Transitioning Between Schools

Moving, Changing Schools, or Transitioning from Elementary to Secondary School

As adults, we recognize that major life changes (positive or negative) can be stressful. Facing the unknown can place individuals at a disadvantage, not knowing what to expect or anticipate. For some, hoping for the best but anticipating the worst can be a lifelong challenge. For children, school transitions can be stressful and can have as much or even more impact than a job change has for adults. In fact, it has been found that for children and youth, visits to health care professionals for complaints of stomach aches, headaches, and body pains peak during two key periods: transition to elementary school (six years of age) and entry into middle school or junior high school (Schor, 1986). Even four-year-olds have been found to show elevations in their stress levels in anticipation of beginning school within the next six months (Turner-Cobb, Rixon, & Jessop, 2008). Preschoolers who had the most difficulty with attention and impulse control were the most stressed upon school entry and in the first six months of enrolling in the school program. Children who exhibit uncontrolled behaviors (difficult temperament with hyperactivity and poor ability to control impulses) are at the greatest risk for negative outcomes, including school adjustment problems.

However, children who are overly shy or wary are also at risk for difficult adjustment to school entry or school changes (Kagan, 1997). Children who are very shy are apt to respond to the unknown with increased activation of physical responses (for example, increased heart rate, rapid breathing), becoming more fearful with increasing attempts to withdraw in order to avoid the anxietyproducing situation. Shy and reticent children are more likely to be exposed to peer rejection, exclusion, loneliness, and victimization in their early school years (Coplan, Closson, & Arbeau, 2007). At least one study reported that some teachers believe shyness to have as much of a negative impact on social and school adjustment as aggression (Arbeau & Coplan, 2007).

Problems that can cause school adjustment difficulties include disabilities that interfere with a child's ability to learn, such as learning disabilities, problems with attention and concentration, emotional and social difficulties, physical disabilities, aggressive peers, and child perceptions of parent and teacher support. Children who have pre-existing learning, emotional, or social problems are at increased risk for school adjustment problems. Adding additional risks can have a multiplier effect on a child's opportunities for success decreasing the chance for positive outcomes significantly as the number of risk factors increases. Parent and teacher support have been found to protect children from this effect. Researchers have found that positive teacher support can be a protective factor when children have issues caused by multiple school moves. As anticipated, researchers found that school changes predicted declines in academic performance and classroom participation. However, negative effects could be offset by peer acceptance and teacher support, and teacher support was significantly related to positive attitudes toward school among children who had experienced the most school changes (Gruman, Harachi, Abbott, Catalano, & Fleming, 2008).

Studies have shown that among students who do not have disabilities, there is a significant decline in interest, motivation, academic performance, and motivation across adolescence, especially during the transition from elementary to secondary school (Barber & Olsen, 2004). It has been suggested that these declines may be related to changes in the school setting and expectations that accompany the transition from elementary school to secondary school—for example, settings with close teacher contact and direct supervision are replaced with larger classes, multiple teachers, higher expectations, and less guidance and supervision. Furthermore, as the number of life changes increase (for example, school transition, pubertal development, onset of dating, residential moves, family conflict), academic performance decreases accordingly. Therefore, it is not surprising that children who have disabilities may be at greater risk for problems associated with transitions to secondary school education.

As outlined in the preceding paragraphs, many children who do not have disabilities experience school transitions as a stressful experience. Therefore, it would seem logical that children who have disabilities would also be vulnerable to the same stressors—or, even more vulnerable. Therefore, it is important for parents and teachers to consider what a child or adolescent is going through as a result of the school change. We will talk about the ramifications of school transitions in two ways. First, we will address the psychological aspects of change and how to reduce the stress associated with school adjustment. Then we will discuss how IDEA 2004 has addressed transitions during three important time periods: transition from preschool to elementary school, transition to secondary school, and postsecondary school transitions.