A case study exploring the transition of an individual in education

School of Human and Health Sciences
A case study exploring the transition of an individual in education
An individual’s journey of transition between schools based on different cultural values and
challenges faced
By Abdullah Bismillah

Introduction
Transition is a difficult period at any time of life. As adults we experience transition in many forms
from moving jobs to moving home. Psychometric tests measuring stress have included moving
home as one of the major incidents of stress. It should come as no surprise that as children the
transition process is most damaging to development. The topic that this research will be focusing
on is transition between schools. More importantly the focus will be on investigating transition
between schools who promote different cultural and societal values. Moving between schools
creates a stressful situation for children and more often than has an impact on their lever of
education and attainment. This piece of research will be focusing on the reasons for change and
how cultural values have an effect on education.
Theories put forward that can explain problematic transition is the communities of practice theory
of Lave and Wenger. A community of practice can be defined as ‘groups of people who have a
common interest and work together to learn how to do it as they interact regularly’. In schools
communities of practice are very evident and in transition you lose membership of your community
of practice. Without this reinforcement education very much suffers.
This case study will attempt to answer:
1. Why is transition so difficult?
2. Is transition across cultural settings any more or less difficult than normal transition?
3. Do the theories adequately account for transition?
Setting the scene
The aim of this study is to investigate an individual’s experiences of transitioning between schools
and the challenges faced. The focus was on the individual and how different practices at each
school affected the overall educational experience. The data will be used to apply back to relevant
theory and gain an understanding of the transition process.
Moving schools has been found to be a problematic process for children not only in the UK but all
over the world. Galton, Grey and Ruddock (1999) found the transition process to be problematic
across cultures with educational achievement being affected.
Tobbell (2003) investigated children’s experiences of transition from primary to secondary school
and the challenges faced. The researcher took into account differences between primary and
secondary school and pointed out that most of the previous research was biased from the start and
focused on assumptions made. That being said, this research attempted to explore the feelings of
children in transition by applying a qualitative design to the study. The study had 30 participants
who were split in to 5 discussion groups containing 6 children. All the participants were girls and all
were in year 7. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. From the interview Tobbell (2003)
found themes of feeling lost, the school as a community and views on the teachers.
This study showed that there are major discontinuities between primary and secondary school and
that the transition process must be managed by teachers to make it an easier process. Themes
such as feeling lost were echoed throughout by each participant and Tobbell (2003) applied
vygotskian theory to explain that learning is a process which occurs through interaction with others
ad in transition this disappears. Also views on the school as a community were apparent with
participants saying ‘everyone worked together at primary school, you’re on your own here’. High
school as a community is much larger than primary school and in a smaller community individuals
look after one another however, in a larger community they may get left out.
The communities of practice theory was put forward by Lave and Wenger (1998) and can be used
to explain the difficulties faced by children during transition. A community of practice is defined as a
group of people who share a concern or passion for something that they do and learn how to do it
better as they interact regularly. (Wenger 1998) The difference between a community of practice
and a community is that a community of practice comes together for a common goal whereas a
community is created by geography for example. These communities exist in all walks of life from
the school to the workplace and also at home. Individuals can be part of many communities and in

some groups play a pivotal role whereas in others they are on the periphery. For a community to
survive it requires members to have the necessary skills and knowledge to be able to pursue and
complete the common goal. However, as they continue to interact with each other relationships
and bonds develop with its members and this reinforces the community and acts as a stronger
reason to remain. Lave & Wenger (1998) see learning in a social context and claim that learning
occurs through participation in group activities. In transition an individual loses membership of this
community and also the bonds that have been forged are lost. It may be that the transitioning
individual may have played a pivotal role in the previous community however, with moving schools
the individual becomes on the periphery of the new school community. Also the new school
community may engage in practices and rules that are different to the individual’s previous school.
All these factors make the process of transition difficulty and this reflects back to the individual’s
educational performance. This model is based on the assumption that learning is not done
individually but rather involves engaging in a community of practice.
(Wenger 1998)
Bronfrenbrenner’s ecological systems theory proposed that human development is nested within a
number of systems. These systems concern everyday life and play a huge part in learning and
interaction. In the ecological theory there are 5 socially organised subsystems which play an
important in human growth. The basic premise of the theory is that development reflects the
influence of environmental systems. (Bronfrenbrenner 1994) He identified these systems as the
Microsystem. This system concerns the immediate environment i.e. family, friends and
neighbourhood. The Mesosystem reflects the immediate environment which includes the school
environment and the home environment. The Exosystem concerns external environments. Things
that affect the child indirectly e.g. parents workplace. The final system is the Macrosystem which
talks about the larger issues i.e. cultural impacts, governments. Bronfrenbrenner (1994) claimed
the interaction between all these systems can have a positive or negative impact on a child’s
development. In transition the Microsystem which consist of friends and family is weakened due to
the move. Expectations of close family can sometimes take precedent over an individual’s desires
and needs and this can affect development. The Macrosystem is also an issue with transition as
the new school may not have the same government backing as the previous one and so this would
take some getting used to, fewer resources attributed by the government would influence the
quality of school life. (Bronfrenbrenner 1994)
Bourdieu’s theory of capital can be used to explain why some students have a more profound
experience of school life are afforded all the luxuries whilst others are not. This has been found to
have an influence on the quality of school and qualifications gained. Vyronides (2007) explains
there are 3 forms of capital, social, cultural and economic. Economic capital refers to money and
material wealth. A student coming from a wealthy background will have high economic capital and
be afforded more luxuries compared to other students. This investment in education will see its
rewards in educational attainment for the individual. Cultural capital has a profound effect on
education. The knowledge gained from the home and family members can be used positively in
education if the school preaches the same cultural values as the home. The knowledge is
legitimised thus a greater return on the cultural investment can be seen. However, if the home
values do not fit with the school values then this cause low achievement. Cultural capital is defined
as a set of values, beliefs, norms, attitudes, experiences and so forth that equip people for their life
in society. Sullivan (2001) criticised the concept of cultural capital by claiming that Bourdieu had
not captured the broad conceptualisation of the concept. Bourdieu assumed that high parental
level of education led to high level of parental cultural capital. Sullivan (2001) says that the
broadness of the concept has not been captured. However, research investigating cultural capital
has taken a quantitative approach whereas a Bourdieu’s approach was qualitative.
This study undertook a qualitative approach and conducted a semi-structured interview. Much of
the previous research was based on own biases and sought to quantify the data, whereas a
qualitative approach would focus on the participant’s feelings and experiences at the time of
transition and this will provide a valuable insight. Also the semi-structured interview will allow the
participant to talk and direct the interview which will bring about meaningful and rich data. Smith
(2003) wrote that qualitative research allows the importance in the uniqueness of the individual and
the need to value individual experiences.

The participant in this study was a 20 year old female who had experienced transition. To protect
confidentiality the participant will be referred to as Ayesha. Ayesha had experienced first
experienced transition at age 11 when the majority of pupils leave junior school to go to high
school. She had spent 4 years at high school and just starting her GCSE’s and had settled in and
made friends when she experienced transition for the second time and moved from an English high
school to a Muslim school which fitted in with her own culture. Ayesha was not exactly happy with
this move as her parents had initiated the move. This study will aim to explore Ayesha’s
experiences at the time of transition, what prompted the change, and how this affected her
educational experience and attainment. Ethical guidelines were followed throughout the interview.
Ayesha was briefed about the interview and informed consent was asked for. She was made
aware that she could skip questions that may cause distress and also she had the right to withdraw
from the study. At the end of the interview Ayesha was debriefed. Also confidentially was assured
by changing the name of the participant and not revealing any information that could lead to her
identity. The ethical considerations were in line with the BPS guidelines.

Analysis
The semi-structured interview with Ayesha brought about rich data that painted a picture of the
transition process stemming from the participant. Previous research has focused on what the
problem was and therefore ignored the participant. (Tobbell 2003) Ayesha talked about many
different things in the interview including, family/ cultural values, reasons for changing school,
differences between schools, adapting to new surroundings and the pressures faced. To make the
data easier to analyse 3 common themes were generated from the transcript: Family, Friends and
the school. Extracts from the transcript will be used to investigate each theme using the theories
and research outlined above.
Ayesha talks about her family and the reasons for moving schools. When asked the reason for
moving schools she says:
‘ the move was influenced by my mother...there was always pressure at home...boarding
school was my mother’s choice...wanted to have that Islamic qualifications and felt the
environment would be better. I just went with it’
According to Bourdieu, (Marsh et al 2006) schools attempt to reproduce a general set of dominant
cultural values and ideas that children are socialised into. Children socialised into the dominant
culture will have a major advantage over children who are not socialised into this culture. This
explanation would seek to explain the actions of Ayesha’s mum, who having sent her child to a
school which represents the dominant culture for 4 years, may have been scared that her cultural
values may have become compromised and acted to save that. Bronfrenbrenner’s notion of the
Microsystem can be applied to this context. He puts the developing child in the middle of 5
systems. The interactions between these systems help to determine the development of the child.
The Microsystem involves face to face issues for example the family. If the teachings of the family
are not in line with the education the child is receiving then in the family’s mind this is wrong. In
explaining the actions of Ayesha’s mother to send her to a Muslim boarding school,
Bronfrenbrenner would claim that the level of development is determined by parents. Ayesha’s
mother sought a school with the same teachings as her own views. The effect that this had on
Ayesha’s development the theory would enhance her development.
The reason for moving schools was her mum’s choice who felt that a different type of school would
benefit her daughter. This would tie in with Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital which states that an
individual attending an educational institution which teachers the same values as the home
environment- which is where knowledge stems from and is legitimised, would have high cultural
capital to invest in education therefore, reap bigger rewards. The school that Ayesha was attending
did not teach values that were taught at home. This created conflict and Ayesha changed schools.
According to the theory the Muslim school that she attends, the transition position should be
smoother and she should accept the conditions more smoothly and also she should fit in with the
rest of the student there. The reason for this is that the Muslim boarding school has students who
come from the same culture and religion. However, as the interview progresses the transition
process does not go so well. Bear in mind the reason to go to this school was not hers. When
asked about relationships and friends she replied:
‘I felt like I was intruding...everyone had their own friends...at boarding school people were
from all over the UK and other countries so felt really strange’.
With the cultural capital that she brought to the school she should have had no problem settling in
and making friends. The theory goes on to say, as outlined above that knowledge is legitimised at
home. If this is the case then the educational achievement of Ayesha should not drop but in actual
fact increase at the boarding school. This is because the knowledge at home will be congruent to
the knowledge at school. However, she goes on to say that the difficulty settling in at the boarding
school affected her work. She states: ‘it did as I had lost confidence in the move....made me focus

on other things...like making friends’. Ayesha’s experiences at the boarding school had affected
her education not in a good way as expected by Bourdieu but in a negative way. There was a high
level of cultural investment by her parents which did not reap the rewards as expected at first.
Bourdieu’s theory does have merits when explain education and the stresses faced however, in
this case study cultural capital seems to be a cause and not an effect in terms of transition. It
seems from the analysis that an explanation which investigates the wider community to learning is
needed.
This phenomenon can be explained by another approach. Lave and Wenger (1998) claim that in
schools exist a number of communities or groups in which students form in order to learn. This
community of practice inevitably strengthens over time and each member attaches themselves to
one another. In transition these bonds that Ayesha had made were broken and she was forced to
fit into new groups. With the transition she had lost the confidence and status gained in the
previous school. She was forced to join new communities of practices. Joining new communities is
problematic at first because of the practices of the new community may not be the same as the old
one. In the new community she becomes a peripheral participant on the outside looking in. She
explains the different practices:
‘I hated the way they would just borrow without asking and thought it was ok to do that’
Communities of practice theory states that learning is social and occurs in groups with people who
have the same interest and this community strengthens over time. In transition these bonds and
learning groups are extinguished and the individual has to begin the process of joining new groups
and earning membership. This may not be an easy process. As Ayesha explains transition from
junior school was aided by everyone else being the same as her.
‘...it was hard at first with the transition from junior school...further from home with more people
awkward at first but then made friends because we were in the same boat’.
These feelings and thoughts were supported by the research conducted by Tobbell (2003) whose
participants experienced the very same feelings as Ayesha. The school community that had begun
to take shape for Ayesha was one which included new people and perhaps what brought them
together was the classes they were in or just the need for friendship. As she explains it was an
awkward time but later on in the transcript... ‘I had lots of friends...on my last day they brought me
presents and had thrown me a party’. This statement shows that Ayesha was a full member of her
community at school in which the bonds had been strengthened over time. This fits in with Lave &
Wenger’s proposal that learning takes place within groups and is helped by the relationships that
we forge. It is also important to note that whilst at high school Ayesha had very good grades and
participated well in school. The notions of cultural capital did not exist.
The final theme in the transcript was thoughts and views on the school. Whilst talking about the
school prior to transition, this school was up to date and very well equipped with lots of facilities to
use, thus was government funded. The Muslim boarding school was private and therefore not
funded by the government. The ecological theory was outlined above and mentioned the actions of
the Mesosystem system. This system concerns the wider aspect of society. Ayesha explains that
the boarding school was not government funded and therefore fewer facilities available.
‘I was upset at the lack of extracurricular activities at the boarding school. They were not
government funded. I felt deprived of the right to learn different things. Howden Clough was
government funded so it had more facilities. At boarding school...you wouldn’t get to use the
facilities unless you were doing GCSE’s’.
This quote outlines the different practices at boarding school. Lave & Wenger’s views of different
practices in different communities are justified and that these differences affect educational
attainment. Using the Mesosystem ( Bronfrenbrenner 1994) the actions of the government to say,
yes you can have your school which does not teach values of the dominant views in society,

however we are not going to pay for it. This results in a less favourable experience for students
who attend this type of school.
Conclusion
The method of analysis was very efficient in gathering data. The semi-structured interview gave the
power to the participant however; this was a case study focusing on the participant and her
experiences. The interview allowed her to talk about her own experiences and get her views
across. Much of the previous research conducted had not allowed for this to occur with some
researchers preferring to use questionnaires and quantifying the data. Problem with that approach
is the simple ruled that thoughts, feelings and experiences cannot be quantified.
Analysing the experiences of Ayesha it has brought about many observations that can be
generalised to society. Having experienced both types of schools stemming from her own culture
and the dominant culture, one would argue that these experiences enhanced her educational level
simply by going to both schools. These experiences taught her to be strong and not be scared of
change as is life. Having talked about her experiences it is nice to see that she is now at University
and has gone through education with very good grades even with all the disruption that transition
brought.
Questions emerging from the work:
1. What could have been done to help with the transition process?
2. Can other explanations account for the difficulties faced in transition? E.g. genetics
3. Did the practices at the boarding school force Ayesha to have a negative view of the school
and was this due to her not wanting to go to the school in the first place?
Future research investigating could investigate other explanations for difficult transitions such as
genetics.

References
Bronfrenbrenner, U (1994), Ecological models of human development, In International
Encyclopedia, Vol 3, 2nd
Ed Oxford: Elsevier
Marsh, I, Keating, M, (2006), Sociology: Making sense of society, Pearson, Edinburgh
Smith, J, (2003) Qualitative psychology: a practical guide to research methods, London, Sage
Tobbell, J & O’Donnell, V, L (2005), Theorising educational transitions: Communities, practice and
participation, Educational practice conference.
Tobbell, J (2003), Students’ experiences of the transition from primary school to secondary school,
Educational and child psychology, Vol 20
Vyronides, M,(2007), Social and cultural capital in educational research: issues of
operationalisation and measurement, British educational research journal, Vol 33, No6, pp 867-885
Wenger, E (1998), Communities of Practice: Cambridge, England
Word Count: 3,418

Appendices
Interview Transcript
Interviewer: Can you tell me a brief history of your educational journey? The type
of schools you went to?
Participant: I went to a mixed state junior and infant school, then onto an all girls
state high school, then to an all girls Muslim boarding school and then back to a
mixed college and now to university.
Interviewer: How did you find high school?
Participant: High school friends/experiences differed from one place to another. At
Howden clough, it was hard at first what with the transition from junior school and
going further from home with more people, awkward at first but then made friends
because we were all in the same boat. Boarding school was very different, as I
started a few years later than most, nearly everyone had their own cliques and I
felt like I was intruding into their comfort zones so was lonely for a while. I felt out
of place as students there had their own cliques but I got into it eventually.
Interviewer: Did you have many friends?
Participant: Not always at first but eventually made some.
Interviewer: So when did you move schools?
Participant: I moved to the Muslim boarding school in year 10,
Interviewer: Why was this? What influenced your decision to move schools?
Participant: The move was mostly influenced by my mother as she always wanted
me to go to a Muslim school but I’d thrown a tantrum and she’d allowed me to go
to Howden clough, but there was always that pressure at home so I just went with
it – I didn’t really enjoy at first too, boarding school was my mother’s choice, she
wanted to have that Islamic qualifications and felt the environment would be
better, I just went along with it.
Interviewer: How did you feel about moving schools?
Participant: I was too naïve to make my own choices at that age so I just went
along with my mother’s expectations. From Howden to boarding school, I knew I’d
miss a lot as Howden had better facilities so I knew science and P.E would never
be the same again, I really enjoyed them. At the point when I was going to leave, I
had lots of friends but it was too late to stay. On my last day they bought me
presents and threw me a party and it felt like the end of an era. Plans to go to the
boarding school had been going on for ages so my friends had been aware for a
while and started treating me different, when I confronted a friend she told me
“you’re going anyway, I don’t want to be close to you” so it made things very
difficult and I didn’t really want to go.
Interviewer: Up to this point how would you describe your educational participation
and attainment?
Participant: I’ve always succeeded in school, excellent grades but the change
made things a challenge as each institution had their own teaching methods and
techniques. I quite enjoyed the challenge, when I got to boarding school I was
more advanced than all of them as I’d already been taught things they hadn’t
reached, so my ability helped me make some friends by helping them. I was upset
by the lack of extracurricular activities at the boarding school. They were not

government funded and couldn’t afford all the fancy stuff usual schools have. I
kinda felt deprived of the right to learn different things; I always wanted to be in a
girl’s netball team, learn how to sew/knit and other arts.
Interviewer: So you moved schools what was your first impression of your new
school?
Participant: I didn’t like any place as first, it was out of my comfort zone.
Interviewer: Did you settle in straight away?
Participant: No, it always took a bit of time and getting used to the change. The
place was totally different to the last so I felt like as soon as id got used to one
way, I had to change so felt useless. Boarding school was the worst as I’d never
lived with others before, even at home as my siblings are all older, they had
married and moved out so I had my own room and space. In boarding school I
was put in dormitory with 11 girls, I hated the way they’d just “borrow” without
asking and thought it was okay to do that.
Interviewer: Did you have trouble making new friends?
Participant: Yeah, I felt like I was intruding as everyone else had their own friends.
I was also shy and didn’t have confidence to just approach people. At Howden
clough it was very different to boarding school as majority of students were from
the same area so you could link by knowing people, at boarding school people
were from all over the UK and some from other countries so felt really strange.
Interviewer: How did you feel about the subjects on offer?
Participant: As I’ve said above, Howden clough was government funded so it had
more facilities than the others, I really liked using things to learn for example
experiments and such from a young age. At boarding school, they did have some
facilities but it was only for certain classes so you wouldn’t get to use it unless you
were doing GCSE’s so when it got to that point, it was all new and we had no idea
how to do things. As the boarding school were focused on the religious aspect, I
felt that they didn’t really care about other subjects, rather just taught them
because it is the law of the UK to go to school until 16 and GCSE’s.
Interviewer: Did the trouble settling in have an effect on your school work?
Participant: It did as I had lost confidence in the move. As I felt smart it was okay
but the transition made me focus on other things than work. As in I wanted to
make friends so that was another thing to do on top of work whereas if I stayed at
one place I’d have all that sorted from beginning. Sometimes I felt really upset and
wanted to go back home and back to how things were. So my grades were
affected at first.
Interviewer: Did you eventually make friends? How did this affect your school
work?
Participant: Yeah I did. Friends gave a better atmosphere as I had people to work
with so they could help me, I could help them and we could have discussions
about our daily occurrences and laugh together.
From conducting the interview with my participant I found that the reasons for
moving schools ( transition) was not her choice but came from her parents. Her
mum in particular influenced her decision to move schools and this in turn left her
isolated and feeling like she had no choice. The cultural implications of
transitioning to a school with beliefs as the same as her parents and culture
played a massive role in the chance. In hindsight, there seemed to be a struggle
for her identity, being loyal to her culture and family or to reject her cultural values
and accept values of the society that she lived in and was educated in as well.

PSCYHOLOGY OF EDUCATION - COURSEWORK SUMMARY
Name ABDULLAH BISMILLAH- Presentation
Topic focus Educational Transition- Between schools and cultural setting. The
experiences and challenges faced after school change. From a state school
to a different culturally based boarding school and the social environments.
Potential
participant (s)
Individual who experienced transition. Moving from high school to a
culturally different boarding school
Research time plan
Theoretical
resources
Educational Transition
Family expectations
Cultural Influences
Communities of Practice
Bourdieu- Capital
Bronfrenbrenner
Methodology Interview- Take participant on an educational journey of their school life
with particular attention to experiences and feelings.

A case study exploring the transition of an individual in education

A case study exploring the transition of an individual in education

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