Claiming and Reclaiming an Education: The Experiences of
Multilingual School Students in Transition from Primary to Secondary
Schools
Professor Bernard T. Harrison, Dean, Faculty of Education,
Edith Cowan University, WA
Dr. Janet Collins, CLAC, School of Education, Open University,
Milton Keynes, UK.
Abstract
Following an earlier study (Harrison, 1992) of multilingual
primary school classrooms in six regions of the UK, a second
study co-directed by the author focussed on the experience of
school students in transition from primary to secondary education.
In providing essential background to the study, the paper
examines some current critical issues in education provision
for multilingual school students. It addresses, in particular,
important notions of student ownership and capability in learning,
that have emerged in the 1990s.
The earlier study provided evidence that points of transition
(into schools, and between schools) were critical for multilingual
students. At these points, progress could become notably advanced
or retarded, according to varying school conditions and provision.
The study, reported in this paper, focussed, therefore, on planners',
teachers' and students' experiences of the transition from primary
to secondary school. Based in three Midland and Northern regions
of the UK, the project enquired, through school and classroom
observation in primary and secondary schools, and through adviser/teacher/student
consultations and interviews, into comparative experiences of
classroom learning, in both primary and secondary settings. The
study highlight points to both good practice and also points
for remedial action, at this crucial phase of school education.
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