This literature review has shown the experiences of students on their transition from primary to secondary school. It has examined the experiences of the students before they transferred from primary to
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secondary school and then it examined the experiences of the students after they have transferred to secondary school. It has revealed that for some pupils the change was more traumatic and had a lasting effect on them while others felt that they were part of their secondary school community after a few weeks.
The literature review also explored students‟ anxieties and personal feelings on transition and talked about adolescence development as most of the students in transition are in the adolescence period and also it discussed the change of the school environment and organisation which really have a great impact on students‟ transition.
It also discussed how social adjustment at secondary school is very important because it directly affects students‟ academic performances at school. If the students are not happy in schools, they will not perform well. The academic attainment is the main purpose of students going to school. However, there is often a decline in academic performance when students are in transition from primary to secondary school.
The literature review also focused on friendships at school. A good friendship at school is one of the main catalysts for students to quickly adjust to secondary school life. Friendships with fellow students and
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teachers are very important for students to socially adjust to school life both in and outside of the classroom.
The literature review also looked at cultural factors, socio-economic factors and gender differences because all of these factors affect students in their transition as well.
Finally, it looked at how to address the problems of transition. The main strategy that many countries used is transition programmes and activities mainly provided by secondary schools for their feeder primary schools. Some countries like the USA and New Zealand have middle schools between primary and secondary schools purposely to help students with the transition. Middle school features home-room teaching characteristic of primary school and some additional specialist teaching, a feature of secondary school (Ward, 2000).
There is an extensive literature available for several countries. However, I was unable to find literatures that are specific to Melanesian countries like the Solomon Islands. Therefore, I concluded that there was no study that has been carried out in the Solomon Islands and other Melanesian countries on this area. I then formulated my research question similar to the research questions of other researchers to find out whether there is a similarity between the Solomon Islands students‟ experiences and those of
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students in other countries and also between their strategies. Furthermore, I also want to find out how my study will inform the transition programmes of boarding secondary schools in the Solomon Islands.
Therefore, my two research questions are: What do Solomon Islands
students experience when in transition from primary schools that they attend daily to boarding secondary schools located far from their homes and villages, and what formal and informal strategies are available for them? How can the experiences of the students and the transition literature inform the transition programmes for boarding secondary schools?
In the next chapter, I will describe the research methodology I used in this study to explore the research questions.
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CHAPTER THREE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.0 Introduction
The design of a research project guides the research in terms of the theoretical, analytical and practical underpinnings on which the research will be based (Creswell, 2003). Research is defined for this project as listening to the „voices of the students‟ about their experiences of transition from primary schools they attend daily to boarding secondary schools that are located far from their homes and villages, and the strategies that schools used to help the students in transition. The collaboration between the researcher and the researched is the creating and sharing of knowledge (Olsen, 2003) which can be used by others to make a difference to their lives. Therefore, my research is intended to create the sharing of knowledge which can be used by stake holders to make a difference in the lives and wellbeing of the young Solomon Islands students.
This chapter describes the research paradigm, methodology and ethical considerations. This research uses mainly qualitative methodology and the main method used was interviewing. My major participants consisted of two groups of young students aged 11 to 12 years old that is 9 year one students and 7 year two students, in addition to the three principals and one deputy principal. I did my research in four boarding secondary schools in different areas of the Solomon Islands.
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I first explain the theoretical perspectives that underpin the research methods, and validity and trustworthiness. I then focus on the ethical considerations, interview as a qualitative method of data collection and finally on the processes that were used to gather my information.