Conceptualisation of educational transition and its impact on planning and

As stated earlier in this chapter, one may experience several stages of transition throughout his or her life from birth to death. The several stages of transition here mean a change or move from one setting or phase of life to another that may commonly happen to anyone, if not everyone. It normally signifies progress and development in one’s life. For instance, a child may start his or her educational transition experience when s/he starts at nursery or kindergarten. This is followed by his or her progression through the transition from nursery to primary, primary to secondary, and secondary to post-school, either to work, training or further education and so on. It should be noted that the transition process does not stop only at that point in time. It continues throughout one’s lifespan, and educational transitions are just one aspect of it. In other words, transition should and could rather be seen as a life event than a single event. This includes the change from single status to married, having a family, moving house or even migrating to another country, getting a work promotion (or being demoted), etc., until one probably reaches retirement age. All of these changes indicate the developmental changes that can or may happen in one’s life time, which can be seen as transitions when people feel that their sense of who they are changes (Ecclestone et al., 2010). While on the one hand these transitions can result in a major change and be the momentum for a new learning; they can also be unsettling, difficult and unproductive (Ecclestone et al., 2010).

Others have suggested that transition is an ongoing process rather than a one-off event (see Jindal-Snape, 2013), which requires specific planning and preparation in order to face changes at different stages of transition but also throughout the lifespan. When viewed from this perspective, day-to-day life transitions are taken into account as well

as emphasis being put on transitions that are inherent within the same setting, for example, moving from one class to another within the same school or changes in relationships with teachers and peers despite no change in setting. In short, transition may occur in various settings and contexts, which means a change or move from one regular or comfort zone situation to another might bring more changes and probably more challenges as well to one’s life, either in a positive or in a negative way. As Jindal-Snape (2010b) has noted, transition can be both, satisfying and fulfilling for some, and challenging and stressful for others. The extent to which challenge and stress has an impact on the young people during the transition has become another concern to some researchers. As Ecclestone et al. (2010) have noted, transitions in the UK have increasingly become a political concern especially when various policy initiatives have been implemented to encourage multi-agencies and individuals to manage and support transition more effectively. Ecclestone et al. (2010) further state that research shows that transitions are problematic and require ‘support’, especially for children, young people and adults who are more vulnerable, disaffected or ‘at risk’.

Transition is likely to be seen as problematic when it involves adaptation to a very different new environment which requires a lot of planning and preparation, both physically and psychologically. For example, in the case of moving from school to college, on the one hand, it might be exciting as college seems to be bigger than the school with more attractive facilities, new friends and new staff, etc. On the other hand, it might also be scary, especially if one is not fully prepared for the move. It might also be threatening when thinking about leaving the old school, with may be a lot of memories with the friends and teachers. Therefore, it is not impossible that both feelings of excitement and feeling threatened can be experienced during the transition. Very

often, the new change in one’s life may lead to a situation that is uncomfortable for many, or a state which Adeyemo (2010) terms as psychological disequilibrium.

Although transition can be interpreted differently based on a different context or facet, this study is concerned with the context of educational transition, which can also be seen in multiple dimensions. As Jindal-Snape (2010b) has noted, transition in the educational context has been conceptualised in various ways. This is because the educational context itself has various aspects which can all contribute to the transition process of the young people, such as the education and learning process, parental involvement, relationship with professionals, peer support, friendships, leisure activities and so on. All of these aspects have an impact on each other in the transition process of young people, depending on how the planning and preparation are done for the transition. In addition, transition can also be conceptualised based on the skills of the individuals (in this context, the young people) and how they deal with the changes in a new setting; or the role of key stakeholders for the young people, including the family and community; or a single event of one end of educational journey to another (see also Mayer, Amendum, & Vernon-Feagans, 2010); and its concept as an ongoing effort or process (see also Mayer et al., 2010) which focuses on the interactions between all the stakeholders involved. F. Mitchell (2012) argues that post-school transition should not only be seen as negotiating the barriers between child and adult services from school to further education or employment; but also as a journey from childhood to adulthood which involves changes to a young person’s social and legal status. Essentially, all of these various perspectives need to be made clear, as it is only then that the stakeholders can act and work accordingly to enhance the transition experience, towards a seamless and more effective transition process.