Concerns of Seventh-Graders about Their Transition to Junior High School

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Abstract
A critical ingredient for understanding the experiences that students undergo in the transition from elementary school to junior high school is the changing perceptions of the students themselves. To this end, students completed a Concerns Questionnaire during the fifth week of seventh grade where they responded to a list of potential transition concerns by indicating the degree of their concern both when they first entered junior high school and at the present time. Results showed that most students did not have great concerns about items listed. Given this low absolute level of concerns, students perceived even lower total concerns levels after five weeks in junior high. Also, students reported relatively more concerns about academic work than the social aspects of junior high school. Comparisons suggested that the independent variables of student sex, participation style, and previous classroom organization were important, but consistent patterns were not found.