Hi, Mike and all,
I dunno the study you mean.
One thing I do remember though is this: Everything sinks during the year
after a transition but recovers a year later. (I'm not sure if you can
conclude that kids, like cats, don't do well with change or that the
instruments used change too or the pedagogy or the multitude of other
factors do so the effect is just an epiphenomena.)
This is a very general story -- not the ethnic/gender/jr-hi vs middle school
effects you are noting. (Alspaugh found K-8 then hi school with only one
transition were better off than those who got an extra transition for middle
or jr hi school -- but his sample was Missouri, I think.)
There's an OISE review of literature
www.wrdsb.on.ca/Configuring_Schools_Review.pdf about a broad array of
systems/factors involved in transitions that confirms your suspicion by
concluding that "grade span patterns which appear to support improved
student academic achievement are not necessarily the same as those which
provide the best social and psychological development of the students."
(covers US not just Canada info)
Sorry not to have anything more to the point to offer.
By the way, have you seen Critical Hours: Afterschool Programs and
Educational Success, May 2003, by Beth M. Miller
www.nmefdn.org/uimages/documents/Critical_Hours.pdf It's about early
adolescence.
Peg
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Cole" <lchcmike@gmail.com>
To: "Xmca" <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
Sent: Sunday, December 12, 2004 7:26 PM
Subject: elementary-->middle school transitions
> Foolks-- While awaiting the conversation starts from the global
> dynamic duo, I have a question about a study I cannot retrieve from
> my aging long term memory.
>
> Here is the context.
>
> I am interested in the elementary school--middle school transition for
> kids of different genders and ethnic backgrounds. I recall a study
> which compared social adjustment and school
> success for kids who made the transition either early (after 5th) or
> late (after 6-7th) grade.
>
> Does anyone know of this work. What makes it interesting and something
> to be expanded upon is that the age of transition made a difference
> in self esteem, social problems, and maybe academic success as well,
> although I am not sure of the latter. From observations
> of my local scene where the situation is clearly influenced by gender
> and ethnicity, I am interested in re-visiting the original study, but
> where is it??
>
> Anyone know?
>
> mike
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sat Jan 01 2005 - 01:00:04 PST