A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE RESEARCH LITERATURE ON CHILDREN’S TRANSITIONS

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INTRODUCTION

Children commencing their first year of schooling face a situation that is fundamentally different from their preschool and home experience in terms of the curriculum, the setting and the people involved. These differences may affect the way they adjust to the school with possible negative results in their learning. Research suggests that children’s emotional and social wellbeing are key ingredients in how well children settle into school (Fabian, 2000).

RATIONALE

The preschool phase has for decades been a neglected area of education. The movement for establishing the early childhood development (ECD) sector in South Africa can be traced back to the early 1940s. The provision of early childhood services had all along been based on racial lines until the dawn of the democratic era in 1994. The white sector of the country enjoyed full subsidisation of their preschools, and continued to enjoy high-level training of preschool teachers whilst these opportunities were denied the black population of the country. From the 1950s until the early 1970s there was no preschool provision in the black sector of the country, according to the National Education Policy Investigation (NEPI, 1992).

THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK UNDERPINNING THIS STUDY

The discussion below outlines the theoretical framework underpinning this study. The child’s transition does not happen in a vacuum; there are a number of variables such as the home, preschool and school and the wider community that impact on how these transitions have to be traversed. Wong Ngai Chun (2003) likens this transition movement to an ‘ecological shift’, from home or small preschool to the new and more competitive environment of primary school. While the transition is experienced by children, they have little opportunity to influence and determine the direction they have to take. Transitions are not only determined by societal influences but are also compelled by the reorganisation of the biological and psychological structure of children. Transition is a “long-term process that results in qualitative reorganisation of both inner life and external behaviours” (Cowan & Hetherington, 1991:3).

Transitions as influenced by variables in environment

The transition of children from Grade R or home to primary school is said to be influenced and shaped by social institutions such as families, school, the government and the wider community (Dunlop, 2003). The transitions made by children are often different from those made by adults. It is said that transitions involving parents are characterised by the adults themselves shaping the route and the direction in which these transitions will take place. On the other hand, transitions for children are being determined for them without actually involving them in the decision-making process (Prout & James, 1997). The involvement of social institutions is quite significant in influencing and shaping the transition of children. The relationship between the institutions, the synergy and the synchronisation of their activities is imperative in making transitions successful.

CHAPTER 1 BACKGROUND TO STUDY
1.1 INTRODUCTION
1.2 RATIONALE
1.3 THE POLICY CONTEXT FOR ECD AND THE TRANSITION TO GRADE
1.4 THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK UNDERPINNING THIS STUDY
1.4.1 Transitions as influenced by variables in environment
1.5 TRANSITION EXPERIENCES AND UNDERSTANDINGS
1.5.1 Research of transitions to primary schools
1.5.2 Children’s experiences of transitions
1.5.3 Children’s adjustment to school
1.5.4 Teachers’ views
1.5.5 Parental experiences of transitions
1.6 KEY RESEARCH QUESTIONS.
1.7 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
1.8 SAMPLING
1.9 CONTEXT OF STUDY
1.10 DATA COLLECTION STRATEGIES
1.11 DATA ANALYSIS
1.12 LIMITATIONS AND ASSUMPTIONS OF THE STUDY
1.12.1 Limitations
1.12.2 Assumptions
1.13 OUTLINE OF CHAPTERS IN STUDY
1.14 CONCLUSION
CHAPTER 2 A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE RESEARCH LITERATURE ON CHILDREN’S TRANSITIONS
2.1 INTRODUCTION
2.2 STATE OF RESEARCH ON TRANSITIONS TO PRIMARY SCHOOL
2.2.1 Children’s adjustment to school
2.2.2 Teachers’ views
2.2.3 Parental views on transition
2.3 GENERAL LIMITATIONS OF TRANSITION RESEARCH.
2.3.1 First World contexts of transition studies
2.3.2 Cohesion among participants in transitions
2.3.3 Importance of school-family relationship
2.3.4 The developmental theory bias of transition studies
2.3.5 The universal construction of childhood
2.3.6 The silencing of children’s voices in implementation plans
2.3.7 The age-of-entry problem in transition studies
2.3.8 Cognitive development and socio-emotional development
2.3.9 Preschool to primary school bias in transition research
2.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH ON TRANSITIONS FOR MY STUDY
2.5 CONCLUSION
CHAPTER 3 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK – VARIABLES SHAPING THE TRANSITION PROCESS
3.1 INTRODUCTION
3.2 CONCEPTIONS OF TRANSITION
3.3 BRONFENBRENNER’S ECOLOGICAL THEORY
3.3.1 Ecological model for transition
3.3.2 The significance of relationships
3.3.3 Transition and the structural and cultural context
3.3.4 Transition and socio-emotional development
3.4 CONCLUSION
CHAPTER 4 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
4.1 INTRODUCTION
4.2 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
4.3 CONTEXT OF THE STUDY
4.4 PARTICIPANTS AND SAMPLE SELECTION
4.5 DATA COLLECTION
4.5.1 Phase 1: A survey of national policy position on transition
4.5.2 Phase 2: Case studies of two schools and twelve children in Provinces A and B
4.5.3 Survey of national policy position on transitions
4.5.4 Understandings and practices of transitions at school and home level
4.5.5 Understandings of transition as lived by children
4.6 PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED
4.6.1 Home variables
4.6.2 School variables
4.7 DATA ANALYSIS
4.8 DEALING WITH VALIDITY
4.9 DEALING WITH ETHICAL CONCERNS
4.9.1 Redressing the imbalance: researcher-child relationship
4.10 CONCLUSION
CHAPTER 5 STAKEHOLDER PERSPECTIVES AND EXPERIENCES OF TRANSITIONS
5.1 INTRODUCTION
5.2 EMERGENT FINDINGS
5.3 POLICY ANALYSIS ON PROVISION FOR TRANSITIONS
5.3.1 The extent to which policies address transitions
5.3.2 Policies and practice: knowledge, understanding and
application of policies by users
5.3.3 Ensuring the implementation of policies
5.4 GRADE R: CONTINUITY OR DUPLICATION OF GRADE 1?
5.5 TRANSITION STRATEGIES OF SCHOOLS
5.5.1 School in-house transition strategies
5.5.2 Teachers and transition strategies
5.6 PRESCHOOL/HOME IMPACTS ON GRADE 1 ADJUSTMENT AND LEARNING
5.6.1 Academic skills
5.6.2 Socio-emotional skills
5.7 PARENTAL ROLE IN CHILDREN’S TRANSITIONS
5.7.1 Parental understanding of transitions
5.7.2 Characteristics important for successful learning
5.7.3 Parental strategies for transitions
5.7.4 Parental role from the teachers’ perspective
5.8 CHILDREN’S VOICES IN THE TRANSITION TO SCHOOL
5.8.1 Children’s conception of school
5.9 CONCLUSION
5.9.1 Interrelationship of roles of principal players in children’s transitions
CHAPTER 6 CHILDREN’S ADJUSTMENT CAPABILITY AS MEASURED BY THE SOCIAL
SKILLS RATING SYSTEM (SSRS)
6.1 INTRODUCTION
6.2 HOME BACKGROUND OF CHILDREN
6.3 ANALYSIS OF THE SSRS SCORES
6.4 HOME AND SCHOOL VARIABLES
6.5 ANALYSIS OF RATINGS BY TEACHERS AND PARENTS FOR CHILDREN IN EACH OF THE TWO PROVINCES: SOCIAL SKILLS
6.5.1 Introduction
6.5.2 Analysis of ratings of social skills: Teacher and Parent: Province A
6.5.3 Analysis of ratings on the social skills: Teacher and Parent: Province B
6.5.4 Comparison of ratings of parents and teachers on the social skills across the provinces
6.6 ANALYSIS OF RATINGS ON THE PROBLEM BEHAVIOUR SKILLS BY
TEACHERS AND PARENTS FOR CHILDREN IN EACH OF THE TWO PROVINCES
6.6.1 Introduction
6.6.2 Analysis of ratings on problem behaviours: Teacher and Paren Province A
6.6.3 Analysis of ratings of problem behaviours: Teacher and Paren Province B
6.6.4 Comparison of problem behaviours across provinces
6.7 TEACHER RATINGS OF ACADEMIC COMPETENCE
6.7.1 Introduction
6.7.2 Analysis of academic competence ratings: Province A
6.7.3 Analysis of academic competence ratings: Province B
6.7.4 Comparison of teacher-rated academic competence in both province
6.8 CONCLUSION.
CHAPTER 7 SYNTHESIS AND SIGNIFICANCE IMPLICATIONS FOR THEORY, POLICY AND FUTURE RESEARCH ON CHILD TRANSITIONS
7.1 INTRODUCTION
7.2 POLICY PROVISION AND THE UNDERSTANDING OF TRANSITION POLICY AMONG STAKEHOLDERS: ALIGNMENT OR DISCREPANCY
7.3 TRANSITION STRATEGIES DEPLOYED BY SCHOOLS IN ADDRESSING TRANSITION AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH GRADE R
7.4 PARENTAL PARTICIPATION IN AND CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARDS TRANSITIONS
7.5 THE TRANSITION EXPERIENCES OF CHILDREN
7.6 CHILDREN’S LEVEL OF ADJUSTMENT AS MEASURED BY THE SSRS
7.7 THE CONTRIBUTION OF THIS STUDY TO NEW KNOWLEDGE ON TRANSITIONS
7.8 THE THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THIS STUDY
7.9 IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE
7.10 LIMITATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY
7.11 CONCLUSION