Educational transitions BPS conference symposium

Posted on 27 May 2015

Members of the York PERC group examined educational transitions, from a range of psychological perspectives, in a symposium at the British Psychological Society annual conference.

The symposium discussed the life changes that start in early childhood, with entry into nursery or pre-school, and often continuing into late adolescence with entry into further or higher education.

The following studies were explored at the conference, that took place in Liverpool in May 2015:

Dr Claudine Bowyer Crane examined the early communication of children from English and non-English language backgrounds from the perspective of both teachers and parents.
Professor Rob Klassen explored the mathematics motivation and self-efficacy of children in the transition from elementary to middle school in a Norwegian context.
Dr Kathryn Asbury discussed using a genetically sensitive design to create a psychometrically robust measure of environmental influences on young people who are at the end of compulsory education.
Dr Poppy Nash and Melissa James reported on a study that sought to understand pre- and post-transition perceptions of university students’ academic and social life, health and well-being, and overall perceptions of the university experience.

Together, these four studies examined some of the psychological challenges that feature in many educational transitions for children and adolescents.