MOVING FROM THE MIDDLE: AN EXPLORATION OF STUDENT EXPERIENCES TRANSITIONING TO HIGH SCHOOL IN INTERNATIONAL SETTINGS

Abstract

The current study sought to understand the stress of the eighth grade to high school transition at the International School Bangkok (ISB) and make recommendations for improving this experience. Transitioning from middle school to high school is one of the most stressful events in an adolescent's life due to physiological and social-emotional changes they experience at this time. Twelve students from the American, Thai, Japanese, and Korean communities were followed for their first three high school semesters to understand the difficulties of the middle school to high school transition. These students, along with four counselors at the school, were my Co-Practitioner-Researchers (CPR), and through their experiences, we came to understand the struggles involved in this transition at the ISB. Collection of data in participatory action research (PAR) Cycle 1 was through a transition survey and CPR drawings of the most stressful aspect of the transition, which I clarified in an interview. In PAR Cycle 2, CPR members photographed the most stressful part of the transition, then reaching consensus themes as a group. Students kept a weekly diary of time usage. In PAR Cycle 3, the CPR team completed a survey of the stress of the tenth-grade transition. Interviews with students and counselors were analyzed. Finally, a community learning exchange (CLE) was conducted at the end of Cycle 3 to present the study findings to ISB colleagues. At the CLE, I collected data through Journey Lines and interviews from staff on student stress of the tenth-grade transition. Data analysis indicated that academic stress, time management, social pressures, and student-teacher relationships were the emerging themes in PAR Cycle 1. The same themes, along with internal pressure were evident in PAR Cycle 2. In PAR Cycle 3, university planning, time management, academic grades, and after-school activities, were their primary stressors. The findings of this study provide meaningful information about student stress involved in transitioning from middle school to high school in international schools and offers advice on how to improve this transition.