Trends in construction of transition to school in three western regions, 1990–2004

TLDR

Recent research has challenged the traditional school‑readiness construct focused on children’s maturation and attainment, prompting reconceptualization of school entry as a transition process that can be viewed as teacher practices around entry, continuity from home to school, or a multi‑layered, multi‑year experience. An analysis of the academic literature from 1990 to 2004 in the USA, Australia/New Zealand and Europe was undertaken to identify trends in the conceptualization of transition to school. The study finds difficulties in assessing young children’s abilities and limitations in retention practices, while the literature review indicates a trend toward more complex, continuity‑focused, stakeholder‑partnered, system‑coherent understandings of transition, though simpler constructions still persist, especially in the USA and Australia/New Zealand.

Abstract

The construct of school readiness that focuses on children's maturation and homogeneity of their attainment at school entry has been challenged by recent research. This research indicates that there are difficulties in assessing young children's abilities, and there are limitations to the concomitant practice of retention. These challenges have prompted attempts to reconceptualize entry to school as a process of transition. However, transition has variously been conceptualized as: a set of teacher practices in a time‐limited period around school entry; a process of establishing continuity from home to school; and a multi‐layered, multi‐year experience. An analysis of the academic literature from 1990 to 2004 in the USA, Australia/New Zealand and Europe was undertaken to identify trends in the conceptualization of transition to school. The analysis suggests a trend towards more complex understandings of transition emphasizing continuity of children's experience, partnership with stakeholders, and system coherence across extended time periods. However, more limited constructions persist in the academic literature, particularly in the USA and Australian/New Zealand.