Challenges Year 6 Teachers Face During Transition Programs
School life and development academically involve the transition from the lower level to the higher and better level. Students move from primary school level to secondary level. The transition period makes learners experience various challenges. The transition period is regarded as a significant chapter to most learners since it involves learners who are aged between the ages of 9-12 years hence the adolescents. This is the period learners experience behavioural challenges, psychological problems, and mental health challenges. Most of these challenges influence the academic and social life of learners. These challenges arise due to changes in the environment such as new teaching styles and grading formulas. However, there are positive transition challenges. Factors such as having supportive parents or relatives, and friendly teachers in high school. Teachers play a critical role in the lives of the young children. Being their instructors, they may at times be required to offer guidance and support to the learners on a number of their challenges. Year 6 teachers therefore have a very pivotal role during the transition period of the young learners to their secondary school. This places a tremendous amount of responsibility on them. The study wishes to establish what the year 6 teachers’ perceptions on secondary transition programs are, so as to facilitate an understanding on how the teachers can be better equipped to prepare their students, and how the programs can be better improved.
The study wishes to establish what perceptions Year 6 teachers have on primary school to secondary school transition programs. Being the instructor’s, year 6 teachers double up as counsellors to their learners, helping them navigate through their studies, identify their strengths and shy away from bad influence. The study believes that a teacher has a very high influence on the learners and as such, transition programs should be prepared based on what the teachers feel is the best method of preparing their students for transition. This is inspired by the fact that having spent a lot of time with the students either in class studying, or in the playground doing sports, year 6 teachers are therefore best placed to understand the needs of their students, and how best they can be satisfied. Consequently, a desire to understand what their perceptions on transition programs is of paramount interest.
The study aims to explore the year 6 teachers perceptions about primary to secondary transition programs by investigating the challenges students undergo during the transition period from the perspective of their teachers. Further the study wishes to establish how teachers and care givers can help improve the programs. The study wishes to add knowledge on young learners’ education programs and their personal growth by understanding their secondary transition habits and attitudes.
What are the challenges Year 6 teachers face during transition programs?
How well do Year 6 teachers view transition programs?
Teachers don’t enjoy transition programs
Teachers are overwhelmed by transition programs
(Sells, 2021) discussed the perceptions of teachers towards the barriers that hinder effective transition programs. In the study, a “Transition and Programs Services (T PAS)” survey was conducted on 2000 Florida teachers in middle school and high school. The study aimed to establish the knowledge that teachers have towards the effectiveness of transition programs. The study brought out an interesting mix of responses, with a majority of the teachers feeling there was a need for more information to be availed on transition programs. The teachers also expressed a need for students and parents to be involved in the transition programs (Sells, 2021). The teachers expressed an explicit inadequacy of information regarding the specific roles and responsibilities the participating agency, and they, were supposed to play during the program (Sells, 2021). The study by Sells in 2021 shows that teachers are overwhelmed with the baggage of responsibilities they are expected to deal with during the transition period including scheduling the transition program, availing requisite information to students and parents as well as teaching and coordinating the whole process (Sells, 2021).
How Well Do Year 6 Teachers View Transition Programs?
Whilst many transition programs are aimed at helping the learners have a smooth transition from the junior level to the senior level, Trainor et al (2020) feels that there is a glaring gap when the needs of students with disabilities and special needs are the core of discussion. Sells (2021) found that teachers perceive the involvement of parents in the transition program as being inadequate.
Teachers need to be adequately trained and prepared to help students transition successfully from any level to the next (Campion, 2016). The effectiveness of any transition program therefore depends on the qualifications of the teacher, as well as the experience the teacher has in handling transition programs (Campion, 2016). Much focus is placed on students with special needs, and a lot of care and necessary preparation is required from teachers regarding the transition of students with special needs (Dardick and Tuckwiller, 2015). In a study conducted by Cavendish and Conner in 2018 on the perceptions of teachers towards the transitioning programs, it was established that teachers felt that the involvement of students themselves and their parents was inadequate. Teachers proposed the introduction of manuals, handbooks, student conferences and workshops to enlighten both students and parents on the value of transition programs so as to enhance the involvement of parents and success of the programs (Collet Klinberg and Kolb, 2011).
Further studies indicate that teachers get more enthusiastic about transition programs when there is a mutual involvement and willingness on the part of the student as well their guardian in the transition program (Rowe, 2015). However, some studies show that some teachers are unaware of the transition program benefits to the students (Sells, 2021), thus sparking a need for the implementation of teacher training programs to equip teachers with necessary information and training on how to best manage the transition programs (Center., 2017). Studies by McConnel et al (2014) point to a positive relationship between the intervention programs or the transition programs to the ability of learners to better cope with their future endeavours in secondary school both in terms of academic skills and general coping mechanisms. Moreover, Rowe et al (2015) showed a critical benefit to the adequate involvement of teachers in assisting students with learning disabilities during the transition program when selecting their career and employment pursuits and in continuing their education past the secondary level to the tertiary level.
As evidenced by the studies of various scholars, the perception of Year 6 teachers on transition programs can be viewed from three broad categories; Teacher preparedness, availability of resources as well as participation (Sells, 2021). The three categories define the perceptions teachers have in terms of their preparation in transition programs, with a facet of the teachers feeling that they are inadequately prepared, have little information on the programs and some expressing absolute lack of need of transition programs. On the other hand, the work of Rowe et al (2015) shows that teachers appreciate the role of transition programs therefore suggesting aspects as workshops for training as well as conferences and brochures (Sells, 2021). In terms of resources, majority of teachers express an overload of duties, and a lack of support from the school system and policies in alleviating the workload (Sells, 2021). The teachers therefore feel that transition programs place an extra burden on their shoulders as they are on the forefront in managing and coordinating the program. The final aspect bears on the participation by students and teachers. Cavendish and Conner (2018) stress the need for parental involvement in the transition program while (Sells, 2021) points out that teachers feel that parent involvement is inadequate. The factors attributed to the lack of parental involvement is an inadequacy of information on the transition programs, poor communication to the parents as well as a general laxity of schools on their failure to prioritize the programs as highly important aspects of the schools (Sells, 2021).
Teachers Don’t Enjoy Transition Programs
This chapter describes the participants used in the research, the design, measures, and the procedure that will be used in data collection.
Since the study is focused on the perception of Year 6 teachers, the study will involve 40 participants. According to the Central Limit Theorem, a sample of at least 30 respondents guarantees a convergence to the normal distribution, and might therefore be used to approximate the population behaviour (Islam, 2018). 20 of the participants will be male teachers while 20 will be female teachers, all instructors at year 6 level. The study population will be adopted from three district level schools from which a random sample of 40 teachers will be selected randomly.
The research will follow a survey type of research design. A questionnaire will be used to collect responses from the teachers selected for the study. The questionnaire will consist of a total of 16 questions divided into 4 sections; Demographics, Preparation, Support and adoption, adopted from the broad categories of (Sells, 2021) for teacher perceptions. The format of the questionnaire is discussed below per section and question types as well as response types and categories.
This section of the questionnaire contains 4 questions on the age of the respondent, their gender, postcode address and the number of years they have taught year 6 learners. This variables can be used as explanatory variables on how well a teacher perceives the transition programs. The study would identify whether there are significant differences in Year 6 teacher perceptions in terms of their gender differences, age differences and their experience level.
The second part of the questionnaire tests the preparedness of the teachers on the transition programs. The part also establishes the awareness of teachers on transition programs. The section also asks respondents if their school practices the transition programs. The responses on preparedness are distributed on a Likert scale with 5 points where 1 stands for “not at all prepared” and 5 “very prepared”. There is also a question on importance of the program and whether or not teachers enjoy the programs. The section has a total of 5 questions.
This section contains three questions based on the 5 points Likert scale. The questions are rather statements on which the respondents either agree or disagree with. An example is “transition programs cause an extra workload” and “I receive no support from the school for the workload”. The respondents are also asked to describe their experiences with transition programs in a few words to enable the study establish themes on their perceptions.
The section contains a total of 5 questions. The questions test on how teachers perceive the participation of their learners as well as the parents in transition programs. The responses are arranged on a Likert scale where 1 stands for Very Poor Participation and 5 Very Good Participation. Respondents are then asked to state why they feel participation is poor or very poor for either parents, students or both if their choice was very poor or poor. The last question asks the respondents to state their experiences in transition programs.
Teachers Are Overwhelmed by Transition Programs
Pilot studies enable researchers know whether the study will be feasible on a larger scale (Blatch-Jones, 2018). A pilot study of 3 teachers, one from each of the schools showed that there were a clear cut difference in the way teachers perceive the transition programs. On the other hand, the teachers were willing to participate in the study and express the challenges they face. While minor logistical issues were experienced in obtaining a convenient time and meeting place for the study, other measures on the reliability of responses as well as the sample selection were perceived as not being problematic. The pilot study therefore showed that a study on a large scale would be feasible in terms of the quality of the responses and their ability to answer the research questions and hypothesis, and also on the willingness of teachers to participate in the study and open up on the challenges they face during transition programs.
Data will be collected and qualitative analysis will be carried out. The study will use pilot testing to evaluate the perception of teachers during the transition. Collective responses will be noted and then narrowed down to specific responses for easier coding. Codes will be assigned to sorted descriptive data. The second-level codes will be used to form patterns. The patterns will be mapped and imaginary themes will be used to connect data (william.B, 2021). Furthermore, t tests will be performed to establish differences in gender and age as well as experience level. SPSS will be used to draw appropriate charts and graphs and to conduct both reliability, validity and statistical tests. Both descriptive and inferential statistics will be used in the analysis and interpretation of results.
Statistical measures to be taken will include t tests and z scores. Reliabilty measures will also be implemented using Cronbach’s alpha tests of internal consistency. Other measures will include tau Kendall measures will be used to measure the correlation strength between variables.
From the study, researchers will identify the schools to conduct research and their locality. The researchers will prepare a questionnaire. The study will then request the school administrators to allow year 6 tutors to take part in the survey. Teachers will be organized into focus groups, consent forms will be signed and the teachers will be debriefed on the importance of the research survey. The questionnaires will then be administered to the teachers and duly filled. The qualitative data will be collected and prepared in excel before importing to SPSS for further analysis. The study will then analyse the data, make conclusion, and then make relevant decisions based on findings.
Any research must uphold respect and culture to participants (Reilly, 2017). Before conducting the research, researchers will get approval from the heads of school administration. Researchers will request the class teachers of the students to take part in the survey because of their experience in transition. Researchers will ensure high standards of professionalism for instance; confidentiality whereby all the information will be kept private and used only for research purposes, accountability whereby researchers will be responsible for any activity they will be involved in and integrity to avoid conflicts because of taking credit for other people’s work (Mahon, 2018).
Inadequacy of Information Regarding the Specific Roles and Responsibilities
Decisions made by respondents, either to conceal certain information they feel is too sensitive or private for them will be respected by the researchers and no instance of coaxing will be tolerated on the part of the researchers. Respondents will be allowed to withdraw from the research if they feel they are violated or disrespected in any way. All ethical concerns raised by the respondents will be handled with discretion and professionalism by the head researcher. A consent form will be issued to respondents before the research work begins and respondents will be required to sign their wilful participation on the form. All research work will be done at the convenience of the teachers, without interrupting their work schedules in any manner, and without conflict with school regulations.
From the questionnaire design, no contact details will be required from the respondents so as to ensure their privacy is protected. The respondents will answer the questions on an anonymous capacity, and no form of discrimination would be possible as a second party seeing the data might not tell who gave what response. The measure is set to ensure that respondents are able to freely give on the inadequacy of their school efforts where necessary without fear of being set up to the school administration. Care will therefore be taken in navigating the authority of the school and the welfare and safety of the teachers from action as a result of responses given. Consequently, adequate debriefing will be made to school authority, and then to the teachers and all permissions acquired from the school administrations before the survey commences.
Conclusion
Transition is an essential stage in the lives of students. It allows students to move from one academic level to another. Teachers are involved in this process and more than everyone else understand the needs of their learners. Year 6 learners will be involved in preparing the students for transition programs as well as informing the guardians of the students about the program. They will therefore be faced by an overwhelming workload balancing between teaching and coordinating the transition program. Some teachers feel the transition programs are useful while others feel that the programs are not as important. With a special focus on the needs of learners with learning disabilities, special care and training is necessary to ensure a smooth transition program. The effectiveness of the transition program is a joint effort between the teachers, parents and the students. Most teachers however feel that parental participation is usually inadequate during the transition programs. Moreover, poor support from the school system and policies hinders their ability to ensure a smooth transition. More challenges faced by the teachers include inadequate preparation and information on the transition programs.
The research recommends that teachers be availed with enough information on transition programs through use of brochures and pamphlets. This study also recommends a need to involve students in preparing the transition programs as they are the direct beneficiaries of the program. The study also wishes to recommend implementation of a coordinated effort between teachers, parents, students and the school administration in designing a successful transition program.
References
Blaeuer, M. (2017). Fostering soft skills in students with high-incidence disabilities. DC Secondary Transition Institute.
Blatch-Jones. (2018). Role of feasibility and pilot studies in randomised controlled trials: a cross-sectional study. BMJ open, 8(9), e022233.
Campion, G. C. (2016). ‘The learning never ends’: Exploring teachers’ views on the transition from General English to EAP. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 23, 59-70.
Cavendish, W. &. (2018). Toward authentic IEPs and transition plans: Student, parent, and teacher perspectives. Learning Disability Quarterly, 41(1), 32-43.
Center., T. I. (2017). Secondary transition: Student-centered planning. Retrieved. Retrieved from https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/tran-scp/cresource/q1/p01/
Collet-Klingenberg, L. L. (2011). Secondary and transition programming for 18-21-year-old students in rural Wisconsin. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 30(2), 19-27.
Dardick, W. R. (2015). Positive psychology and secondary transition for children with disabilities: A new theoretical framework. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 4(1), 6-14.
Islam, M. R. (2018). Sample Size and its role in Central Limit Theorem . Computational and Applied Mathematics Journal , 4(1), 1-7.
McConnell. (2014). Transition planning and writing instruction: The effects of a brief intervention. British Journal of Special Education, 42(1), 87-111.
Reilly, K. M. (2017). developing professional practice and ethics engagement., . Nursing Administration Quarterly, 376-383.
Rowe. (2015). A delphi study to operationalize evidence-based predictors in secondary transition. Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, 38(2), 113-126.
Sells, K. M. (2021). A Study of Student Experiences in the Secondary Transition Program through Student, P ough Student, Parent, and T ent, and Teacher P eacher Perceptions. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/4035?utm_source=scholarworks.uark.edu%2Fetd%2F4035&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages
Thompson. (2022). what is piloting test.
Trainor. (2020). A framework for research in transition: Identifying important areas and intersections for future study. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 43(1), 5-17.
Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:
Turnitin Report
Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
