When students take the floor: what we learned from researching the transition from Primary to Secondary Education

Abstract

To understand how pre-adolescents experience the transition from primary to secondary school, it is necessary to place ourselves in the perspective of the students as the main social actor. In the research presented in this article, we have stopped to listen to the students before and during their transition to secondary school in order to understand better those aspects which, from their own experiences, facilitate or hinder their passage through this important educational stage. Intending to avoid the bias of the adult researcher, we deployed a qualitative and reflexive methodology that tested fieldwork strategies and the design of techniques and instruments appropriate to the open participation of the students. The research involved 72 students followed at two specific moments of transition: the preparatory phase and completion of primary school (Year 2020-21) and the phase of incorporation and accommodation to secondary school (Year 2021-22). The information analysed focused on the most recurrent aspects of the students' original accounts, which revealed important aspects: transition is not always experienced as a negative experience; it is part of the educational process, thereby transforming the (adult) imaginary of fear of change into a hopeful experience of openness and early maturity.