This study explores the longitudinal changes among a sample of early adolescent girls in China throughout their transition from primary to junior high school. Early adolescence is a time of multiple transitions and is associated with a range of mental health outcomes in Western literature. This study will be the first to examine developmental changes in early adolescence among Chinese girls. A sample of 425 Chinese girls completed a self‐report questionnaire at three time points: the end of primary school, the start of the first year of junior high, and the end of the first year of junior high. The questionnaire comprised a range of measures relating to bodily changes, puberty, and gender issues, social changes in family, peers and school, and a series of standardised measures of mental health including: life satisfaction, self‐esteem, psychosomatic symptoms, loneliness, anxiety, depression, and coping. Results were analysed using ANOVA to examine longitudinal changes in measures. Following an overview of the interrelations between all the variables in this study using One‐way ANOVA, longitudinal results were reported in three chapters: physical changes, social changes, and mental health. Findings relating to physical growth highlighted the co‐occurrence of pubertal development and school transition. Significant increases in body dissatisfaction and social comparisons of physical appearance were identified, indicating girls’ growing self‐consciousness about their physical changes. Specifically, apart from weight concerns, an interesting finding of this study was that girls in this study reported consistently higher and significantly growing concerns about their height stature. A significant decline in positive feelings of gender typing was also identified. In terms of social development, there were no longitudinal changes in the overall quality of attachment with parents or peers, as well as peer norms, suggesting that although variance exists across individuals, these constructs remained longitudinally stable in this sample. On the other hand, a significant decline was found in parental involvement. In contrast to the negative outcomes reported widely in Western literature following the primary to middle school transition, this study revealed an overall positive school transition experience. To be specific, overall school climate was reported to be more positive in junior high school, girls’ personal goals and school behaviours were improved longitudinally, and school transition problems were significantly smaller than expected prior to the transition. Analysis of developmental changes in mental health revealed no changes in global life satisfaction and depression. However, self‐esteem in general significantly reduced over time; simultaneously and interestingly, psychosomatic health, loneliness, and overall anxiety significantly improved after the transition. Furthermore, longitudinally girls adopted a wider range of coping strategies to deal with stressful events, although both the selection and efficacy evaluation varied across coping strategies among individuals. This study is the first to explore Chinese girls’ development during early adolescence. Developmental trends are established in Chinese adolescent girls’ physical, social, and psychological domains. Despite evidence consistent with the universalities of this life stage as established in Western literature, this study also highlights cultural differences in the developmental experiences of Chinese adolescents. Taken together, the findings reveal a positive developmental phase with little evidence of increases in adaptation difficulties or mental health outcomes. These empirical findings are in contrast to Western research, which often highlights early adolescence as a time of adaptation difficulties. Overall, this study contributes to the literature on adolescent development. The role of culture and implications for future research and practice are also discussed.

This study examined the science self-efficacy beliefs of students before and after transitions from elementary to middle school and middle school to high school. The purpose was to explore whether those beliefs changed with grade level, gender, and ethnicity. Data were collected through a modified Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (Muris, 2001), which was adapted to focus on science self-efficacy. Multiple ordinary least squares regression was used to analyze the data. All grade levels showed a clear decline in science self-efficacy after sixth grade with females, Hispanic students, and ninth graders showing the greatest decline in science self-efficacy.

No description available.

Avhandlingens syfte är att undersöka övergången från förskoleklass till årskurs ett och hur barn lär känna och skapar mening om vad skola och förskoleklass är. Detta görs genom att studera hur övergången från förskoleklass till årskurs ett markeras genom olika aktiviteter och de processer i vilka barn tillsammans med andra barn, lärare och kontext skapar mening kring övergången. Det empiriska materialet består i huvudsak av deltagande observationer och fältanteckningar från fältarbete men också av intervjuer med barnen. Övergången analyseras med hjälp av teoretiska perspektiv på tid, passageriter och socialisation. Analysen visar att förskoleklass och årskurs ett genom att markeras som åtskilda också konstrueras som olika. Analysen visar också att tid och temporal orientering är viktigt för hur övergången från förskoleklass till årskurs ett förstås. Olika tidsaspekter (dåtid, nutid och framtid) används av barn och lärare för att ge mening till övergången. Den tidsaspekt som är mest framträdande är framtiden. Den används för att förstå övergången men övergången förstärker också fokus på framtiden.  Övergången från förskoleklass till årskurs ett kan förstås utifrån ett övergångsschema med en separationsfas, en liminal fas och en fas av införlivande. Även förskoleklassen som sådan kan förstås som en liminal övergångsfas i övergången från förskola till skola. Övergången är en kollektiv process där barn tillsammans gör övergång. Samtidigt innehåller övergången individuella aspekter och avvikelser från vad som framstår som  normalövergången. Sådana avvikande erfarenheter bidrar till hur den kollektiva övergången konstrueras. I dessa socialisationsprocesser konstrueras mening i samspel mellan barn, lärare och skola. Att barn orienterar sig mot skolans temporala ordning och deltar i socialiserande aktiviteter innebär att de på olika sätt konstrueras som elever men också att de konstruerar skola och övergången från förskoleklass till årskurs ett. / The aim of the thesis is to explore one of the first transitions that Swedish school children encounter and how children get to know and make sense of the school system. The point of departure is to study what activities are undertaken to mark the transition from preschool class to first grade and the meaning-making processes in which children are involved. Ethnographic data from two Swedish school settings are used in the study. The material contains participant observations and field notes from different school settings, as well as ethnographic interviews with the children. The transition is analysed using theoretical perspectives on time together with concepts such as rites of passage and socialization. The analyses show that the preschool class and first grade are marked as different in several ways during the transition process. The analysis also show that time is important for the meaning ascribed to the transition. Different aspects of time (past, present and future) are used to do and make sense of the transition. Talk about the future and activities pointing at the future are used to understand transition, but transition also strengthens the focus on the future. The transition from preschool class to first grade can be understood as a phase of separation, a liminal phase and a period of incorporation. But the preschool class itself can also be understood as a liminal phase, a time in between preschool and school. It was found that transitions constitute a collective process through which children do transition together. At the same time, transitions can be understood as multiple, as children deviate from a normal transition. Such deviant experiences further add to how a “normal” transition is understood. In socialization processes, meanings are constructed in interactions between children, teachers and school. Children’s orientation to the temporal order of school and their participation in socializing activities contribute to the construction of children as students, but also to the construction of school and transition.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2017-01-04T10:52:29Z No. of bitstreams: 1 ronnyalexliboriodossantos.pdf: 1083029 bytes, checksum: 591670fd22a17e09f5f6fd62b4c3da02 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Diamantino Mayra (mayra.diamantino@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-01-31T10:32:44Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 ronnyalexliboriodossantos.pdf: 1083029 bytes, checksum: 591670fd22a17e09f5f6fd62b4c3da02 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-01-31T10:32:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ronnyalexliboriodossantos.pdf: 1083029 bytes, checksum: 591670fd22a17e09f5f6fd62b4c3da02 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-09-19 / Esse trabalho tem como objetivo analisar a influência da adaptação discente sobre o fracasso escolar do 6º ano do Ensino Fundamental (EF) da Escola Estadual Geógrafo Milton Santos (EEGMS) pertencente à Coordenadoria Distrital 03 da rede estadual de ensino do Amazonas. A adaptação discente durante as transições entre os ciclos escolares constituiu o recorte entre as causas do fracasso escolar para nortear as análises desse problema entre os alunos que ingressam no 6º ano do EF. O fracasso escolar foi materializado no trabalho pelos índices de reprovações dos últimos quatro anos (2010 a 2014), que deram a dimensão do problema dentro do cenário educacional brasileiro. Tais percentuais, por conseguinte, serviram como indícios dos possíveis problemas que acometem os alunos durante seu ingresso no 6º ano do EF. Assim, a seguinte pergunta direcionou o estudo: quais os principais problemas acarretados pelo processo de transição dos alunos do 5º para o 6º ano do EF na escola EEGMS? A metodologia utilizada para a execução da pesquisa tem uma abordagem qualitativa e foi realizada a partir de um estudo de caso. A pesquisa contou com instrumentos de coleta de dados a partir de entrevistas semiestruturadas, análise documental e pesquisa bibliográfica, a qual apresentou o posicionamento de autores que discutem a adaptação discente, a transição entre os ciclos escolares e o fracasso escolar. Tal processo deu suporte para as análises da adaptação discente sobre o fracasso escolar no 6º ano do EF, considerando o processo de transição entre os ciclos. O resultado da pesquisa serviu de aporte para a construção de um Plano de Ação Educacional, que visa ajudar a escola investigada a diminuir o impacto das transições escolares, principalmente em relação ao início dos anos finais do EF, pois esses impactos têm reflexo direto na continuidade e na conclusão da trajetória escolar dos alunos. / This study aims to examine the influence of student adaptation in school failure of the 6th grade of Elementary School (EF) from Escola Estadual Geógrafo Milton Santos (EEGMS) wich belongs to the District Coordination 03 of the state of Amazonas education system. Student’s adaptation during transitions between school cycles were the cut between the causes of school failure to guide the analysis of this problem among students entering the 6th grade of Elementary School (EF). School failure was embodied in work by failing rates of the last four years (2010-2014) which gave the size of the problem within the Brazilian educational scenario. These percentages therefore served as evidence of the possible problems that affect students for their entry in the 6th grader of Elementary School (EF). The question that guided the study: What are the main problems posed by the transition from the 5th to the 6th grades students from Elementary School at school EEGMS? The methodology used to conduct the research has a qualitative approach and was carried out from a case study. The research included data collection instruments from semi-structured interviews, document analysis and literature, which presented the position of authors who discuss student adaptation, the transition between school cycles and school failure. This process gave support for the analysis of student adaptation of school failure in the 6th grade of Elementary School considering the process of transition between cycles. The survey results served as a contribution to the construction of an Educational Action Plan, which aims to help the investigated school to reduce the impact of school transitions, especially from the beginning of the final years of the Elementary School, since these impacts have a direct impact on continuity and completion of school life of students.