Primary-secondary transitions

Educational transitions are an ongoing process that involve moving from one educational context and set of interpersonal relationships to another. This chapter discusses factors that research has found pupils are excited by and look forward to, as well as what they worry about during this time. There are some subtle changes that happen in our lives all the time, some more marked and visible than others. Within primary–secondary transitions, there is a distinct type of transition that most individuals go through, that is, educational transitions. Numerous international studies have been conducted to understand what is happening during primary–secondary transitions. Resilience has been defined as a dynamic process encompassing positive adaptation within the context of significant adversity. Resilience literature looks at risk and protective factors that, at times, might be the same; for example, Newman and Blackburn identify that a family can be both a chaotic family, a risk factor, and a supportive family, a protective factor.