Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2017

Journal Title or Book Title

Open Access Library Journal

Volume

4

Issue

3

Version

Publisher's PDF

DOI

10.4236/oalib.1103413

Abstract

The transition from elementary to middle or junior high school is an event that most youths will experience. Although this is a normal occurrence, some youths face extreme difficulty when making the transition from elementary school to middle or junior high school. Some elementary students experience extreme anxieties as they prepare for the unknown (Akos, 2004). Some studies have found that when students are unable to adjust to junior high school, or unable to transition well, it affects their behavior as well as their academic achievement (Reynolds, 2005). This research investigates a summer transition program and the effectiveness of the program on the academic and social adjustment of 127 incoming junior high school students. Surveys, the students’ first marking period grades and attendance as well as participation in sports and schools clubs, post workshop, were analyzed using random samples comparing the data of students that attended the summer transition workshop to students that did not attend. The results of the study revealed no significant difference in academic average (t = 0.721, df = 107, p < 0.72) during the first marking period. However, there was a significant difference in attendance (t = ﹣1.93, df = 107, p < 0.05) with the group attending the workshop having less absences during the first marking period. In addition as a result of the summer transition workshop, students reported that they learned effective strategies that they would use and were very confident about beginning the school year. There was only one cited incident of in school suspension for the sample of students that attended the workshop compared to two for the sample that did not attend. The social benefits and gains as a measurable outcome were evident in the results and it can be concluded that the summer transition program was effective in helping students transition to junior high school with in social domains, implying that these types of programs are visceral, effective and necessary.

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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