“It’s cool but challenging” The Relevance of Basic Need Fulfillment for Students’ School Enjoyment and Emotional Experiences at the Transition from Primary to Secondary Education

Abstract

Based on the theoretical perspective of self-determination, this study examined the effects of basic need fulfillment (relatedness/competence/autonomy) on students' school enjoyment before and after the transition from primary to secondary school. Furthermore, the academic and social impact of control beliefs on the emotions triggered by the upcoming transition was tested. The sample consisted of 63 students who filled out questionnaires at different time points before (grade 4; students between the ages of 9 and 10) and after (grade 5) the primary-secondary transition . The results highlight the importance of a positive teacher-student relationship as well as positive relationships amongst the students themselves for students' school enjoyment before and after the transition. In terms of the emotions evoked by the upcoming transition, the results reveal that students with higher academic self-concept experienced more positive emotions than students with lower academic self-concept. From these findings, it can be concluded that positive relationships and the belief in one's own academic capabilities can contribute to the likelihood of experiencing the transition to secondary school as an event accompanied by positive emotions such as joy and excitement rather than a stressful or threatening life-event .

Entwicklung affektiv-motivationaler Merkmale am Übergang in die Sekundarstufe – Wie ergeht es bildungsbenachteiligten Kindern?

“…Auch soziale Beziehungen in der Schule sind von Bedeutung. Schüler/innen, die von geringen sozialen Problemen mit Mitschüler/innen berichten, verzeichnen am Übergang in die Sekundarstufe eine höhere Schulfreude (Hagenauer et al 2013).…”

“…Schulfreude steigt von der 4. in die 5. Klasse an, wobei Mädchen eine höhere Schulfreude berichteten als Jungen (Hagenauer et al 2013;Harazd und Schürer 2006; van Ophuysen 2008). Im Laufe der 5.…”

“…Klasse sinkt die Schulfreude jedoch wieder und erreicht in etwa das Ausgangsniveau der 4. Klasse (Hagenauer et al 2013; van Ophuysen 2008). Langfristig zeichnet sich eine kontinuierliche Abnahme der Schulfreude von der 5. hin zur 9.…”

The Relationship between Alienation from Learning and Student Needs in Swiss Primary and Secondary Schools

“…In addition, ability grouping or tracking not only makes school days more demanding for most secondary students, but also results in diverse organizational structures and classroom practices that vary considerably from school to school (Eccles & Midgley, 1989). Students may experience their new secondary school settings quite differently depending on how the schools and their teachers in particular assist them in adapting to the new school environment (Hagenauer, Reitbauer, & Hascher, 2013) and support them in fulfilling their needs. While some research has concluded that students' perceptions of school with regard to need fulfillment indeed change for the worse when students enter secondary school (e. g., Barber, & Olsen, 2004), another study could not find proof that there was an abrupt change in students' perception of needs support associated with the transition phase, but rather an age-related linear downwards trend throughout students' school trajectories (e. g., Bru, Stornes, Munthe, & Thuen, 2010).…”

From Epistemological Pedagogical Access to Student Success: New Framework for Studying Access to Higher Education

“…The 'need to belong' affects interpersonal attachments, and the quality of relationships has a marked influence on human beings in general and in educational contexts (Bergin & Bergin, 2009;Leary & Baumeister, 2017). It is hard to gainsay the evidence (Roorda et al, 2011;Bernstein-Yamashiro & Noam, 2013;Hagenauer et al, 2013) regarding the importance of the teacher-student relationship (TSR). Although this relationship is more highlighted in research at the school level, teacher-student relationship (TSR) cannot be divorced from pedagogical efforts in the higher education context as well (Hagenauer & Volet, 2014a;Aldrup et al, 2018;Pennings et al, 2018).…”