Supporting students’ transition from primary school to high school using the Internet as a communication tool

Abstract

012dTRADOa049aeTrsam.017icysm1Pgh05oli0ioEin-a0cna8r9nio0a na03a.AlMlMtm/o 9ni1AogXdaa4a4nyr hh7 Ftc5 ,(iefe 5hpr8cPorra9 lr4@re2eni3 3nd0Ic9u0nta1i)0ts.fg/0s9o1o.g0er7gmd34yu57a a.7t-ain59oud12n 31 ET96d e(ucochnanltioinoleon)gy in Teacher Education This paper reports on a transition project where the Internet as a communication tool was used to facilitate interactions between primary school and high school students. The qualitative case study involved capturing the online interactions of the students and teachers as well as the use of questionnaires. Results of the study demonstrate that the use of the Internet allowed participants to engage in interactions that provided useful information to the primary school students as a way of preparing them for the transition to high school. There were a number of challenges identified in using the Internet to facilitate interactions which include identity and architectural challenges.Keywords: primary education; school transition; community; Internet IntroductionThe move from primary school to high school or middle school can be a daunting process for many students and has been documented over a number of decades (Mitman & Packer, 1982;Wassell, Preston & Jones, 2007). The community in which they have been nurtured for the last seven years or eight years is no more. Many of their friends who they have grown up with will go to a number of different schools.The teachers they have come to know will be replaced by strangers. The familiar classroom routine, where, for much of the time they have had one teacher, will change and they will instead move from subject to subject and have many teachers, often with different expectations to those of their primary school teachers (Eccles, Midgley, Wigfield, Buchanan, Reuman, Flanagan & MacIver, 1993). Many of the procedures and processes with which they have become familiar will be changed. Many of the rules and the expectations of the new school will most likely be different to the ones they learnt over seven or eight years of primary school. 2Many schools now recognise that the move from primary school to high school is an important transition period for students, and as a result, build in transition experiences for students in their final year of primary school. This is done in conjunction with both the primary and high schools in a number of different ways.Traditionally, students have physically gone from their primary school to a high school in order to participate in organised activities. These visits are often one off and In this article a transition project which incorporated the use of the Internet to enable students at both a primary school and high school to interact with each other over a period of two months is reported on. The research questions were-can the use of the Internet, as part of the transition project, support students as they prepare to move to high school? What are the benefits and challenges in including the use of the Internet?Benefits include students are able to engage in social, procedural and curricu...

Systematic literature review of primary‒secondary transitions: International research

“…Less bullying in secondary schools, unsurprisingly, was found by Farmer et al () to also be a positive factor. Learning what it is to be a secondary school pupil and preparation through online interaction with secondary school pupils when in the final year of primary school was perceived to be helpful (Maher, ).…”

A Review of the Academic and Psychological Impact of the Transition to Secondary Education

“…For example, in comparison to transitional students that participated in studies conducted in the early 2000s, it is now the norm for adolescents to own, or have access to a mobile phone, computer, or tablet ( Ofcom, 2017 ). To date, very few studies have investigated the use of the internet in transition interventions (e.g., Maher, 2010 ), and it appears there is a lack of investigation into the effects of technology on well-being and achievement during the transitional years. Current investigation into this area is important for a number of reasons.…”

Learning environment, attitudes and anxiety across the transition from primary to secondary school mathematics

“…Perso (2005, p. 28) views this transition as involving "environmental changes from a closeted 'childish/feminine' environment to an independent 'adult/masculine' environment". Hayes and Chodkiewicz (2006) reported an increase in girls' depression and hostility over this transition, whereas Maher (2010) believes that the unknown workload expected by secondary-school teachers is a cause of student anxiety.…”