Exploring Pupils’ Experiences of a Transition Project using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA)

In the UK children make the transition from primary to secondary school when they are 11 years old. The majority of pupils adjust well to their new secondary school. However, there is a minority of vulnerable pupils for whom transition is a challenging time. These children are more likely to experience negative educational outcomes during their first year in secondary school (Year 7). Therefore it is of the upmost importance to support these vulnerable children through transition.
The experiences of six vulnerable Year 7 pupils were explored in this research. The pupils’ experiences of transition and of a Transition Project they had previously participated in whilst in their final year of primary school (Year 6) were examined. The data was collected using in-depth semi-structured interviews. The research adopted an interpretative phenomenological perspective to explore the participants’ experiences. The data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The findings of this research stress the importance of listening to children’s views. The main themes that emerged from the data included, ‘Struggling to Cope’, ‘The Importance of Friendship’, ‘Feeling out of Control’ and ‘Feeling Ready for Secondary School’. A rich description of the pupils’ experiences of transition and of a Transition Project is presented. This research has demonstrated that interviewing vulnerable children can yield rich and valuable data. It has also highlighted that children wish to have their views listened to and want to participate in research.