"A big learning curve": Student perceptions of primary to secondary school transition in Western Australia

Katherine Stevens and Peter R. Whipp
Murdoch University, Australia

Primary to secondary school transition is an important time for young children as it marks the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. For some, there is "too much stuff for my brain to handle" (Participant 3) with many changes happening concurrently as students enter their new learning environment, in a context of adolescent changes. This study, one of the few to be conducted in a continuous Kindergarten to Year 12 school, focused on using student voice through focus group interviews to better understand this significant period from their perspective. Several factors were found to be important, including the connections that students had with their peers and significant others, the workload and pressure of assessment, changes in expectations and the time that it took to adjust to them, and the effect that students' personal characteristics had on their experience of transition. For most students, it was "very hard at the beginning" (Participant 8). However, maintaining an open and positive approach to transition was found to be important because "it's really not that bad and so long as you're prepared, you're ready to go" (Participant 6).
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Authors: Katherine Stevens (corresponding author) is a Master of Education (Research) candidate at Murdoch University. Her research interests include primary to secondary school transition, student wellbeing and positive psychology. Katherine is also an experienced primary school teacher with a strong interest in holistic child development. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0542-5510 Email: katherine.stevens@murdoch.edu.au Dr Peter R. Whipp is the Head of School and Dean of Education at Murdoch University. Peter is actively researching 'differentiation - meeting the needs of all' in Education settings with the creation, implementation, and evaluation of such programs. Peter's leadership and research is framed through a psychological needs perspective. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5895-2667 Email: peter.whipp@murdoch.edu.au Please cite as: Stevens, K. & Whipp, P. R. (2025). "A big learning curve": Student perceptions of primary to secondary school transition in Western Australia. Issues in Educational Research, 35(1), 339-355. http://www.iier.org.au/iier35/stevens.pdf