International Perspectives on Transition to School

Reconceptualising beliefs, policy and practice

Kay Margetts, Anna Kienig

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781136279959
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

With increasing attention given by governments and policy makers to children's transition to school, and the associated need for educators, families and communities to be supported in the process, changes are often required to existing structures and pedagogy.

This book is framed around the notion of transition as a time of change for those involved in the transition process and as a time for reconceptualising beliefs, policy and practice.

It explores transition from a number of international perspectives and raises issues around the coherence of:

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• how children perceive and respond to starting school;

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• the roles and expectations of parents;

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• developmental changes for parents;

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• supporting children with diverse learning needs;

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• how policy, curriculum and pedagogy are conceived and implemented.

Readers will be informed about current practices and issues arising out of research in Europe, Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and Australia and will be stimulated to consider how they can change their own transition beliefs, policies and practices.

Transition to school: Contemporary Perspectives and Change is essential reading for researchers and educators and anyone wanting to know more about the transition to school and how to support young children, their families and schools.

PART I

Introduction

1

A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR TRANSITION

Kay Margetts and Anna Kienig

Introduction

Associated with an increasing focus across the world on the development and provision of universal high quality early childhood education and care for children from birth, many governments are also establishing policies to support children's transition into formal schooling. These trends recognise the importance of early experiences for children's ongoing learning, development and success at both the personal level and the national level, and are frequently associated with the reconceptualisation of beliefs, policy, traditions and practice. In some countries this has included significant changes to the school system itself, including changes to the starting school age. It is important that all those involved and impacted by ensuing changes – policy makers, as well as staff in schools and early childhood services, children and families, allied professionals and communities – are supported and given voice in the processes.

Transitions and the associated processes of change or movement from one situation or activity to another have long been conceived as part of the passage of life, and the associated adaptations as a lifelong, continuous process (Elder 1998), as a ‘rite of passage’ (van Gennep 1960), as a ‘border-crossing’ (Campbell Clark 2000) and as ‘rites of institution’ (Bourdieu 1997 cited in Webb,Schirato & Danaher 2002). In educational settings, Johansson (2007) proposes that these changes can be vertical in nature, for example, from home to early childhood service, preschool to primary school, primary school to secondary school, and so on, as well as transitions between classes and teachers within a particular setting. Vertical transitions are usually linked to children's increasing ages, stages of schooling or changes in geographic location. In contrast, transitions can also be horizontal, characterised by frequent changes in relatively short time frames typically associated with daily life, such as the move between the social networks of school, outside-school-hours-care, extra-curricula activities and home. Successful transition should build on children's resilience, resourcefulness and relationships with others and ‘should result in a child who feels strong and competent, and able to handle new experiences with confidence’ (Brooker 2002: 12). In this book, the key focus is on the vertical transition from preschool into the first year of formal schooling.

Contemporary research and policy around transition to school have been influenced by different theories, issues of cultural understanding, equity and social justice, recognition of the rights of the child and children's agency and increased emphasis on the importance of parents and families. Understanding the role of, and developing, links with others is an important part of transition and an opportunity for building communitas through shared experiences (Turner 1969). In building communitas it is important to recognise the collective and individual vulnerabilities associated with participation and marginalisation (Garpelin 2003, 2004).

The (bio)ecological model of development (Bronfenbrenner 1979, 1986; Bronfenbrenner & Morris 2006) has contributed strongly to the recognition that transitions are complex. This model acknowledges that humans do not develop in isolation, but in relation to the contexts and environments of family and home, school, community and wider society. The complex, ever-changing ‘layers’ of these environments or ecosystems, and the interactions within and among them, influence an individual's development. ‘Each person lives within a micro-system, inside a meso-system, embedded in an exo-system, all of which are part of the macro-system – like a set of concentric circles, nested one inside the other’ (Woolfolk & Margetts 2013: 25). In addition, the chrono-system helps explain the influence of normative and non-normative life cycle events overtime such as transitions, personal trauma and socio-historical events.

Transition and change occur ‘whenever a person's position in the ecological environment is altered as the result of a change in role, setting, or both’ (Bronfenbrenner 1979: 26). As children move between two environments such as the family setting (primary developmental context) and the school setting (secondary developmental context), the process of transition requires meeting the demands of these two microsystem-level environments. The differences between the requirements of these settings may invite displays of the problems related to adjustment in early childhood. The course of a child's early transitions can become a pattern for further ecological transitions and the ability of the child to function in different environments (Bronfenbrenner 1986).

Changes in one ecosystem can lead to changes to the role of an individual and their identity, with possible long-term consequences. A number of chapters in this book focus on changes at the policy level – the macro- and exo-system levels – that involve dominant beliefs, legislation, local authorities and providers, and the impetus for these changes and impact at the micro- and meso-system levels. What also emerges from these chapters is the role of the chrono-system and the impact of socio-historical events such as economic depression, new emphases in political accountability and personal events on other systems. These temporal dimensions help us to understand long-term practices and traditions and their impact on how change is initially received but also provide insight into the new stages that changes are bringing about in education. Other chapters consider the impact of micro-system changes for children and families as they enter the school system.

An emphasis on human rights and particularly the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (United Nations High Commission for Human Rights 1989), which incorporates the Declaration of Human Rights (1948), has promoted a focus on: children's agency and the image of children as strong and powerful – ‘shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child’ (UNCRC, Article 12); respect for family, cultural and other identities of the child; and increased recognition of the role of parents, families and collaborative partnerships for children's well-being, development and learning. A chapter in this book considers policies of social inclusion and the challenges for teachers of meeting the needs of diverse learners. While many governments recognise the important role of parents, Brooker (2002) has suggested that in reality, at the school and practitioner level, home–school relationships are often one-way and schools rarely make provision for teachers to have time to listen to parent perspectives beyond formally scheduled parent–teacher interviews. Two chapters in this book consider children's views about starting school and how these views at the micro-system level can inform policy practice in other ecological systems. Other chapters address parents' responses to transition practices, and how they experience the transition to being the parent of a school child.

Associated with the increased emphasis across the world on early childhood education and care, there is also a focus on outcomes and school readiness – social, cultural, emotional, communication and academic. Two chapters address these issues: one describes strategies for supporting children's literacy competencies using a dialogical approach, while the other considers the socio-emotional and communication aspects.

As with any passages, the success of children's transition to school lies not only in the child's personal characteristics and experiences, but also in the planning and preparation and the readiness of schools and teachers to accept and embrace the diversity that children and their families bring with them. The aspirational Transition to School: Position Statement (Educational Transitions and Change (ETC) Research Group 2011) developed by some of the authors represented in this book and other international researchers reflects contemporary research and understandings about transition to school and recognises starting school as a time of aspirations, expectations, opportunities and entitlements.

This book focuses on contemporary international issues and perspectives associated with children and their families making the transition to primary school, and the identification of challenges and changes to beliefs, policy, curriculum and practice. It is framed around the notion of transition as a time of change for those involved in the transition process and as a time for reconceptualising beliefs, policy and practice. The book aims to provide information and raise issues about how transition to school is conceived in different countries and addressed through:

• policy, curriculum frameworks and practice;
• outcomes of children and how children perceive and respond to transition;
• the roles, expectations and experiences of families;
• the implications for change.

It brings together the contemporary work of key researchers from Australia, Denmark, England, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Poland and Scotland that extends previous research and perspectives and provides empirical evidence to support further development of policy and practice.

Policy, curriculum frameworks and practice

Part II of the book commences with a chapter by Mary O'Kane that provides historical and social/economic background to the Irish context in terms of the policy influences on preschool and primary school environments in 2012 and implications for transition to school. In seeking to increase connections between preschool and school, two new national frameworks have been introduced: Sίolta, which is the National Quality Framework for Early Education, and Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework. Mary outlines other policy changes with implications for children's transition to school, including the Free Preschool Year scheme, reduced capitation and an increase in the child to adult ratio. Mary advocates for the importance of research that has policy as well as practical implications and describes recent projects that support the notion of cost-effectiveness.

In Chapter 3, Anna Kienig addresses the most significant change in the Polish educational system during the years 2009–2012: the change of the age of compulsory-school entry from 7 to 6 years. Before 2012 parents could send 6-year-old children to school, or to preschool settings, including those in schools (‘0’ class). Anna describes implications of this and reactions of the Polish community to this and associated changes. She then reports studies undertaken prior to and following the commencement of the reforms, the most recent of which analysed the social competencies of 6-year-old children in different educational settings: preschool, kindergarten and 1st grade. Although the results of the study show differences in the level of socio-emotional functioning among the 6-year-old children from the different types of settings, the results were unexpected and further studies are recommended.

Anne Petriwskyj, in Chapter 4, provides an overview of beliefs that preschool and school teachers hold about transition, the impact of these beliefs on transition and the need for more inclusive practices. She then outlines policy initiatives in Australia, particularly in the state of Queensland, such as changes to school entry age, improvements to early education, and the development of national curriculum documents. While these have aimed to support transition to school, Anne argues that they have proved insufficient to cater for the diversity of school entrants. She then describes some pedagogic initiatives that support transition and maintain continuity of learning between home, community, early childhood services and school.

Outcomes for children and children's perspectives

Hilary Fabian, in Chapter 5, the first chapter in Part III on transition outcomes, identifies some challenges of transition. She then considers how successful transition for children might be achieved particularly in terms of: continuity of learning; social and cultural understanding; emotional well-being; and effective communication. She stresses that schools should have policies in place to support successful transition and these should be reviewed regularly. Hilary concludes with a reminder that transition while undertaken in community is an individual process that needs to be personalised and takes time.

In the following chapter, Anders Skriver Jensen, Ole Henrik Hansen and Stig Broström commence with an overview of the Danish day care and school system, including legislation and policy to ease and optimise the transition to school. The chapter then addresses the importance of day care services in facilitating desired outcomes for children, particularly literacy and language development. In rethinking traditional approaches to early childhood education, Anders, Ole and Stig advocate for an approach that merges pedagogy, which combines the Nordic social–pedagogic tradition with the focus on social competencies and democratic dimensions, with the teaching of reading and writing. They report research about what teachers think about their own pedagogy in relation to early years literacy and describe a dialogic or literature dialogue approach to developing children's literacy.

In Chapter 7, Johanna Einarsdottir describes research that focuses on children's perspectives, expectations and experiences of starting primary school. The chapter builds on four studies conducted with children in preschools and primary schools in Iceland. The first study reports children's expectations about school prior to commencement. A further study identifies how children regarded their preparation for school and the associated changes. Following their commencement at school, two studies report children's views about the actual differences they found between preschool and school, and their perspec...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• List of figures and tables
• List of Contributors
• Acknowledgments
• Part I Introduction
• 1 A Conceptual Framework for Transition
• Part II Policy, curriculum frameworks and practice
• 2 The Transition from Preschool to Primary School in Ireland A time of change
• 3 Children’s Transition from Kindergarten to Primary School
• 4 Inclusion and Transition To School In Australia
• Part III Outcomes for children and children’s perspectives
• 5 Towards Successful Transitions
• 6 Transition to School Contemporary Danish perspectives
• 7 Transition from Preschool to Primary School in Iceland from the Perspectives of Children
• 8 What new Children Need to Know Children’s perspectives of starting school
• Part IV Roles, expectations and experiences of families
• 9 The Development of Parents in their First Child’s Transition to Primary School
• 10 Families and the Transition to School
• 11 Reconceptualising the Inter-Relationship Between Social Policy and Practice Scottish Parents’ Perspectives
• Part V Reframing transition and curriculum
• 12 Curriculum As a Tool for Change in Transitions Practices Transitions practices as a tool for changing curriculum
• Part VI Conclusions
• 13 Beliefs, Policy and Practice Challenges
• Index