Oct-09 Jul-10
Above 82 is a high score and below 62 a low score (shown as two lines) (Burden, 1998). Four students in the group, albeit significantly in only case, demonstrated improvement in their self-perception as learners, whilst five pupils showed a deterioration in their self-ratings in their perceptions as learners from October to July in Year 7.
5.1.7 Discussion of ‘Myself As A Learner’ ratings
Findings would suggest that the measure of pupils’ self-perception as learners had mixed results over the course of Year 7. As a group the overall scores decreased by four points with the mean change for the group being minimal at -0.1. One pupil showed a larger improvement in self-perceptions as a learner over the period of the academic year, with an addition of 22 points. Two of the students had moves from one band to the next, although a number (n = 4) showed some deterioration. As a group the overall scores decreased by four points with the mean change for the group being negligible at -0.1.
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Norgate et al. (2013) used the ‘Myself As A Learner’ (MALS) scale (Burden, 2010) to measure pupils’ academic self-perception between Year 6 and Year 10. Norgate et al. (2013) had a sample of 229 children, whereas there were only 9 students’ scores compared over the course of Year 7 within this study. The mean MALS score for Year 7 students in Norgate et al. was 65.91 at the end of Year 7, which had dropped from 68.53 at the end of Year 6. Within this study it was 64.1 at the start of Year 7 and by the end of Year 7, 63.
Changes within the group in this study were not consistent across the group. Only one student made a high level of progress on this measure (PH). Three further students made a small amount of progress, whereas 5 students demonstrated deterioration in MALS scores. The children within this study, as was not the case in Norgate et al. (2013), had received a specific intervention to support transfer and there you might have expected less of a dip in scores. Key subject areas, English Maths and Humanities, were taught within the nurture group, whereas other lessons taught within mainstream school, therefore self-ratings of academic skills cannot be wholly attributed to time within the nurture group but this may have prevented further deterioration.
5.1.8 ‘My New School’ Questionnaire
This self-report measure was developed as a Likert scale activity, aiming to elicit students’ feelings regarding transfer and sense of belonging at secondary school after the first half- term and toward the end of Year 7. The statements were based upon the findings of Tobbell (2003), addressing key areas identified by students in their accounts of what was important to them transferring to secondary school. Results are presented initially as individual scores demonstrating changes over time in Year 7. Results are then categorised within the themes identified by Tobbell (2003) for the whole group.
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Table 5.11: Summary of ‘My New School’ questionnaire statement ratings Student /Date 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 *8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Total /Overall Ratings Score Change AD Oct-09 5 5 10 10 5 1 5 10 1 10 5 5 7 5 10 5 1 5 105 Jul-10 5 5 5 5 5 10 6 7 10 9 10 5 5 5 10 5 1 10 118 / +13 RE Oct-09 4 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 1 5 5 10 5 10 5 5 1 10 131 Jul-10 5 5 5 10 8 7 5 5 1 8 5 5 5 10 10 5 3 8 110/ -21 MH Oct-09 10 6 10 10 10 10 10 10 1 10 10 10 10 5 10 10 6 10 158 Jul-10 6 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 1 10 5 5 5 5 10 5 1 6 129 / -29 PH Oct-09 8 1 8 10 7 8 7 6 5 9 5 5 7 8 9 7 6 10 126 Jul-10 8 5 9 10 8 9 10 6 4 10 7 8 9 10 9 9 6 10 147 / +21 BJ Oct-09 7 1 5 7 6 7 9 1 1 9 10 1 8 7 10 6 8 10 113 Jul-10 8 1 8 10 10 5 9 1 1 10 10 6 10 10 10 5 9 10 133 / +20 AC Oct-09 6 5 7 10 6 6 6 8 1 10 10 10 8 10 9 9 5 9 135 Jul-10 4 6 9 10 8 8 10 7 1 10 7 8 5 7 10 5 7 8 130 / -5 RM Oct-09 10 1 10 10 5 6 10 5 1 8 10 10 10 8 9 10 10 10 142 Jul-10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 1 1 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 162 / +20 PJPOct-09 7 1 3 9 6 9 8 8 6 9 8 9 8 8 9 9 8 8 133 Jul-10 - - - - - - - - KWIOct-09 10 1 5 5 6 8 5 10 1 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 141 Jul-10 10 1 10 10 10 10 10 6 1 7 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 155 / +14 KWOOct09 1 10 10 10 10 10 10 1 1 10 1 10 1 10 5 1 1 1 103 Jul-10 5 10 5 10 5 10 10 1 1 1 5 5 5 5 10 5 1 10 104 / +1 Cumulative group total +ve change 6 14 11 8 16 18 13 17 9 7 11 8 8 7 12 6 5 14 Cumulative group total -ve change 6 5 15 5 7 6 5 0 1 1 5 17 10 8 0 10 5 7 Mean cumulative score change per item 0 +9 -4 +3 +9 +12 +8 +17 +8 +6 +9 -9 -2 +1 +12 -4 0 +7
*Statement 8 is a negatively phrased statement, therefore a lower score indicates a more positive response.
Statements with ratings with a total mean increase over time of more than 10 were; The Teachers know me in school, statement 6: mean cumulative total +12;
The work we have done so far in Year 7 is similar to that in primary school, statement 8: mean cumulative total; +17; and
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I enjoy lessons in The Link, statement 15: mean cumulative total; +12.
This would suggest that an overall improvement in pupils thinking that the Teachers had got to know them and suggest a positive impact of attending the nurture group. Tobbell (2003) found that from a student perspective, relationships were important for supporting transfer, would appear to be reflected in the pupil ratings in the current study.
Statement 8, in relation to the work done so far is the statement that was inverted; therefore a lesser rating over time would suggest improvement. The nature of the wording of this question may have affected the result in comparison to the others, but the findings would suggest that by the end of Year 7 students within the study thought that the lessons were increasingly like those in primary school. This could be interpreted as indicating that as they became more familiar and comfortable, then felt able to access lessons as readily as prior to transfer to secondary school. Binnie and Allen (2008) found that nurture groups provided successful opportunities for smooth transition and allowed for flexibility.
Statement ratings that had over all more negative responses (below 0 improvement on the scale) by July in Year 7 included;
Teachers teach in a different way to primary teachers, statement 3: mean cumulative total; -4;
Having different teachers for lessons is good, statement 12: mean cumulative total; - 9;
I can do the work in lessons, statement 13: mean cumulative total; -2; and I enjoy other lessons in school, statement 16: mean cumulative total; -4.
This would suggest that many students within the study did not think that the teaching style had changed post-transfer, or possibly over time this had become less of an obvious difference as they have adapted to changes in teaching style. Galton et al.’s (1998) large scale study noted the difference in teacher-pupil interactions comparing primary and
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secondary school. It is noticeable that the students appeared to find having different teachers for lessons more difficult, as suggested by other group into the negative effects of transfer Nicholls and Gardner (1999) noted the importance of continuity in teaching across transfer. Durkin (2000) links the difficulties in coping with change at transfer with attachment theory, possibility having to cope with different teachers re-creating an earlier sense of loss. It would also seem that students in this study are not feeling confident about their ability to do the work in lessons and are enjoying lessons less than they had initially post-transfer.
Table 5.12: Summary of changes in student responses over time
Student Number of positive changes (+) No change (=) Number of negative changes (-) AD 6 8 4 RE 5 6 7 MH 1 10 7 PH 11 6 1 BJ 10 7 1 AC 8 3 7 RM 7 11 0 PJP - - - KWI 6 11 1 KWO 6 7 5
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On an individual basis 7 of the 9 students who completed the questionnaire on both occasions demonstrated more positive changes over the course of Year 7 than negative ones. Two students in particular, MH and BJ, gave ratings that overall were more negative at the end of Year 7 than the start. This would suggest that for the majority of students that attended the nurture group provision, to support them over the initial move to secondary school, gave more positive ratings by the end of Year 7. Cooke et al. (2008) also highlight the importance of consistent staffing in supporting vulnerable children post-transfer via a nurture group which was facilitated in this study.
5.1.9 Discussion of group rating scale findings linked to themes identified by Tobbell (2003)
The following five histograms demonstrate trends over time for whole group responses to the rating statements. These statements were mixed on the questionnaire, but the statements were linked under the five themes identified by Tobbell (2003) and are therefore clustered and presented within these themes for the purpose of presentation and discussion of the findings.