RECONCEPTUALISING TRANSITION: THE JOLT IN CLIMATE BETWEEN PRIMARY AND POSTPRIMARY

Dr. Paul DownesSenior Lecturer in Education (Psychology)

Director,Educational Disadvantage Centre

St. Patrick’s CollegeDrumcondraMay 11th 2009

1)Transition: Theoretical Backdrop

 

Transition – A socially constructed meaning that changes from context to context ??

 

Or, Bowlby: Defences of Protest, Despair, Detachment

 

Transition as a Potential Loss of Assumed Connection to Self, Other and Environment bringing Defences of Protest, Despair, Detachment

 

 2) Unsuccessful Transition as a Systemic Shift from Concentric Relation of Assumed Connection to Diametric Relation of Assumed Separation

See P.Downes (2003). Cross-cultural structures of concentric and diametric dualism in Levi-Strauss’ structural anthropology: Structures of relation underlying the self and ego relation ?, Journal of Analytical Psychology, 48, 47-81 See P.Downes (in press, 2009). Prevention of Bullying at a Systemic Level in Schools: Movement from Cognitive and Spatial Narratives of Diametric Opposition to Concentric Relation. In Shane R. Jimerson, Susan M. Swearer, and Dorothy L. Espelage (Eds.), The International Handbook of School Bullying, Section III., Research-Based Prevention and Intervention

3) A Diametric Relation of Assumed Separation between the Individual and the School System

 Protest – Teacher/Student Conflict

Despair – System Level Emotional SupportsDetachment – Early School Leaving and Non-Attendance

 Bronfenbrenner (1979): An Ecological Focus on Systemic Context – For

Transition

4) Transition Tends to be Represented as a Problem of the Foregrounded Individual than the Background System Masuda and Nisbett (2001) presented realistic animated scenes of fish and other underwater objects to Japanese and Americans and asked them to report what they had seen. The first statement by American participants usually referred to the focal fish (‘there was what looked like a trout swimming to the right’) whereas the first statement by Japanese participants usually referred to background elements (‘there was a lake or pond’). Japanese participants made about 70 percent more statements about background aspects of the environment. In a subsequent recognition task, Japanese performance was weakened by showing the focal fish with the wrong background, indicating that the perception of the object had been intimately linked with the field in which it had appeared. In contrast, American recognition of the object was unaffected by the wrong background

 

5) Transition and Fatalism/Fear of Failure: Blanchardstown Report (Downes, Maunsell & Ivers 2006) Nolan et al (2003) refer to the danger of ‘fatalism’ at a community level within Corduff that ‘nothing can be done’. Fear of failure is an example of fatalism at the level of the student’s experience of school (see also international research on fatalism and risk behaviour, Kalichmann et al 2000)

Downes, P., Maunsell, C., Ivers, J. (2006). A holistic approach to early school leaving and school completion in Blanchardstown. BAP

The responses to the question: ‘If you had a problem with your schoolwork would you tell your teachers(s) about it ? Why/Why not ?’

 SECONDARYYES NO MAYBE N/A122 27 8 6

• While a large majority of students (approximately 75%) do feel comfortable in raising a problem with their schoolwork with their teachers, it must be acknowledged that a sizeable minority do not or are not sure if they do (more than 20%)

 PRIMARYYES NO MAYBE N/A210 18 1 1

•It is of concern that:•-   there is a sharp increase in 1st year compared to 6th class responses in those students who are not willing or are not sure if they would tell a teacher about an academic problem – from 8% (Primary) to more than 20% (Secondary)•-   there is a sharp decrease in 1st year compared to 6th class responses in those students who are willing to tell a teacher about an academic problem – from approximately 91% (Primary) to 75% (Secondary)•-    these differences between primary and secondary level are statistically significant ones

Sharp Increase in Students who perceive that they are not treated fairly in Secondary School compared to Primary School 

•Quinlan (1998a) observed that one of the interviewed teachers in Blanchardstown referred to alienation of young people from an authoritarian educational system. •Teacher-student relations was also a pervasive theme in Fingleton’s (2003) interviews with eleven early school leavers in the Canal Communities Area of Dublin. These interviews highlight their alienation from the school system as well as the desire of many for further paths to education though not through traditional routes. •Forkan (2005) touches on the theme of teacher-student relations in the conclusion of his report in Blanchardstown: ‘treat all young people with respect, as this will be reciprocated’.

•Casby’s (1997) interviews with early school leavers in Ballyfermot also noted that:

“More attention must be paid to the process by which a young person comes to leave school early. Early school leavers attribute most significance to factors related to school: relationships with teachers, suspensions and difficulties with curricula” (p.6)         US adolescents cite a sense of isolation and lack of personally meaningful relationships at school as equal contributors to academic failure and to their decisions to drop out of school (Institute for Education and Transformation 1992; Wehlage & Rutter 1986).         Meier (1992) cites personalized, caring relationships with teachers as a prerequisite for high school-level reform 

 

The responses to the question: ‘Are you treated fairly by teachers in school ? Why/Why not ?’ were as follows: PRIMARY: 6th Class YES DON’T KNOW/NO ANSWER NO YES BUT170 3 36 21

 SECONDARY: 1st Year YES DON’T KNOW/NO ANSWER NO YES BUT90 10 41 21

  

Downes, P & Maunsell, C. (2007) Count us in: Tackling early school leaving in South West Inner City Dublin: An integrated response. Commissioned by the South Inner City Community Development Agency (SICCDA)

•-         Approximately 74% of pupils at primary level (6th class) state that they are treated fairly by teachers in school•-     Approximately 55% of students at secondary level (first year) state that they are treated fairly by teachers in school•-      Approximately 15% of pupils at primary level (6th class) state that they are not treated fairly by teachers in school•-      Approximately 25% of students at secondary level (first year) state that they are not treated fairly by teachers in school  It is worth noting that these differences between 6th class primary and 1st year secondary are statistically significant i.e., there is a statistically significant increase in perception of being treated unfairly by teachers in secondary school compared to primary school.

Table 9. Responses to the question: ‘Are you fairly treated by teachers in school? Why/Why not?’ were as follows for the primary schools in the South West Inner City area:      Yes No Sometimes

 Don’t Know

School A 30 (93%) 0 (0%) 2 -

School B 25 (72%) 8 (20%) 4 2

School C 25 (78%) 4 (12%) 3 -

School D 38 (71%) 5 (9%) 10 -

School E 18 (58%) 7 (22%) 3 3

School F 23 (92%) 0 (0%) 1 1

School G 24 (75%) 1 (3%) 7  

Total 183 (75%) 25 (10%) 30 (12%) 6 (2%)

As may be seen from Table 9, on average, the majority (75%) of primary school pupils responded that they are treated fairly by their teachers in school. •Nonetheless, some 22% of pupils on average, representing more than one in every five pupils in a classroom setting report that they are not or are sometimes not treated fairly by teachers. •Variation in responses across schools is evident with approximately one-third of the pupils in two of the seven primary schools responding in the negative to the question of being treated fairly by teachers.

Figure 4: Are you treated Figure 4: Are you treated fairly at school?fairly at school?

Figure 4a

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

Responses 75% 10% 12% 2%

Yes No Sometimes Don't Know

Figure 4a: Percentage Figure 4a: Percentage breakdown of responses to breakdown of responses to “Are you treated fairly at “Are you treated fairly at

school?”school?”

TRANSITION POLICY TRANSITION POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS –RECOMMENDATIONS –

A) PROFESSIONAL A) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHER CONFLICT TEACHER CONFLICT RESOLUTION SKILLSRESOLUTION SKILLS

Downes, P & Gilligan AL (2007) Some Conclusions in Beyond Educational Disadvantage. Dublin: IPA

•Continuity in afterschool clubs from primary to post-primary is another theme needing recognition. •The Educational Disadvantage Subcommittee (2003) has recommended that School Plans address ‘key areas’ such as extracurricular programmes and connection to youth service provision within the local area as well as transition from primary to post-primary. These two elements need to be firmly connected to each other so that a plan would exist for continuity between those extracurricular activities at primary level and at secondary level. •This point has been reiterated in the launching document ‘Quality Development of Out of School Services: An Agenda for Development’ (Downes 2006) on behalf of the QDOSS network.

TRANSITION: POLICY RECOMMENDATIONSTRANSITION: POLICY RECOMMENDATIONSFOR FOR SYSTEMSYSTEM LEVEL SUPPORTS LEVEL SUPPORTS

- CONFLICT RESOLUTION SKILLS OF TEACHERS - CONFLICT RESOLUTION SKILLS OF TEACHERS (ESPECIALLY POSTPRIMARY)(ESPECIALLY POSTPRIMARY)

- SYSTEM LEVEL EMOTIONAL/THERAPEUTIC - SYSTEM LEVEL EMOTIONAL/THERAPEUTIC SUPPORTSSUPPORTS

- CURRICULUM CONTINUITY- CURRICULUM CONTINUITY- CONTINUITY OUT OF SCHOOL SERVICES: SOCIAL - CONTINUITY OUT OF SCHOOL SERVICES: SOCIAL

SUPPORTSUPPORT- CONTINUITY SPECIAL NEEDS- CONTINUITY SPECIAL NEEDS

Downes, P. (2006). Quality Development of Out of School Services. QDOSS. Dublin

Continuity of Out of School Projects from Primary to Post primaryQDOSS recognizes that extracurricular/Out of School activities offer opportunities for responsibility and success, decision-making and social skills, protecting against early school leaving, and that it is extremely important that any such supports at primary level are sustained at secondary level.•Are there to be strategic plans for continuity between those Out of School Services at primary level and at post primary level? Can students remain with the Out of School project as they undergo the transition from one school to another?  Can there be continuity in Out of School Services even if the student is attending a different secondary school from that of the local one ?

QDOSS notes that the disruption to the social environment of the student during transfer to post-primary is well recognized and Out of School projects offer one source of stability within the social environment during this transition process. QDOSS suggest that continuity across primary to secondary may be even more important if the student is attending a different school from his/her peers and from those he/she was with in primary school.

Downes, P. (2004a). Voices from Children: St.Raphael’s Primary School Ballyfermot. URBAN, Ballyfermot

•5th/6th class and first/second year post-primary need to be targeted regarding extracurricular activities with a focus on how to develop

continuity within these activities from primary to post-primary. There is a need to develop bridges with local organisations and secondary schools

to implement this strategy 

•The participation of 5th class pupils in extracurricular activities is extremely high, both in itself and in comparison with results from the

previous study (Downes 2002). Nevertheless, the discrepancy between 5th and 6th class regarding opportunities for participation in

extracurricular activities clearly needs to be remedied as part of a strategy for transition to post-primary.

  

Maunsell et al (2007): Maunsell et al (2007): * * Children with general learning difficulties can Children with general learning difficulties can often have poor organisational skills making it often have poor organisational skills making it

difficult for them to cope with the huge difficult for them to cope with the huge organisational changes in their school day at post-organisational changes in their school day at post-

primary school. primary school.

* * Coping with timetables, extra teachers, homework Coping with timetables, extra teachers, homework and moving around classes can be anxieties for a and moving around classes can be anxieties for a

number of these students. number of these students. * * There is a need to examine the possibility of There is a need to examine the possibility of consistently transferring some primary school consistently transferring some primary school

practices into post-primary school for a period in practices into post-primary school for a period in first year e.g. mixed ability teaching, a small group first year e.g. mixed ability teaching, a small group

of teachers responsible for all subject areas, of teachers responsible for all subject areas, arranging a ‘homebase’ for first-years, etcarranging a ‘homebase’ for first-years, etc

                  

* This could also extend to visits from post-* This could also extend to visits from post-primary teachers to the primary school, primary teachers to the primary school,

especially for those children with special needs. especially for those children with special needs. This would also provide a post-primary teacher This would also provide a post-primary teacher with the opportunity to get valuable information with the opportunity to get valuable information

on the individual students. on the individual students.

* * Another recommendation is developing roles Another recommendation is developing roles for a student liaison officer that would work for for a student liaison officer that would work for

both the primary school and post-primary school both the primary school and post-primary school in particular with this target group. This person in particular with this target group. This person

could help prepare students in sixth class for the could help prepare students in sixth class for the transition and would be a familiar person to transition and would be a familiar person to support them once they reach post-primary support them once they reach post-primary school, thus adding an element of personnel school, thus adding an element of personnel

continuity to the young person’s overall school continuity to the young person’s overall school experienceexperience

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