School transitions: INTRANSITION project
The transition to secondary and tertiary education is an important milestone. Not only does this transition alter the daily physical environment of adolescents, they also have to deal with new classmates, new teachers, and (often) new rules. Furthermore, in the period surrounding school transitions adolescents often start to think about what they want to do with their future. This can be pretty thrilling for adolescents and potentially for their parents as well.
With the INTRANSITION project we want to find out which changes occur in the period that adolescents transition from one school or study programme to another. How do these changes affect the personal development of adolescents? To what extent do adolescents experience stress or tension during this transition? Is it easy for adolescents to connect with their new classmates? To what extent does this transition affect the atmosphere within the family? Do adolescents become more serious about school or are they more concerned with other things?
By answering these questions, we can understand why some adolescents pass the school transition successfully and why others seem to struggle. This knowledge can be used by schools to better prepare their students for secondary and tertiary education. For parents, this study can give them insight on the needs of adolescents during this period. Findings from this project can also contribute to improving the counselling of students who experience a lot of stress during the primary and secondary school finals.