THE PERCEPTIONS OF PUPILS, TEACHERS AND PARENTS ACROSS THE INFANT-JUNIOR TRANSFER

Jones, Alan William (1983). THE PERCEPTIONS OF PUPILS, TEACHERS AND PARENTS ACROSS THE INFANT-JUNIOR TRANSFER. BPhil thesis The Open University.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21954/ou.ro.000100e9

Abstract

This research sets out to examine some of the social processes involved in the transfer across the infant-junior interface within a traditional primary school context by a consideration of the perceptions of pupils, teachers and parents concerned with this transfer. A survey of existing transfer-related research suggests that, in its concern with transfer at such an early stage of schooling, within a school situation and in a school in an exclusively middle class setting, the research is without any direct parallel. The theoretical position adopted by the researcher is essentially that of Symbolic Interactionism, although a recognition is made of the social structural context in which interaction occurs. In the definition of a suitable strategy for the collection of research data, the methodology of, “Illuminative Evaluation” promulgated by Parlett and Hamilton has been adopted. Following a descriptions of the school setting of the research, the pre and post-transfer perceptions of the groups are presented separately. The perceptions of the three groups are then discussed in relation to the theoretical stance adopted and to other transfer and non-transfer related research.