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Although studies examined depressive symptoms across adolescence, the impact of school transitions is often neglected. This study examined trajectories of depressive symptoms surrounding the transition to vocational education. Additionally, it examined gender differences and co‐occurring trajectories of parental emotional support and adolescents' self‐esteem. The sample comprised 840 adolescents and their parents (53% boys, 92% German, ageat_T1 = 16–19, average participation rate = 3.44). Adolescents reported trait items for depressive symptoms from the State‐Trait‐Depression Scale. Heterogeneous linear mixed models revealed four trajectories, with the majority exhibiting relatively stable low levels of depressive symptoms in two distinct trajectories. However, 10% experienced temporary increases, while another 10% experienced temporary decreases following the transition. Initial high levels of parental emotional support seemed to co‐occur with temporary decreases in depressive symptoms, whereas self‐esteem co‐occurred with low levels of depressive symptoms. Although school transitions may provide new opportunities and may induce stress, the transition to vocational education had little to no relation to self‐reported trait items of depressive symptoms in the present study. For those affected, self‐esteem and social support seem vital resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although previous research has investigated the impact of parents and peers on test anxiety in secondary or tertiary education, little is known about younger students, especially during the transition to secondary school. Additionally, it is unclear whether these social factors affect girls' and boys' test anxiety differently. Therefore, the current study examined the role of perceived peer integration into the new class context, perceived parental control, and autonomy support on girls' and boys' test anxiety (worry and emotionality) during the transition to secondary school. Data from 1770 students (Mage = 10.47, SD = 0.56; 51% females) were analyzed before (4th grade) and after the transition (5th grade) using a multigroup (girls vs. boys) structural equation model. Both facets of test anxiety decreased from 4th to 5th grade. Perceived peer integration into the new class was only relevant for girls' test anxiety, while parental control predicted post-transition test anxiety for boys. The results suggest that the perceived social environment is an important factor in helping students cope with the demands of the transition to secondary school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article seeks to contribute to ongoing debates on geographies of marketization, which are used in social and geographical research on education to account for the performativity and inherent inconsistencies of markets. This case study draws on students' transition to the state-funded academically focused school track of Gymnasium in Zurich, Switzerland, which merges intellectual and social selectivity in a central entrance examination. This situation has fostered both a flourishing market of costly private preparation courses offered by educational entrepreneurs and free school courses. We elaborate a detailed picture of this educational market by showcasing the entanglement of public education, private supplementary education and parents obliged to advance their children's educational careers and well-being. For this purpose, we draw linkages between these groups of actors and three key elements of geographies of marketization: problematization, commodification and calculative agents. Our findings show how this complex set of actors interacts in a constant reproduction and contestation of this market. The issues of social inequalities and subtle forms of resistance appear recurrently in our findings, and we argue that a geographies of marketization approach enables a fuller picture to be drawn of this educational transition market. In our conclusion, we suggest that this approach might also be helpful in critically questioning the borders between state-funded education and private supplementary education to improve the chances of transition to Gymnasium for all aspiring children regardless of their social or migration background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition from primary to secondary school is often associated with an increase in behavioral disengagement, which undermines students' academic development. Prior studies examined the average development of behavioral disengagement across school transitions. This study examined how students' peer status in primary school and ability track in secondary school relate to trajectories of behavioral disengagement. We followed n = 1564 students who transitioned to secondary school across three time points: February/March, and May/June in students' final year of primary school and January/February, roughly 6 months after students transited to secondary school. Latent Growth Curve Analyses showed that on average, behavioral disengagement increased, but this increase mostly occurred before transitioning to secondary school. Peer status and track related to students' initial levels of behavioral disengagement, but not to their development in behavioral disengagement over the transition. Specifically, students who were viewed as more popular by peers, and students who ended up in the lowest track showed more behavioral disengagement in primary school, whereas students who were more accepted by peers were less disengaged in primary school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition from secondary to tertiary education is important for educational identity development, as adolescents make choices regarding their academic track and vocational profile. The present study used Latent Transition Analysis to examine stability and change in identity statuses around the school transition, using questionnaire data from the Educational Identity Processes Scale in the Dutch educational context. Additionally, this study examined the extent to which the social context, characterized by positive relationship quality with parents and friends and school belonging, affects adolescents' identity status and the probability of making a progressive shift toward identity coherence. These questions were examined in late adolescence (N = 204, 75.0% female, M age T1 = 17.7 years) across two time points 1 year apart. Findings indicated that most adolescents were in an identity coherence status, while a sizable minority was in an identity crisis status. Patterns of stability and change between statuses indicated that most adolescents remained in the same status, but when change did occur it was more often progressive from crisis into coherence than from coherence into crisis. Finally, a positive social context seemed to be an important factor to promote more optimal educational identity development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life Course Theory contends that school transitions can interrupt academic and wellbeing trajectories, depending on child, family, and school factors. Hierarchical regression analyses examined how autistic traits were associated with school transition outcomes. Autistic traits explained 12% of the variance in Quality of Life (QOL), 24% of the variance in mental health and 9% of the variance in school belonging. When autistic traits were accounted for, gender was a significant predictor of changes in QOL whereas changes in school belonging were predicted by cognitive functioning, parent education, school attendance and school refusal. Changes in mental health after transition were mostly predicted by family factors including family structure, family functioning and parent education but were also significantly predicted by sleep problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While transition from primary to secondary school is a positive experience for many young people, for others, it may be a difficult period of adjustment. Socioeconomic status (SES) may influence the likelihood of a positive or negative transition experience owing to differences in psychosocial (self‐esteem, self‐efficacy, social support) and flexible (cultural capital, financial support, power) resources to respond to the challenges presented by a new school environment. Welsh all‐age schools do not have a typical primary to secondary school transition and offer an opportunity for comparative analysis to explore the impact of transition on young people. This analysis used multilevel and structural equation modelling to assess differences in mental health and bullying outcomes in year 7 (first year of secondary education) in young people in all‐age schools compared with those in secondary schools. It also considered whether school connectedness might explain these differences. It found that school type did not significantly predict outcomes at a population level; however, there was evidence of an interaction between SES and school attended for some outcomes. Peer problems, conduct problems and bullying victimisation were lower for children with low SES when attending all‐age schools. For children with high SES, the same outcomes tended to be more positive if the children attended secondary schools. There was no evidence that school connectedness mediated the relationship between school type and mental health or bullying outcomes. Findings provide tentative evidence that all‐age schools may act to reduce health inequalities caused by SES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Knowledge of changes in the domains of physical activity (PA) during the transition period from primary to secondary education and the factors associated with these changes, are prerequisites for the design of effective PA promotion strategies. Therefore, the first aim of this study was to systematically review changes in general, leisure-time, school, transport, work, and home PA across the transition from primary to secondary education. The second aim was to systematically review the individual, social, and physical environmental factors that were associated with these changes. Methods Records published up until September 2023 were retrieved from five electronic databases. We included longitudinal and cross-sectional studies that investigated general or domain-specific PA from 2 years before to 2 years after the transition from primary to secondary education. Information on source, study characteristics, sample characteristics, PA, and factors were extracted from the papers included. We reported the direction of change in general and domain-specific PA and the direction of association of the factors with change in general and domain-specific PA. Results Forty-eight papers were included in the study. The evidence on changes in PA and associated factors was greatest for general PA. A limited number of the studies investigated the separate domains of leisure-time, school, and transport. Most studies on general and school PA reported a decline in PA, but there were no consistent results for the domains of leisure-time and transport. With respect to the associated factors, evidence was predominantly found for individual factors and to a lesser degree for physical environmental and social environmental factors. None of the factors were consistently associated with changes in general or domain-specific PA during the school transition. Conclusions For the design of targeted PA promotion strategies, further studies are warranted to explore changes in the specific domains of PA across the transition from primary to secondary education, especially in the domains of leisure-time, transport, home, and work PA. In addition, the interactions between factors at different socioecological levels to influence changes in PA need to be addressed more in the future. Trial registration PROSPERO CRD42020190204.

This paper reports research that investigated how digital technologies were used to develop and maintain home–school connections and develop positive relationships when children transition to nursery schools and schools. School case studies, comprising four purposively selected schools with nursery provision in Northern Ireland and four primary schools in New Zealand, provided the context and evidence to enable a small-scale comparative study of how digital technologies enabled the development of relationships between homes and schools over time. In this paper, the findings were analysed using a conceptual model and framework derived from earlier studies in this field. However, given the contemporary social and technological context, it was found that the framework could be reviewed and elaborated, enabling the creation of a new conceptual framework that is offered here. Our findings reveal methods of employing digital technologies to positively support parental engagement when children transition to nurseries and schools. From the analysis of our findings using the framework developed, points to consider for future practice, policy, and research are highlighted, with an emphasis on understanding and integrating parents' aspirations into the transition process. Opportunities that use existing and emerging methods for home–school–community connections need to be made known to teachers and schools. While the digital technologies used must be capable of maintaining appropriate regular communication, additionally, supporting ways for involving parental voice in reviews of existing practices and exploring new opportunities should be shared with teachers and schools. Future research should explore how the use of digital technologies in developing wider and deeper engagement and participation of parents and carers with nurseries and schools might lead to a longer-term and positive engagement in later years beyond nursery schools and initial transition to school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Knowledge of changes in the domains of physical activity (PA) during the transition period from primary to secondary education and the factors associated with these changes, are prerequisites for the design of effective PA promotion strategies. Therefore, the first aim of this study was to systematically review changes in general, leisure-time, school, transport, work, and home PA across the transition from primary to secondary education. The second aim was to systematically review the individual, social, and physical environmental factors that were associated with these changes. Methods: Records published up until September 2023 were retrieved from five electronic databases. We included longitudinal and cross-sectional studies that investigated general or domain-specific PA from 2 years before to 2 years after the transition from primary to secondary education. Information on source, study characteristics, sample characteristics, PA, and factors were extracted from the papers included. We reported the direction of change in general and domain-specific PA and the direction of association of the factors with change in general and domain-specific PA. Results: Forty-eight papers were included in the study. The evidence on changes in PA and associated factors was greatest for general PA. A limited number of the studies investigated the separate domains of leisure-time, school, and transport. Most studies on general and school PA reported a decline in PA, but there were no consistent results for the domains of leisure-time and transport. With respect to the associated factors, evidence was predominantly found for individual factors and to a lesser degree for physical environmental and social environmental factors. None of the factors were consistently associated with changes in general or domain-specific PA during the school transition. Conclusions: For the design of targeted PA promotion strategies, further studies are warranted to explore changes in the specific domains of PA across the transition from primary to secondary education, especially in the domains of leisure-time, transport, home, and work PA. In addition, the interactions between factors at different socioecological levels to influence changes in PA need to be addressed more in the future. Trial registration: PROSPERO CRD42020190204. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• More transition difficulties at the beginning of kindergarten are associated with fewer gains in math, reading, and social-behavioral skills at the end of kindergarten. • Transition difficulties function independently from kindergarten-entry skills on children's development in kindergarten. • Transition difficulties and kindergarten readiness are separate constructs that may interact with one another throughout children's development. Considerable interest is directed to promoting children's success as they transition to kindergarten. It is generally proposed that children who experience lower levels of transition difficulties at kindergarten entry achieve higher academic and socialemotional gains, although this premise has seldom been explicitly evaluated in tandem with children's kindergarten readiness skills. To improve understanding of the consequences of transition difficulties, this study investigated the role of transition difficulties at the child level to children's achievements at the end of the kindergarten year in a Midwestern state in the US. Results from a series of covariate-adjusted regression models showed that children who experienced less transition difficulties at the beginning of kindergarten demonstrated relatively more gains in math, reading, and social-behavioral skills at the end of kindergarten, even when controlling for kindergarten readiness skills, child and family characteristics, and classroom-level contextual factors. The findings also indicated that the associations between kindergarten transition difficulties and academic and social-behavioral skill development at the end of kindergarten did not vary by children's academic and social-behavioral skills at kindergarten entry. Taken together, these findings suggest that transition difficulties that children encounter within the kindergarten context may have significant and independent implications for children's skill development. Possible practices to ease transition difficulties are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many countries provide multiple school settings for students with special educational needs (SEN), such as inclusive schooling in mainstream school, special classes, and special schools. However, even though school transfers are especially challenging for students with SEN, research on transfers between different school settings (i.e. placements) for students with SEN is scarce. The current study used administrative census data about students in Switzerland to investigate the frequency, direction, and timing of transfers between school settings attended by students with SEN. Results showed a relatively high percentage of transfers between school settings relative to the estimated number of students with SEN. The direction and timing of transfers varied by setting type. For special classes serving students with moderate SEN and special schools, transfers into these settings greatly outnumbered transfers out of the settings. Transfer peaks were observed at normative transition points (e.g. from kindergarten to primary school). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face numerous challenges in transitioning to elementary school, which can cause confusion for the children and concern among their parents. Aims: This study aimed to identify the process of school transition from kindergarten to elementary school for children with autism spectrum disorder in Japan, by evaluating the effectiveness of a school transition program. Methods: A focus group interview was conducted with seven parents who participated in a transition program. They were asked about communication with the teachers, support obtained from the school, and their experiences after their children entered elementary school. After the group interview was recorded and transcribed, the data were analyzed using inductive content analysis to determine the parents' experiences of the school transition process. Findings: Six main themes emerged from the focus group interview: acquisition of prerequisite skills, adjustment in dealing with children with ASD, communication between school and home, communication between peers and children with autism spectrum disorder, collaboration with special needs education teachers, and the principal's understanding of special needs education. Conclusion: These findings provide an overview of the challenges and possible solutions to support school transitions for children with autism spectrum disorder in inclusive educational environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to examine the moderating role of individual (sex, symptom severity, and comorbid disorders) and familial (parental stress and parental depressive symptoms) factors on the improvement of organization, time management, and planning (OTMP) skills of youths with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) following participation of families in a multimodal intervention targeting academic organizational skills. ADHD youths (M = 12.04 years, SD = 0.44; first language: 85.7% French, 11.4% English) under optimized psychostimulant treatment and their parents were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (n = 32; 21 boys and 11 girls) or a control group (n = 38; 28 boys and 10 girls). A two-dimensional questionnaire was used to measure improvement of OTMP skills: Time Management and Planning and Memorization and Material Management (MMM). Severity of inattention symptoms (p <.01) moderates MMM skills' improvement. The intervention was more efficacious in improving MMM skills of youths with more severe inattention symptoms under optimized psychostimulant treatment. No other moderating factors were observed. The intervention was effective in supporting ADHD youths improve their OTMP skills. The intervention appears to buffer the negative impact of inattention symptoms severity on MMM skills improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The transition from primary school to secondary school has negative effects on a significant part of the student body, such as a substantial decrease in self-esteem, motivation, academic performance and the risk of bullying and school dropout school. Social support and school factors are positively associated with transition success; thus, they need to be strengthened in transition programmes. In this sense, the application of pedagogical models that address affective and social domains could set a suitable framework to develop positive transition programmes.Purpose: The aim of this work was to test the impact of a programme consisting in a Service-Learning experience embedded in a Sport Education season on social and school transition facilitators within a positive school transition framework.Methods: A total of 17 teachers, 130 secondary school students (age: 15–16), and 305 primary school students (age: 11–12 years) across five established Sport Education networks participated in this study. The networks were composed of one secondary school group and between two and four primary school groups. The programme comprised between 18 and 21 physical education lessons for each secondary school group, and between 14 and 18 physical education lessons for each primary school group. The data were obtained in multiple time points through focus groups with students and primary school teachers, interviews with secondary school teachers and researchers’ field diaries.Findings: Results evidenced the development of facilitators in the social and school factors. Regarding the social factor, the programme created a positive relationship between primary school and secondary school students and increased quantity and quality of the relationship between students of the same age, as well as expectations of social support in the new stage. Within the school factor, the development of facilitators of school connectedness and a feeling of safety was verified. A shift in primary school students’ ideas and expectations about the transition was identified, which included a greater sense of security and more positive expectations.Conclusions: The Sport Education Service-Learning programme appears to be effective in developing school and social facilitators to promote positive school transition. Results suggest that Sport Education facilitates a positive and respectful relationship between equals, while Service-Learning is a highly suitable framework for relationships with older students. The long-term impact on social relationships established during programmes with a positive focus is suggested as prospective research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This longitudinal study examined the cross-lagged relationships of ADHD symptoms, school adjustment and academic performance during the transition from primary to middle school (Grades 6–7) in a Finnish community sample (N = 311). We found that the mechanisms were different for boys and girls: for boys (N = 149) the effect ADHD symptoms had on academic performance mediated via maladaptive achievement strategies, but for girls (N = 162) the effects on lowering Grade 7 academic performance were direct. In addition, ADHD symptoms were associated with SES and pedagogical support only among boys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co-design and youth participatory action research are promising methodologies for increasing youth engagement in well-being interventions. The current study included 10 recent high school graduates employed as youth advisors to co-design a youth-friendly positive psychology intervention targeting the post-school transition. The youth advisors received foundational training in positive psychology, psychological needs theory and emerging adulthood. They held regular meetings to develop a Positive Transitions programme (PTP) text messaging intervention, informed by discussion of key themes, issues and relevant practical tips. This paper aims to examine the co-design process from the perspective of the youth advisors. Each youth advisor completed a survey, and six of the advisors also participated in a focus group exploring their co-design experiences. Youth advisors noted a range of personal benefits from the co-design experience including learning, enjoyment, teamwork, achievement, and pride. Areas for improvement included clarity of the project scope and the provision of support and feedback. Insights from this process are discussed, with the aim of guiding future work seeking to design youth-friendly well-being interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting a new school can be an exciting time for children and families. But if a child has asthma, it can become a concern for many reasons. Using a case study approach, this article covers how a general practice nurse may support a child with asthma during transition to a new school, or indeed during other times of educational transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In their excellent review paper, Abbot-Smith and colleagues call for an emphasis on whole-classroom, tier-1 intervention approaches to supporting conversational skills in the preschool and primary grades. In our commentary, we discuss the benefits of and challenges to classroom conversation, particularly during the school transition period (ages 2 through 6), and we highlight several pathways that might help teachers foster more conversation with young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Very few studies have properly identified how peer victimization is associated with lower achievement in middle or high school. In this context, this study examined how peer victimization at the beginning of middle school is linked with subsequent student achievement. Specifically, it assessed if the behavioral, affective, and cognitive dimensions of engagement in school play a mediation role in the relationship between peer victimization and student achievement. METHODS: The sample of this study included 683 seventh graders attending 3 schools in Montreal, Canada. Students self‐reported peer victimization at the beginning and end of grade 7. They also reported their levels of student engagement on the 3 dimensions (behavioral, affective, and cognitive) across 3 time points in seventh and eighth grades. Student achievement in language arts across these 2 years was also obtained through school records. RESULTS: Peer victimization significantly predicted lower achievement over time (b = −.24, p ≤.001). Peer victimization predicted lower achievement in grade 8 indirectly through affective student engagement (b = −.11, p <.05). Post hoc analyses showed that peer victimization still predicted lower achievement in grade 8 indirectly through a decrease in affective engagement (b = −.14, p <.05). However, when considered alone, a decrease in cognitive engagement also acted as a mediator (b = −.09, p <.05), suggesting a strong link with affective engagement. CONCLUSION: Our findings expose the importance to promote student engagement in school and achievement for victimized youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methods based on machine learning have become increasingly popular in many areas as they allow models to be fitted in a highly-data driven fashion and often show comparable or even increased performance in comparison to classical methods. However, in the area of educational sciences, the application of machine learning is still quite uncommon. This work investigates the benefit of using classification trees for analysing data from educational sciences. An application to data on school transition rates in Austria indicates different aspects of interest in the context of educational sciences: (i) the trees select variables for predicting school transition rates in a data-driven fashion which are well in accordance with existing confirmatory theories from educational sciences, (ii) trees can be employed for performing variable selection for regression models, and (iii) the classification performance of trees is comparable to that of binary regression models. These results indicate that trees and possibly other machine-learning methods may also be helpful to explore high-dimensional educational data sets, especially where no confirmatory theories have been developed yet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the context of adolescent bullying during school transitions in Indonesia. Following a sociocultural approach on bullying (Maunder & Crafter, 2018), we argue that bullying is a situational and contextually sensitive phenomenon that is contingent on students' experiences with peers, and the responses of teachers, school, and society, including the educational system in Indonesia. Individual interviews were undertaken with teachers (N = 16) and paired interviews with students from Grade 7 and Grade 10 (N = 40). Preliminary analyses for this ongoing study reveal similarities and differences in teachers' and students' understanding of bullying based on school locations, grades, and gender. Potential implications of the research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research on school transition has highlighted how it can be a particularly difficult time for children with special educational needs and disabilities. In addition, parental involvement in the transition is seen to be an important factor in facilitating a positive transition. This study aimed to investigate the factors that impact the school transition experience of children with SEND, through the use of Internet forum data and the perceptions and experiences of parents. A total of 12 threads from the internet-based forum website Mumsnet were selected and analysed containing 127 posts from 46 different users. The keywords 'School transition' and the selected chosen topics of 'SEN', 'SN Children' and 'SN teens and young adults' were used to search for relevant forum threads. Forum threads were then analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. The themes generated were 'Proactive parents', 'Child-focused: Understanding and addressing the individual child's needs and concerns', and the overarching theme of 'Sufficient preparation' with the themes 'Preparation pre-transition' and 'Preparation post-transition'. Understanding the parent's role in school transition can help to support other parents to better support their child; the advice of other parents and suitable methods they have found to support their children can be suggested to others. Recognising the issues will also be useful in improving the support within schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines whether parenting practices contribute to the improvement of Organization, Time Management and Planning (OTMP) skills following an intervention aimed to support youths with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and their parents during their transition to secondary school. Families were randomly assigned to an intervention (n = 32) or a control group (n = 35) and assessed at baseline (T1), post group (T2) and post-intervention (T3). The intervention combines three components (child group, parent group and mentorship). Multivariate regression analysis and test of indirect effects were conducted using PROCESS software. Intervention effects on OTMP skills improvement (T3) was significant both directly, and via parental consistency at T2. The study shows the relevance of targeting consistency in parenting practices at a pivotal moment for children, the transition between primary (Grade 6) to high school (Secondary 1). It also highlights the relevance of directly addressing OTMP skills with ADHD youths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition from primary to secondary education can be difficult for children. This paper reports on an intervention in the Netherlands known as the Talent Classrooms (TC), which aimed to support students' primary-secondary school transition. The goal of TC was to increase the match between the personal environment of the student and the school environment to facilitate a successful transition, and to help students achieve their potential at secondary school. With the needs described in the review by Symonds and Galton (2014) taken as a starting point for this investigation, we sought to explore the extent to which TC supported six specific needs during students' primary-secondary transition period, according to participants' longer term reflections about their earlier TC experiences. In this qualitative study, in-depth interviews were conducted with ten former TC students, four to five years after they had participated in the intervention. Data were analysed qualitatively. The analysis suggested that, according to the participants, TC had fostered most needs and this helped to support their transition experience. In particular, participants reported that, via their involvement in TC, they had become more familiar with the physical environment and routine of secondary school, were able to form lasting friendships and enjoyed a challenging curriculum and extracurricular activities. However, findings also indicated that the intervention did not fully succeed in supporting some needs, mainly in the areas of autonomy, competency, and identity development, as it did not seem to have prepared all participants sufficiently for the requirement for independent working they subsequently encountered in secondary school. This study highlights how emphasis on the development of autonomy-related skills might be beneficial for interventions designed to assist students with the transition to secondary education. Moreover, it draws attention to the importance of tailoring support to individual students' specific, varied and evolving needs during this stage of development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports research that investigated how digital technologies were used to develop and maintain home–school connections and develop positive relationships when children transition to nursery schools and schools. School case studies, comprising four purposively selected schools with nursery provision in Northern Ireland and four primary schools in New Zealand, provided the context and evidence to enable a small-scale comparative study of how digital technologies enabled the development of relationships between homes and schools over time. In this paper, the findings were analysed using a conceptual model and framework derived from earlier studies in this field. However, given the contemporary social and technological context, it was found that the framework could be reviewed and elaborated, enabling the creation of a new conceptual framework that is offered here. Our findings reveal methods of employing digital technologies to positively support parental engagement when children transition to nurseries and schools. From the analysis of our findings using the framework developed, points to consider for future practice, policy, and research are highlighted, with an emphasis on understanding and integrating parents’ aspirations into the transition process. Opportunities that use existing and emerging methods for home–school–community connections need to be made known to teachers and schools. While the digital technologies used must be capable of maintaining appropriate regular communication, additionally, supporting ways for involving parental voice in reviews of existing practices and exploring new opportunities should be shared with teachers and schools. Future research should explore how the use of digital technologies in developing wider and deeper engagement and participation of parents and carers with nurseries and schools might lead to a longer-term and positive engagement in later years beyond nursery schools and initial transition to school.

This study explores the value of extracurricular activities to Japanese junior high school students and how this value can be transmitted to junior students through essay writing. The study participants involved Japanese seventh graders; the essay focused on school attractiveness and covered the following three conditions: (1) “control condition,” where juniors (sixth graders) are assumed to be readers, (2) “emphasis condition,” where the teacher requested participants to assume a more specific view of the juniors, and (3) “emphasis–visualization condition,” where the teacher requested participants to assume a more specific view of juniors and where the participants visualized the characteristics of juniors before completing the writing assignment. More information regarding extracurricular activities was provided in the emphasis–visualization condition. This suggests that when Japanese junior high school students are highly aware of their juniors, they evaluate extracurricular activities as an attractive school feature and readily transmit this value to younger students.

This study investigated the transactional relations between vocabulary and disruptive behaviors (DB; physical aggression and opposition/rule breaking/theft and vandalism), during the transition to formal schooling, using a community sample of 572 children. Cross-lagged panel model analyses were used to examine bidirectional relationships, comparing physical aggression to non-aggressive DB. Transactional associations between vocabulary and DB were observed, coinciding with school entry. Lower vocabulary in preschool (60mo.) was predictive of higher physical aggression scores in kindergarten. In turn, higher physical aggression in kindergarten was predictive of lower vocabulary in 1st grade. For non-aggressive DB, recurrent associations were found. Lower verbal skills in preschool (42mo.) and kindergarten predicted higher non-aggressive DB scores later in preschool and in 1st grade respectively. In turn, higher non-aggressive DB in kindergarten predicted lower vocabulary scores in 1st grade. In contrast to transactional paths from vocabulary to DB, transactional paths from DB to vocabulary observed after the transition to elementary school remained significant after controlling for comorbid hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention behaviors, suggesting these links were specific to aggressive and non-aggressive DB. Practical implications for prevention are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For some students, the transition from primary to secondary school is a difficult and stressful event that can have potential negative effects on their psychological wellbeing, social adaptability, and academic achievement. Although several individual, environmental, and family protective factors have been investigated, direct and indirect contributions of expectations and educational attitudes on resilience have not yet been fully explored. In the present study, using a sample of 744 (8 schools, Study 1) and 39 (3 schools, Study 2) 8th grade (day or boarding) secondary school students in Uganda, we initially explored: (1) gender and residence status differences in transitioning students' resilience and educational attitudes, (2) predictive effects of educational attitudes, gender and residence status on resilience, (3) the direct and indirect effects of educational attitudes and expectations on resilience, and (4) the students' perspectives about the transition process. In study 1, data were collected using self-report questionnaires whilst in study 2 data were collected from focus group discussions. Quantitative results indicate that (i) girls reported to have received more physical care for better adjustment than boys, whilst day and male students reported to have received more psychological care during school adjustment than their counterparts, (ii), residence status was a stronger predictor of resilience than were gender and educational attitudes, and (iii) student's expectations had direct and indirect effects on resilience through educational attitudes. Results of the thematic analyses show that transitioning students have unrealistic expectations and mixed feelings during adjustment. To foster resilience of transitioning students, schools could cultivate a culture of high realistic expectations, peer connectedness, and positive educational attitudes, as well as organize several transitional strategies and activities that involve parents throughout the first year of lower secondary school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the framework of positive youth development (PYD) and life course theory, this study was designed to examine patterns of PYD and promotive factors over the first semester of Chinese high school with a sample of 480 students (boys, 43.96%). The growth mixture model identified four trajectories of PYD, labeled high start–fast decreasing, high start–low decreasing, low start–low increasing, and mid–persistent. Results also showed that membership in a PYD trajectory is significantly related to three promotive factors: parental involvement, teacher involvement, and intentional self‐regulation. These findings have important theoretical and practical insights for a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms of positive development in adolescents following the critical period surrounding the transition to high school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supportive peer relationships are fundamental for mental health and well-being. Hence, peers and friends are a valuable resource, especially at the time of transition from primary to secondary school. Yet, current literature lacks both novel approaches to studying friendship development and how to involve early adolescents in research that is being conducted about them. Within the present study we used novel participatory research methods involving early adolescents who were active in the analysis of their own generated data. We aimed to better understand their perspectives on factors that facilitate and hinder friendship development with peers during the time of school transition between primary and secondary schools. A total of 916 pupils (M age = 10.44 years, range = 9–16) participated in 54 participatory workshops that were conducted in Austria. We used reflexive thematic analysis to analyze qualitative data from portions of a large series of participatory workshop activities. Moreover, we actively involved participants in the analysis of their own generated data. Themes were structured into personal, interpersonal, and external factors. We found that early adolescents valued kind peers that (a) give them a feeling of safety, (b) show supportive and empathic actions, (c) manage conflicts, (d) avoid negative behavior, (e) spend time with them, and (f) communicate in the offline and online environments. Although shared norms of behavior can support friendship development, friendship jealousy and tolerating bigger friendship groups were identified as important potential barriers. Additionally, external factors (i.e., given circumstances), such as similarities, physical proximity, and duration of acquaintance were included in our data but were perceived as less important by early adolescents. Our results supplement the existing peer relationship literature by showing which factors early adolescents themselves chose as most relevant for friendship development. We conclude with a discussion regarding the implications for school psychology practice and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition from primary to secondary school comes with major changes in the lives of children. There is a shortage of in-depth analyses of young people's perspectives concerning their fears and strategies to address these. This qualitative study aims to gain first-hand understanding of children's fears and the intended coping strategies used during school transition. Data from 52 workshops were analysed, with a total of 896 students (M age = 10.40, SD =.839) in lower Austria. First, in the classroom setting, a vignette story about a child facing fears about school transition from primary to secondary school was developed with pupils in a brainstorming session. This was followed by self-selected small group discussions, where pupils proposed strategies to help cope with these fears. A thematic analysis was carried out. Major thematic clusters distinguished between four types of fears: peer victimisation, being alone, victimisation by authority figures, and academic failure. Three additional thematic clusters described strategies for countering the fears: enacting supportive networks, personal emotion regulation, and controlling behaviour. In addition to these connected clusters, two further themes were identified: strategy outcomes and consequences, i.e., personal experiences with using specific strategies, and the discussion of participants about contradictions and questionable usefulness of identified strategy outcomes. In conclusion, the children in our study reported more social fears as compared to academic fears. Children seem reasonably competent at naming and identifying strategies; however, maladaptive strategies, as well as controversies within the described strategies may indicate a lack of certainty and competence at engaging with these strategies on a practical level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Friendships play a key role in supporting a successful transition to a new school for autistic children and young people. However, little is known about how these relationships have been impacted by restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to explore how parents perceived the impact of COVID-19 on their autistic child's friendships during transition to a new school. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 14 parents of autistic children in the United Kingdom. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Parents discussed a variety of experiences, which differed between and within school types and age groups. Several factors influenced children's friendships during transition including support from their new school and others' understanding of their needs. Parents described the differing expectations of what friendship was and how that affected their children's existing and new relationships. For some, COVID-19 negatively impacted on friendships by reducing contact with existing and new friends. Others experienced positive or neutral experiences due to lockdown restrictions. This study highlights the diversity of needs among autistic children and calls for a personalised approach to transition support beyond the pandemic as one way of supporting autistic children to develop positive peer relationships. Research shows that moving schools can be a challenging time for autistic children and young people. One factor that has been found to support successful transition is friendships. However, there is little research exploring how transition between schools affects autistic children's friendships, and even less on how children's relationships during transition have been impacted by COVID-19. Fourteen parents of autistic children and young people were interviewed about their child's move to a new school and the impact they felt this had on their friendships. Parents described how moving with existing friends helped some children to find the transition less challenging. Others had differing experiences, with their children's friendships playing a much smaller role in the move. Differences were also seen with regard to the impact of COVID-19, with some parents speaking of how hard being away from friends was for their child, while others found the social restrictions a welcome break from interacting with peers. The study highlights how different the experiences of autistic individuals, and their parents, can be and the importance of a child-centred approach to transition support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine the evolution of test anxiety during the transition to secondary school, a challenging period that includes a set of contextual factors that could potentially increase students' test anxiety. In addition, to further understand the contribution of different individual factors that might increase the susceptibility to test anxiety during this transition, the study examined the role of motivation, achievement, internalizing behaviors and gender in the development of test anxiety. A total of 478 French-speaking students (231 boys, 247 girls) were followed during their transition to secondary school. Latent growth analysis revealed an overall stable trajectory of test anxiety during the transition to secondary school. However, internalizing behaviors and gender moderated the trajectory over time. Additionally, high initial levels of internalizing behaviors, as well as lower grades in mathematics, were associated with initial levels of test anxiety, as measured at the end of elementary school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Normative transitions between educational settings can be important life events for young people, having the potential to influence mental health trajectories across the life course. Interventions to target transitions have been used to support children and young people as they transition between school settings, but there is limited synthesis of their effects. Seven databases were searched to identify studies of universal interventions focused on supporting mental health and wellbeing across three main types of educational transition: preschool to elementary school; school to school (including elementary to middle; middle to high and other combinations depending on country); and high school to post-compulsory education. Effect directions for behavioural, psychological/emotional and social measures of mental health were extracted for each study and synthesized using effect direction plot methodology. Searches identified 6494 records for screening. This resulted in 34 papers being included in the review, consisting of 24 different interventions. Social outcomes appeared more amenable to intervention than behavioural outcomes, with mixed findings for psychological measures of mental health. Intervention characteristics shifted based on the age of young person involved in the transition, with greater focus on parenting and school environment during the early transitions, and more focus on social support for the transition to post-compulsory education. A broad range of interventions were identified for supporting mental health and wellbeing across the three types of educational transition with mixed impact and diverse methodologies. More research is needed to identify transferable intervention mechanisms that may hold across different contexts and settings. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020176336. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transitioning to a new school is often challenging for students with autism spectrum disorder. Few studies have examined the transition needs of students with autism spectrum disorder or the benefits of specific supports. This review synthesizes research findings on the difficulties that school transitions pose for students with autism spectrum disorder and their parents and teachers, and the strategies used to support students and parents during school transition. The review included 27 studies (10 examining the transition to primary school, 17 the transition to secondary school), with data from 443 students with autism spectrum disorder, 453 parents, and 546 teachers, across four continents (North America, Europe, Africa, and Australia). Studies reported that children with autism spectrum disorder struggled with anxiety and increased social pressure, their parents felt overwhelmed with complex placement decisions and worried about the well-being of their children, and teachers strove to provide appropriate supports to their students with autism spectrum disorder, often with inadequate resources. Findings indicated that the most useful strategies involved helping the student adjust to the new school setting, individualizing transition supports, clarifying the transition process for parents, and fostering communication both between the sending and receiving schools, and school and home.

In a quasi‐experiment, we examine whether changing schools during the transition from 8th to 9th grade influences adolescent delinquency, using a sample of more than 14,000 students in 26 public school districts (PROSPER study). The dataset follows students for eight waves from 6th through 12th grade and facilitates a unique, direct comparison of students who change schools with those who remain in the same school during this period. Results show that students who transition between schools report significantly less delinquency after the shift than those who do not, and that this difference persists through 10th grade. This decline is most pronounced when adolescents from multiple middle schools move to a single high school (i.e., multifeeder transitions). Students who transition between schools have fewer delinquent friends and participate in less unstructured socializing following the change in school environment, which partially mediates their reduced delinquency. Results provide some support for theories of differential association and routine activities. Our findings highlight the role of a crucial, yet understudied, life transition in shaping adolescent delinquency. The results from this quasi‐experiment underscore the potential of alterations in social context to significantly dampen juvenile delinquency throughout high school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is framed in a study of multiple cases, carried out in the educational region IX of the Province of Buenos Aires-Argentina, oriented to the analysis of the continuities and discontinuities of the school trajectories in the primary/secondary and secondary/superior transitions, from the analysis of the assessment. This work presents the results obtained from the study of one of the cases, on the ways of mathematics assessment between the last year of primary school and the first year of secondary school. The point of view of the teachers, the perceptions of students and the comparative analysis of school normative documents (curricular design and academic regime of each level) were taken into account. The work allows to illustrate the multiple dimensions at stake in the passage from one level to another and suggests some topics to improve the conditions that guarantee continuous school trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition into higher education (HE) has received increased interest in recent years, since it represents a challenging period for students. The aim of this study was to further understand the associations between self‐efficacy, academic achievements, and regulation in first‐year university students during their transition into HE. The convenience sample consisted of 374 first‐year university students (230 females, 61.5%), aged from 18 to 33 (M = 19.86, SD = 1.51) and recruited from an Italian university. Self‐efficacy was assessed using the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire; regulation strategies were assessed with the Inventory of Learning Patterns of Students; and a self‐reported grade point average was taken as an indicator of each student's academic performance. Result shows that students' self‐efficacy was positively associated with self‐regulation and negatively associated with a lack of regulation. Students with higher self‐efficacy and self‐regulation strategies had better academic performance. Female students performed better in academic activities and adopted more external regulation strategies. The findings represent an opportunity for university institutions to consider the interventions they provide to first‐year students in order to facilitate the successful transition from secondary school; they also provide researchers with further knowledge about the effect of self‐efficacy, and regulation strategies on students' adjustment to HE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have not discussed the effect of class-size change that students experience accompanied by primary to secondary school transition. This study examined the impacts of the elementary school class size, the differences between class size and number of students in the same grade, and the transition to secondary school on norm-referenced standardized test score trends. We constructed the panel data of studentsʼ test scores in Japanese (n＝5,171), social studies (n＝4,109), and science (n＝4,994) from the fourth to eighth grades. Subsequently, we analyzed them using multilevel growth models. The results indicated that the small-class-size effect on fourth-grade scores in language, social studies, and science, and the interaction of enlarged class size and number of students in the same grade impacted decreasing trends of the scores in social studies and science. The underlying processes of these results remains unclear; however, without surveying teachers and students, this study analyzed five-year panel data covering the school transition period and introduced novel findings to the literature on class size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examined the prospective relationship from student inattention symptoms to changes in their psychological need satisfaction (PNS) during their transition to secondary school. In doing so, it has explored whether this temporal association was moderated by teachers' involvement (TI). Method: A sample of 688 students (46% male; M age = 11.82) followed in Grade 6 and Secondary 1 was selected from a stratified random list. Results: Inattention symptoms predicted a decrease in autonomy and competence need satisfaction, after adjusting for gender, anxiety, aggression, and PNS at baseline. In addition, TI in Secondary 1 attenuated the association between inattention and autonomy need satisfaction decline. TI also predicted a smaller decrease in competence need satisfaction, over and above the contribution of inattention. Conclusions: Results support the importance of TI in PNS of students who are struggling with inattention throughout a critical transition. Implications for educational practices and research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescents with higher levels of the basic psychological needs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness report better school functioning compared to their peers with lower levels of these needs. This study extended previous work by examining associations in within-person changes of these psychological needs in the school context, with a special focus on the secondary school transition period. We examined within-person relations between academic self-efficacy, intrinsic academic motivation, and school relatedness. Dutch adolescents (N = 290; M age = 11.58 years, SD = 0.44 at T1) who were in their last year of primary school were followed for four waves across 2 years. Results from random-intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs) showed moderate to strong positive concurrent associations between academic self-efficacy, intrinsic academic motivation, and school relatedness at both the within- and between-person levels. Moreover, within-person increases in school relatedness predicted increases in intrinsic academic motivation 6 months later. Thus, it is vital that researchers, teachers, and educators are aware that social connections and belongingness are important after the school transition for increasing intrinsic academic motivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition to secondary school involves significant changes in children's social and physical environment, which are often accompanied by changes in dietary habits. However, evidence around how dietary habits change during this life-stage transition is variable. This review aimed to identify, critically appraise, and summarise the wide-ranging evidence on changes in dietary habits across the primary–secondary school transition. Four electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus) were searched for relevant studies published in English or Spanish from inception to February 2024. Longitudinal studies with a baseline quantitative assessment of dietary habits when children were in their last year or two of primary/elementary school with at least one follow-up assessment of dietary habits when children were in their first or second year of secondary/middle/junior-high school were eligible for inclusion. Seven studies (10 independent samples) were eligible for inclusion, and fourteen different dietary habits outcomes were reported across the seven studies. The frequency of consuming breakfast, fruit, vegetables, and milk decreased across the primary-secondary school transition. Inconsistent results were found regarding changes in the frequency of consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, fruit juice, snacks, and fast-foods. Many dietary habits were only evaluated in single studies. There is moderate evidence for a decrease in the frequency of consumption of breakfast, fruit, vegetables, and milk in children across the transition from primary to secondary school. This highlights this timeframe as a valuable period for intervention to promote the continuation of positive dietary habits. More high-quality longitudinal studies using homogeneous methodologies to evaluate changes in dietary habits across the school transition are needed to fully understand the implications of this transition on children's diet and health behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition from primary to secondary school is an impactful life event for early adolescents. This life event is hypothesized to be associated with increased feelings of loneliness, as it is often associated with changes in adolescents’ social network. However, this hypothesis has not been empirically tested so far. The present study aimed to fill this gap in the literature. A sample of 330 early adolescents (MageW1 = 10.73, SD = 0.46) were followed for three years. Between the second and the third wave, the secondary school transition occurred for most of the adolescents in the sample. Multi-level models with random intercepts were used to model the change in loneliness. A cross-level interaction was included to examine whether these changes in loneliness were associated with the secondary school transition. The results showed that loneliness decreased across the three waves for all adolescents. This decreasing developmental trend was not moderated by the secondary school transition. Our findings do not show that the secondary school transition is associated with increases in adolescent loneliness. That is, the decreasing developmental trend of loneliness across the three waves was the same for all adolescents. (189 words)

The transition from primary to secondary school is a major life event for eleven‐year‐old children in the United Kingdom, where they face simultaneous changes. Following the outbreak of Covid‐19, transfer children face additional uncertainty on top of this. Negotiation of the multiple challenges, combined with the reduced support associated with Covid‐19, could have a negative impact on children's school adjustment and mental health. Given the rapidity of changes associated with Covid‐19, there are key empirical and practical gaps on how best to support children as they negotiate these two key events. To date, there is no published research which has explored the experiences of transfer children, and that of their parents and teachers during this time. The present research aimed to narrow this research gap by answering the research question: What are parents', children's, and teachers' experiences of primary‐secondary school transition during Covid‐19? This research used a series of UK wide surveys to gather data from 101 Year 7 children, 88 Year 7 parents, 26 primary school teachers, and 40 secondary school teachers using a mixture of open and closed questions. The data were analysed using Thematic Framework Analysis, taking an inductive‐open coding approach. All three stakeholders reported negative impacts of Covid‐19 on the transition, for example, in terms of missed opportunities. There were also many comments about the emotional impact of Covid‐19 on children, parents, and teachers. Numerous strategies were reported that were used to meet children's needs pre and post‐transition, highlighting areas of good practice, along with practical suggestions for how to approach transition in the future. The study has identified ways that transition can be managed more effectively, thus, having short term implications in providing an evidence base to support transfer children this year, and long‐term implications for future transition years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]