Transcript Towards Effective Preschool to Primary School Transitions

Towards Effective Preschool to
Primary School Transitions
Dr Divya Jindal-Snape
University of Dundee
Overview
• Educational Transitions- Conceptualisation
• Scottish Case Study
• Theoretical perspectives (Resilience, SelfEsteem, Emotional Intelligence)
• Examples of good transition practice across the
world and some suggestions
• Discussion questions
What is educational transition?
Moving from one
context and set of
interpersonal
relationships to
another
Transition can be:
•Satisfying and fulfilling
• Opportunity to ‘move on’ and
‘move up’ with increased
choices
Transition can
be:
Challenging and stressful
Conceptualisation*
•
•
•
•
•
•
One off event/Ongoing process
Horizontal/Vertical
Ready children/Ready Educational Institutions
Clean slate/Virtual backpacks**
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological systems theory
Effect on child-young person/ family/ practitioners
* From Jindal-Snape, D. (Editor) (forthcoming in December 2009). Educational Transitions: Moving Stories from around the world. New
York: Routledge.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1992). Ecological systems theory. In R. Vasta (Ed.), Six theories of child development (pp. 187–249). London and
Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
One off event/Ongoing process
• One off eventresearch focuses on
meeting the teachers
prior to transition, school
visits, induction
• Ongoing processresearch focuses on the
constant adaptation and
negotiation
Horizontal/Vertical*
*Pietarinen, J., Soini, T., & PyhaltoY, K. (forthcoming). Learning and Well-Being in Transitions: How to Promote
Pupils’ Active Learning Agency? In D. Jindal-Snape (Ed.), Educational Transitions: Moving Stories from around
the world. New York: Routledge.
Ready children/Ready Educational
Institutions
• Maturational v/s
Interactionist Approach
• Vernon-Feagans and
colleagues (2008) provide
a way to conceptualize
readiness which puts the
definition of readiness, not
within the child but at the
“interaction and fit
between the child and
his/her family and the
‘readiness’ of the
classroom/school to teach
that child” (p. 63).
*Vernon-Feagans, L., Odom, E., Panscofar, N., &
Kainz, K. (2008). Comments on Farkas and Hibel: A
transactional/ecological model of readiness and
inequality.In A. Booth & A. C. Crouter (Eds.),
Disparities in school readiness (pp. 61–78).New York:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Clean slate/Virtual backpacks
•
Clean slates- start
afresh approach
•
Opening their ‘virtual
backpacks’ in the
school setting*
*Peters, S. (forthcoming). Shifting the
Lens: Re-Framing the View of Learners
and Learning During the Transition
From Early Childhood Education to
School in New Zealand. In D. JindalSnape (Ed.), Educational Transitions:
Moving Stories from around the world.
New York: Routledge.
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory
Adapted by Fabian & Dunlop, 2002, 151
Fabian, H., & Dunlop, A. W. A. (Eds.) (2002). Transitions in the Early Years. Debating continuity and progression for children in early education. London:
Routledge Falmer.
Effect on child-young person/ family/
practitioners
Transition has an
impact not only on the
child/young person but
also his/her family
– Families experience
joys and anxieties
during their child’s
transitions
– They should also be
provided support
• to deal with the
transition themselves
• to be actively involved
in making the transition
smooth for the child.
Effect on child-young person/ family/
practitioners
• Professionals play an
important role in
supporting children
and parents during
transitions
• However, it is
possible that their
own needs, especially
training needs, have
not been identified
The community can also play a significant
part in transitions and readiness to learn
Issues for young children starting
school
•
•
•
Move out of an environment of autonomy
into one of conformity
Perceived lack of choice
Lack of explanation regarding what is
happening
Fabian & Dunlop, 2002, 2006; Fortune-Wood, 2002 cited in Hannah, E., Gorton, H., & Jindal-Snape, D.
(forthcoming 2009). Small steps: Perspectives on understanding and supporting children starting school in
Scotland. In D. Jindal-Snape (Ed.), Educational Transitions: Moving Stories from around the world. New York:
Routledge.
Setting the scene
Scottish Case Study*
Rationale
•
Several studies have explored transitions from the perspectives of
the child and professionals, but less so from the perspective of
parents
•
Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory (especially,
microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem and macrosystem) as
applied to the child’s transition to school helps capture the
multiplicity of inter-related factors which may influence transition
experience
*Hannah, E., Gorton, H., & Jindal-Snape, D. (forthcoming 2009). Small steps: Perspectives on
understanding and supporting children starting school in Scotland. In D. Jindal-Snape (Ed.),
Educational Transitions: Moving Stories from around the world. New York: Routledge.
Objectives
To explore parents’ views of:
– their child’s experience of transition to primary
school
– their experience of transition
– what systems/transitional activities were
beneficial for them and their child, and ways
of improving them
Methodology
Case study of a Scottish Primary school
– Participants- 20 P1 parents, 6 months after start of
school
– Questionnaire
• closed questions requiring agreement to statements, some
factual and some related to their experience
• 8 open questions seeking detailed responses about their
experiences
• made available both as a paper version and online
– Analysis
• based on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems model
Results
• 5 reported that children faced difficulties
during transition
• 18 said preparation from school was
helpful to their child
• 16 said that it was helpful to them
• 17 happy that the school did all it could to
make the move smooth, 3 were not
Microsystem
Child-home
• along with their children, parents also need support
to prepare for the transition
• this would help them in explaining transition
related issues to their child
• need for good communication with the teachers
including feedback regarding how their child was
settling in; and more and timely information about
the school systems, routines and procedures
Parent’s view 1
Microsystem
Child-school
• helping the child adjust to
– a new learning environment
» which includes both physical/organisational elements
» relationships (adults and peers)
• explicitly teaching expected behaviour
• very important not only for a child to be familiar with the
teacher but also to start forming a relationship before
s/he started school
• school visits had been very useful (n=16)
• booklets provided about the school were useful,
especially the ones that had photos of teachers (n=7)
• However- Parent’s view 2
Microsystem
Child-peer group
Table 1: Cross-tabulation between ‘My child moved to P1 with some of her/his friends from
nursery’ and ‘My child faced problems when s/he moved to P1’
Moved with
friend
Did not
move
with
friend
Total
Yes
3
2
5
No
12
3
15
15
5
20
My child faced problems when s/he moved to P1
Total
However, the comments from parents highlighted the importance of moving with
friends.
... on the first day the teacher understood that sitting next to your best friend was
important.
Parent
Mesosystem
Home-school
• Good relationship between the parents and
school professionals is important
– ongoing accurate information
– greater knowledge of schools
– opportunities to discuss expectations
…there is a feeling that more communication generally would be
welcome. A drop-in event every month perhaps where parents
can raise general issues?
Parent
Mesosystem
• Pre-school-school
Table 2: Cross tabulation between ‘Immediately before starting at this primary
school, my child attended:’ and ‘I think there was good communication between
the Nursery and the School regarding my child and his/her needs’
I think there was good
communication between the
Nursery and the School
regarding my child and
his/her needs.
Feeder
Nursery
Private Nursery
in city
Other
(including other
city/
country)
Totals
Good
6
3
3
12
Poor
1
1
1
3
Don't Know
1
3
1
5
Totals
8
7
5
20
Exosystem
• Parent-Parent relationship
– Supporting parents going through transitions
...this is a positive aspect of school community.
...all the information I get was from the parent chats in the playground.
It would be good if in the first few weeks of school, members of the Parent
Council (or other parents) were available to and advertised at drop-off times to
answer practical questions from new parents.
Parents
Parent’s View 1
More communication on the first day so I
could put my child at ease if I knew what was
happening. For instance on arriving in the
classroom although the teacher spoke to our
child she ignored us. She didn’t introduce
herself or explain what to do with coats or
bags. We also were not told where to pick our
children up when we came back. As parents
we were left hanging around like spare parts
and ruined the experience of our child’s first
day at school.
Back
Parent’s View 2
• Rather than one 4 hour morning where the
children visit the school - would be better if
it was maybe 1 hour a week for 4 weeks
prior to them starting school…Gives the
children a familiarity with going to school
and lets them meet their classmates on a
regular basis. This could also allow out of
school play dates to take place prior to
school starting.
Back
Discussion and Conclusions
• Beneficial aspects of the work that the school did
– the school visits
– booklets provided about the school, especially the ones with
photos of teachers
– inputs from the Head Teacher and Depute Head Teacher
• Suggestions from parents for effective transitions
– need for good communication with the teachers including
feedback regarding how child was settling in
– and timely information about the school systems, routines and
procedures
– child practising any new procedures before using them (e.g.,
ordering dinner)
– opportunities of informal chats with other parents and Parent
Council members
Theoretical Perspectives
Resilience
Resilience is “a phenomenon or process
reflecting relatively positive adaptation
despite experiences of adversity or
trauma,” Luthar (2003, p. 6).*
Cited in Jindal-Snape, D. & Miller, D.J. (forthcoming 2009). Understanding Transitions through
Self-Esteem and Resilience. In D. Jindal-Snape (Ed.), Educational Transitions: Moving Stories
from around the world. New York: Routledge.
Protective processes to facilitate
resilience
Rutter (1987)* suggested four main protective processes
which mediate risk at key life turning points
•
to lessen the impact of risk by altering the experience
of risk or exposure to the risk
•
to decrease the number of risk factors in order to avoid
an accumulation of unmanageable risks
•
to increase self-esteem and self-efficacy, in order
•
to provide access to opportunities such as part-time
work and out of school activities, to increase
confidence
Cited in Jindal-Snape, D. & Miller, D.J. (forthcoming 2009). Understanding
Transitions through Self-Esteem and Resilience. In D. Jindal-Snape (Ed.),
Educational Transitions: Moving Stories from around the world. New York:
Routledge.
Resilience & Transitions
•
•
•
•
Transition research suggests several such stressors for
a child/young person at this time
Discontinuity
Change in expectations
Change in organisational culture
Peer relationships
To minimise risk or stressors, research emphasises the
importance of
• the internal protective factors (for example, self-esteem)
• external protective factors (such as positive relationships
at home and school)
Self-esteem
• Clear enough idea of what we mean when
we talk about self-esteem
• However, there is little consensus in terms
of definitions, models or measures
• Two-dimensional model of self-esteem as
an integrated sum of self-worth and selfcompetence (Mruk, 1999)*
* Cited in Jindal-Snape D., & Miller D. J. (2008). A challenge of living? Understanding
the psycho-social processes of the child during primary–secondary transition through
resilience and self-esteem theories. Educational Psychology Review, 20, 217–236.
Self-esteem & Transitions
• During ‘challenges of living’ individual’s sense of
worth and competence are particularly
vulnerable
• Epstein (1979)* proposed three major
experiences which can significantly affect an
individual’s self-esteem
– exposure to a new environment
– being required to make new responses
– the establishment or loss of significant relationships
* Cited in Jindal-Snape, D. & Miller, D.J. (forthcoming 2009). Understanding Transitions through
Self-Esteem and Resilience. In D. Jindal-Snape (Ed.), Educational Transitions: Moving
Stories from around the world. New York: Routledge.
Emotional Intelligence
Goleman identified the five 'domains' of EI
as:
– Knowing your emotions
– Managing your own emotions
– Motivating yourself
– Recognising and understanding other
people's emotions
– Managing relationships, i.e., managing the
emotions of others
Emotional Intelligence
It is the set of abilities that underlie competency
in dealing with and acting upon emotion-relevant
information (Salovey & Mayer, 1990)*.
It encompasses the ability to:
– perceive, appraise, and express emotion accurately
and adaptively
– understand emotion and emotional knowledge
– use feeling to facilitate cognitive activities and adaptive
action
– regulate emotion in oneself and others*
*Adeyemo, D.A. (forthcoming 2009). Educational Transition and Emotional
Intelligence. In D. Jindal-Snape (Ed.), Educational Transitions: Moving Stories
from around the world. New York: Routledge.
Emotional Intelligence &
Transitions
• School/university work and cultivation of
intellectual competencies demand the
ability to use and regulate emotion to
facilitate thinking, enhance concentration,
control impulsive behaviour, perform
effectively under stress, and nurture
intrinsic motivation
• Adjustment requires establishing
meaningful relationship with people such
as teachers and peers
Role of parents/family during
the transitions and education
Role of parents/family during the
transitions and education
A stable and supportive family environment was considered to be very
important. Some commented on how certain parents were not supporting
their children which was leading to issues at school.*
“…But they need a lot more support and they need their parents to be a
lot more involved.”
Parent
“The family can have a big role. Particularly in terms of supporting the
school with discipline. Some parents are good at contacting the school
and saying that this has happened but others feel that because the
school has a no bullying policy, they can prevent anything and
everything. Some parents aren’t prepared to listen and accept that their
son or daughter may not be a victim but might actually be a part of it.”
Professional
*Jindal-Snape, D. & Foggie, J. (2008). A holistic approach to primary-secondary transitions. Improving Schools, 11, 518.
Role of parents/family during the transitions
and education (continued)
There was a feeling
amongst some participants
that if the parents had
negative experiences of
schooling, then it was likely
that their children would feel
the same way about school.
“She just didn’t seem to cope at all
with moving up to the ‘secondary
school A’. Saying that, I was at the
‘secondary school B’ for first year and
then I moved to the ‘secondary school
A’ cos [because] we moved and I
hated it as well so moved back to the
‘secondary school B’ for third year. So
you can imagine what it’s like now.”
Parent
Role of parents/family during the transitions
and education (continued)
Professionals and some parents also discussed about the parents’ attitudes
towards education having an impact on their children’s attitudes towards
education. They felt that if parents did not value education, it was likely that
the children would not value education as well.
“Some don’t bother. I mean some parents think ‘okay we’ll just get your
uniform, your bag and that’s it’. They don’t say ‘right, okay, it is going to be
harder, you have to try your best’ I mean ‘you can only do your best’ and the
ones that do that, I mean I’m happy but it’s also…giving them a kick up the
backside at times and my child needs that.”
Parent
“Some families are not keen to get involved. A lot of the children’s dislike
for school comes from their parents. If the parents maybe don’t value
education or don’t want to come up to school – there’s reluctance there.”
Professional
Role of parents/family during the transitions
and education (continued)
There were some indications that parents might be having problems with
dealing with transition themselves.
“It is a big school, but there’s so many bigger people there. There’s so
many more pupils there than there are at a primary school. I found it was
like a maze myself.”
Parent
“…support should be offered to families. It’s about targeting the support. If
there’s anxiety at home, it makes it difficult.”
Professional 3
Examples of good transition practice across
the world and some suggestions*
i.
Five bridges of transition and bridging units as part of
local pyramids which are meaningful to children
ii. Induction days, whether a day long or over several
shorter sessions
iii. Parental involvement
during their own child’s transition
to support other parents
iv. Artifacts or portfolios from the previous educational
setting to the new one
- for emotional support of the individual
- providing professionals an indication of the
individual’s strengths/ interests
v.
Information packs meaningful to parents/carers and
child/young person, e.g., photographs of significant
others and places in the new context
Examples of good transition practice across
the world and some suggestions (continued)
vi. Sharing pedagogy across schools and other educational
contexts
- team teaching
- sharing of ideas, practice and resources
vii. Prepare and document transition plans, and review and
monitor them periodically
viii. Create transition teams in the district and the school for
development and implementation of a systematic
transition programme
ix. Involving the child/young person as an active learner
and participant in the transition process
x. Teachers and other practitioners working with
researchers to undertake action research to improve
their practice related to transitions
Examples of good transition practice across
the world and some suggestions (continued)
xi. Educational transitions are in line with
developmental transitions of an individual
xii. Undertake staff training needs assessment in the
context of transitions
xiii. Should research, evaluate, and document
transition programme effectiveness on an ongoing
basis
xiv. Using emotional intelligence intervention to
facilitate effective transitions
xv. Prior to transition, children/young people are
involved in simulated role, drama, storytelling to
provide opportunities to express their transition
concerns and tackle them in a secure and familiar
environment
Examples of good transition practice across
the world and some suggestions (continued)
xvi. Having named transitional professionals
xvii. Information passed from one stage to another
- academic attainment
- personal and social factors
xviii. Secure attachments opportunities
buddy system
- guidance and counselling staff
* From Jindal-Snape, D. (Editor) (forthcoming in December 2009). Educational Transitions: Moving
Stories from around the world. New York: Routledge.
Contact Details
Dr Divya Jindal-Snape
School of Education, Social Work and Community
Education
University of Dundee
Nethergate
Dundee DD1 4HN
Scotland
Tel: +44(0) 1382 381472
e-mail [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/eswce/staff/djindalsnape.php