Exploring the longitudinal association between interventions to support the transition to secondary school and child anxiety

Abstract

School transition at around 11-years of age can be anxiety-provoking for children, particularly those with special educational needs (SEN). The present study adopted a longitudinal design to consider how existing transition strategies, categorized into cognitive, behavioral or systemic approaches, were associated with post-transition anxiety amongst 532 typically developing children and 89 children with SEN. Multiple regression analysis indicated that amongst typically developing pupils, systemic interventions were associated with lower school anxiety but not generalized anxiety, when controlling for prior anxiety. Results for children with SEN differed significantly, as illustrated by a Group × Intervention type interaction. Specifically, systemic strategies were associated with lower school anxiety amongst typically developing children and higher school anxiety amongst children with SEN. These findings highlight strategies that schools may find useful in supporting typically developing children over the transition period, whilst suggesting that children with SEN might need a more personalized approach.

Moving to secondary school for children with ASN: a systematic review of international literature

“…In the context of social, emotional and behavioural needs, the needs of children who may be vulnerable or ‘at risk’, including those who are looked‐after children, are discussed by Bloyce and Frederickson (), Buchanan et al () and Yadav et al (). Several papers discuss aspects of mental health, including anxiety (Jindal‐Snape et al, ; Neal et al, ; Zeedyk et al, ) and self‐esteem (Poorthuis et al, ).…”

“…Its role in a child’s transition, in that it exists alongside anticipation and excitement, is discussed by Zeedyk et al () and more recently by Foley et al (), who suggest that for most children the transition to secondary school is an exciting one. Neal et al () also focus on the anxieties of children at secondary school transition in their longitudinal study, which included 89 children with special educational needs (from an overall sample of 621 children), although they collected data from parents and teachers rather than from the children. Their study concurs with the earlier view of Maras and Aveling (), that children with special educational needs sometimes require a different transition programme of support to their peers.…”

“…Neal et al () assert that for children with additional needs ‘an individualised approach, tailored to children’s specific needs’, to transition planning may be of benefit. They consider that transition planning should include hearing the child’s voice, citing the English Code of Practice (DfE, ) which places importance on this.…”

A Review of the Academic and Psychological Impact of the Transition to Secondary Education

“…To date, a few studies have examined the impact of different school programs over the transition to investigate whether this makes the transfer easier for students. One study found systemic strategies (e.g., group work on projects with future classmates and modules taught continuously over the transition) were associated with lower school anxiety, though only in typically developing children (Neal et al, 2016). In addition, Rosenblatt and Elias (2008) found that U.S. children who took part in an intervention focusing on social-emotional learning before transitioning had a smaller decline in GPA when receiving higher dosages of the intervention compared to a low dosage group.…”

“…It is evident that adolescents with SEN have different requirements when moving to secondary education to ensure a successful transition. Neal et al (2016) endorse a personal approach when designing transition strategies especially for children with SEN.…”