article
Perceptions of primary to secondary school transitions: Challenge or threat?
Issues in educational research, Vol.22(3), pp.298-314
31/12/2012
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Abstract
Primary to secondary school transition has been identified as a significant and stressful event for young adolescent students. Recent research has focused on individual aspects of coping with the challenges of transition in order to determine features that may act as protective or harmful factors. This study employs a mixed-method design to examine student perceptions of transition in the pre- and post-transition period. Participants were 75 female students (28 in Year 6, 47 in Year 7) from an independent girls' school in Sydney, NSW. Perceptions of academic and social aspects of transition are explored using an online questionnaire and focus group interview. Results indicate both pre- and post-transition students have positive overall perceptions of the move to secondary school, although the pre-transition students reported a more positive perception than their post-transition counterparts. Having an older sibling at the secondary school was found to decrease social threat scores for pre-transition students. Results are discussed in terms of the cognitive-transactional theory of stress, and specific implications for educators are explored.
Details
- Title
- Perceptions of primary to secondary school transitions: Challenge or threat?
- Creators
- Erin Mackenzie - Macquarie UniversityAnne McMaugh - Macquarie UniversityKerry-Ann O'Sullivan - Macquarie University
- Publication Details
- Issues in educational research, Vol.22(3), pp.298-314
- Publisher
- Western Australian Inst Educational Research Inc
- Number of pages
- 17
- Identifiers
- 991013328519802368
- Copyright
- The files under http://www.iier.org.au/ are subject to © Copyright. For individual articles in IIER, copyright resides with the authors of the articles. Copyright in IIER as a journal resides with the Institutes for Educational Research. No article may be reprinted or reproduced (except by the authors or their institutional repositories) without permission in writing from the Editor.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Education
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article