Stress in Portuguese Middle School Transition: A Multilevel Analysis

The role of language in mental health during the transition from primary to secondary education

We report a preregistered analysis to test whether children meeting diagnostic criteria for language disorder (LD) have higher self-reported and/or parent-reported mental health symptoms during the transition from primary to secondary education. Data are from a UK-based longitudinal cohort study, The Surrey Communication and Language in Education Study (SCALES). SCALES oversampled children at risk of LD at school entry. Language was measured using a battery of standardised assessments in Year 1 (age 5-6 years, n = 529), and mental health symptoms were measured using self and parent report in Year 6 (age 10-11 years, n = 384) and Year 8 (age 12-13 years, n = 246). Social experiences were also measured using self-report measures in Year 6. Mental health symptoms were stable during the transition from primary to secondary school. Symptom rates did not differ between children with and without LD based on self-report, but children with LD had higher parent-reported mental health symptoms than their peers with typical language. Similarly, early language was negatively associated with parent-reported but not self-reported mental health symptoms. Early language was associated with fewer child-reported positive social experiences in Year 6, but social experiences did not mediate the association between language and mental health. We found poor agreement between parent and self-reported child mental health symptoms across language groups. Future studies should aim to determine sources of disagreement between parent and child report, particularly for children with communication difficulties who may struggle to accurately self-report mental health symptoms.

Children’s perspective on fears connected to school transition and intended coping strategies

The transition from primary to secondary school comes with major changes in the lives of children. There is a shortage of in-depth analyses of young people’s perspectives concerning their fears and strategies to address these. This qualitative study aims to gain first-hand understanding of children’s fears and the intended coping strategies used during school transition. Data from 52 workshops were analysed, with a total of 896 students (M age = 10.40, SD = .839) in lower Austria. First, in the classroom setting, a vignette story about a child facing fears about school transition from primary to secondary school was developed with pupils in a brainstorming session. This was followed by self-selected small group discussions, where pupils proposed strategies to help cope with these fears. A thematic analysis was carried out. Major thematic clusters distinguished between four types of fears: peer victimisation, being alone, victimisation by authority figures, and academic failure. Three additional thematic clusters described strategies for countering the fears: enacting supportive networks, personal emotion regulation, and controlling behaviour. In addition to these connected clusters, two further themes were identified: strategy outcomes and consequences, i.e., personal experiences with using specific strategies, and the discussion of participants about contradictions and questionable usefulness of identified strategy outcomes. In conclusion, the children in our study reported more social fears as compared to academic fears. Children seem reasonably competent at naming and identifying strategies; however, maladaptive strategies, as well as controversies within the described strategies may indicate a lack of certainty and competence at engaging with these strategies on a practical level.

Associations of negative life events and coping styles with sleep quality among Chinese adolescents: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Limited published research has examined the relationships of negative life events and coping styles with sleep quality in Chinese junior high school students. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of poor sleep quality and to clarify the role of coping styles between negative life events and sleep quality.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study of 3081 students was conducted in Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, Southeastern China. Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Checklist, Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, and Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index were applied to assess negative life events, coping styles, and sleep quality, respectively. Descriptive analyses, independent-samples t tests, one-way analyses of variance, Pearson correlation analyses, and structural equation modeling (SEM) were applied to analyze the data.

RESULTS

The prevalence of poor sleep quality was 26.7%. Negative life events (B = 0.038, P < 0.001) and negative coping style (B = 0.049, P < 0.001) demonstrated a positive association with poor sleep quality, while positive coping style indicated a negative association with poor sleep quality (B = -0.029, P < 0.001). Interactions of negative life events and coping styles with sleep quality were not found (all P > 0.05). The association between negative life events and sleep quality was mediated by negative coping styles.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicated that poor sleep quality was common in these Chinese adolescents. Negative life events and negative coping style were associated with an increased prevalence of poor sleep quality, while the positive coping style was related to a decreased prevalence of poor sleep quality. A negative coping style mediated the association between negative life events and sleep quality.

Maths attitudes, school affect and teacher characteristics as predictors of maths attainment trajectories in primary and secondary education

Maths attainment is essential for a wide range of outcomes relating to further education, careers, health and the wider economy. Research suggests a significant proportion of adults and adolescents are underachieving in maths within the UK, making this a key area for research. This study investigates the role of children's perceptions of the school climate (children's affect towards school and student-teacher relationships), their attitudes towards maths and teacher characteristics as predictors of maths attainment trajectories, taking the transition from primary to secondary education into consideration. Two growth models were fit using secondary data analysis of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). The first model, which looked at predictors of maths attainment in primary education, found significant associations only between positive maths attitudes and increased maths attainment. The second model, which looked at predictors of maths attainment in secondary education, found significant associations between increased maths attainment and positive maths attitudes, decreased school belonging, positive student-teacher relationships and increased teacher fairness. The findings suggest that the secondary education school environment is particularly important for maths attainment.

Predictors of mathematical attainment trajectories across the primary-to-secondary education transition: parental factors and the home environment

A 'maths crisis' has been identified in the UK, with many adults and adolescents underachieving in maths and numeracy. This poor performance is likely to develop from deficits in maths already present in childhood. Potential predictors of maths attainment trajectories throughout childhood and adolescence relate to the home environment and aspects of parenting including parent-child relationships, parental mental health, school involvement, home teaching, parental education and gendered play at home. This study examined the aforementioned factors as predictors of children's maths attainment trajectories (age 7-16) across the challenging transition to secondary education. A secondary longitudinal analysis of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children found support for parental education qualifications, a harmonious parent-child relationship and school involvement at age 11 as substantial predictors of maths attainment trajectories across the transition to secondary education. These findings highlight the importance of parental involvement for maths attainment throughout primary and secondary education.

Internalizing symptoms and working memory as predictors of mathematical attainment trajectories across the primary-secondary education transition

The transition from primary to secondary education is a critical period in early adolescence which is related to increased anxiety and stress, increased prevalence of mental health issues, and decreased maths performance, suggesting it is an important period to investigate maths attainment. Previous research has focused on anxiety and working memory as predictors of maths, without investigating any long-term effects around the education transition. This study examined working memory and internalizing symptoms as predictors of children's maths attainment trajectories (age 7-16) across the transition to secondary education using secondary longitudinal analysis of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). This study found statistically significant, but very weak evidence for the effect of internalizing symptoms and working memory on maths attainment. Greater parental education was the strongest predictor, suggesting that children of parents with a degree (compared with those with a CSE) gain the equivalent of almost a year's schooling in maths. However, due to methodological limitations, the effects of working memory and internalizing symptoms on attainment cannot be fully understood with the current study. Additional research is needed to further uncover this relationship, using more time-appropriate measures.

A Multilevel Analysis of the Importance of School Climate for the Trajectories of Students' Self-concept and Self-esteem Throughout the Middle School Transition

Understanding which environmental factors influence the trajectory of self-concept and self-esteem during middle school transition may help schools better support students during this period. This short longitudinal study examined the influence of students' perceptions of school climate upon the trajectory of students' self-concept and self-esteem during middle school transition. Students in 25 classes from four schools (N = 404; M_age = 9.40, SD = 0.67) completed self-report measures of self-concept and self-esteem at four time points: twice before (fourth grade) and twice after middle school transition (fifth grade). The results showed that students with more positive perceptions of school climate in the beginning of fifth grade displayed more positive trajectories in self-concept and self-esteem. Students from larger fourth grade classes had more positive trajectories of social self-concept compared to those from smaller classes. The findings highlight the importance of school climate in the development of self-concept and self-esteem during middle school transition.

Academic (Under)achievement of Intellectually Gifted Students in the Transition Between Primary and Secondary Education: An Individual Learner Perspective

In the last decade, the Achievement Orientation Model (AOM) of Siegle and McCoach has often been used to quantitatively explore different pathways for academic achievement among intellectually gifted students in educational settings, mostly in secondary education. To study the dynamics of the different components in the AOM, we further examined the inhibiting and facilitating factors associated with academic achievement as experienced by well-performing and underperforming gifted students. Because the transition from elementary to secondary education is a crucial phase for intellectually gifted students, we selected students from the 7th and 8th grade, using purposive sampling. Six gifted students, three well-performing and three underperforming, from two different high schools participated in in-depth interviews. By capturing the lived experiences of six intellectually gifted students in this study, we were able to get more insight into the complex processes that relate to students’ (dis)engagement and (under)achievement in school. The findings underline the value of the AOM and stress the importance of taking learner perceptions into account.

Predicting maths anxiety from mathematical achievement across the transition from primary to secondary education

The primary- to secondary-education transition is a substantive life event for many children. The transition can be associated with changes in the developmental trajectories of both emotional health and academic achievement. The current study looked at whether the trajectory of mathematical attainment and emotional health (anxiety) across this transition predicted later maths anxiety. A secondary analysis of data from the Twin Early Development Study (TEDS) was performed. The statistical models were fit on the 753 participants (one from each twin pair) for which there were measures of mathematical performance across the primary- to secondary-education transition and maths anxiety at age 18. Two multi-level growth models were fit predicting mathematical attainment and anxiety over the primary- to secondary-education transition. The intercepts and slopes for each child were extracted from these models and used as predictors of subsequent maths anxiety at age 18. These effects were adjusted for biological sex, socio-economic status, verbal cognitive ability and general anxiety. Maths anxiety at age 18 was significantly predicted by both pre-transition levels of anxiety and mathematical attainment and their rate of change across the primary- to secondary-education transition. However, the effects were small, suggesting that theories of maths anxiety may have overplayed the role of prior mathematical attainment and general anxiety.

Relationships of coping styles and sleep quality with anxiety symptoms among Chinese adolescents: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Limited published research has examined the relationships of coping styles and sleep quality with anxiety symptoms in Chinese school adolescents. We aimed to explore the effect of coping styles and sleep quality on anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, we investigated the interactions of coping styles and sleep quality with anxiety symptoms.

METHODS

The survey was conducted in Jiangxi Province, China. The Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Chinese Secondary School Students Anxiety Scale were utilized to assess sleep quality, coping styles and anxiety symptoms, respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied to explore the relationships of coping styles and sleep quality with anxiety symptoms.

RESULTS

A total of 3081 students participated in this study, 50.8% of whom were boys; the number of participants in grades 1, 2 and 3 were 979, 1085 and 1017, respectively. The prevalence of anxiety symptoms was 27.3%. Individuals with poor sleep quality were 3.558 (95% CI = 2.716-4.660) times as likely to have anxiety symptoms than those with good sleep quality. Higher negative coping style scores increased the prevalence of anxiety symptoms (OR = 2.101, 95% CI = 1.894-2.332), whereas higher positive coping style scores were related to reduced odds of anxiety symptoms (OR = 0.892, 95% CI = 0.800-0.995). Interactions of coping styles and sleep quality with anxiety symptoms were not found (all p > 0.05). The association between negative coping style and anxiety symptoms was mediated by sleep quality.

LIMITATIONS

This study was cross-sectional and limited to Ganzhou City.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of our study showed a higher prevalence of anxiety symptoms compared with the result of a previous study in Chinese school adolescents. Negative coping style and poor sleep quality were associated with an increased prevalence of anxiety symptoms, whereas positive coping style was related to a decreased prevalence of anxiety symptoms. Sleep quality was a mediating factor between negative coping style and anxiety symptoms.

A Review of the Academic and Psychological Impact of the Transition to Secondary Education

The transition from primary to secondary education is one of the most stressful events in a young person's life (Zeedyk et al., 2003) and can have a negative impact on psychological well-being and academic achievement. One explanation for these negative impacts is that the transition coincides with early adolescence, a period during which certain psychological disorders (i.e., anxiety disorders) become more salient (Kessler et al., 2005) and marked social, biological, and psychological development occurs (Anderson et al., 2000). This review evaluates the existing literature on the psychological and academic impacts of the transition to secondary education on young adolescents. We examine the factors that plausibly increase or mitigate the risk of developing mental health issues and/or a decline in academic performance during the transition to secondary education. We also review the interplay between psychological health and academic achievement across and beyond the transition. We conclude with a summary of what schools and parents can learn from these findings to support children in a successful transition into secondary education.