Creating year 7 bubbles to support primary to secondary school transition: a positive pandemic outcome?

In this paper, we explore the benefits of new forms of in-school grouping for children moving from primary to secondary school during the COVID-19 pandemic in England. Our three-phase study with over 400 students and teachers found that protective measures to limit COVID-19 though year group ‘bubbles' generated an environment more aligned to children's previous primary school experience. This natural experiment smoothed the process of transition by providing a better correspondence with students' developmental needs, especially for those on the cusp of adolescence. We recommend that physical, administrative and pedagogical school structures are reimagined for this age group to this end. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Supporting students during the transition to university in COVID-19: Five key considerations and recommendations for educators

As coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) continues to disrupt pretertiary education provision and examinations in the United Kingdom, urgent consideration must be given to how best to support the 2021-2022 cohort of incoming undergraduate students to higher education. In this paper, we draw upon the "Five Sense of Student Success" model to highlight five key evidence-based, psychology-informed considerations that higher education educators should be attentive to when preparing for the next academic year. These include the challenge in helping students to reacclimatize to academic work following a period of prolonged educational disruption, supporting students to access the "hidden curriculum" of higher education, negotiating mental health consequences of COVID-19, and remaining sensitive to inequalities of educational provision that students have experienced as a result of COVID-19. We provide evidence-based, psychology-informed recommendations to each of these considerations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

How did autistic children, and their parents, experience school transition during the Covid-19 pandemic?

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the start of the academic year in September 2020 was a unique time for those transitioning to a new school. This study aimed to explore the experiences of parents who supported autistic children making a range of different school transitions in 2020. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 13 parents of autistic children in the UK, and data were analyzed with reflexive thematic analysis. For some parents, the Covid-19 pandemic negatively impacted on aspects of school transitions. However, other parents expressed the view that these same circumstances created opportunities to approach the school transition in a unique, improved manner. This article sheds light on the heterogeneity of experiences and perceptions of parents of autistic children, and highlights the need to examine the impact of Covid-19 on school transitions, including practices that it may be advantageous to retain. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Telehealth ROCKS at home: Pandemic transition of rural school-based to home-based telebehavioral health services

School-based telebehavioral health is one avenue to increase students' access to mental health services, especially for students who are less likely to access traditional community mental health settings due to a lack of transportation to distant sites, financial resources, and other barriers. With the shortage of child behavioral specialists in Kansas' rural and underserved communities, the Telehealth ROCKS (Regional Outreach to Communities, Kids, and Schools) program was created to address student behavioral health needs at school through telehealth. Since 2018, this program has provided approximately 1,600 mental health appointments. With public health mandates and a shift to online school, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a rapid telehealth transition from services in rural supervised school settings to direct-to-consumer services in homes. The authors describe the challenges and opportunities experienced during this transition across telebehavioral health specialties: (a) developmental/autism assessments, (b) developmental behavioral interventions to address problem behaviors, (c) child and adolescent psychological services, (d) medical complexity services, and (e) child and adolescent psychiatry. The authors then describe the overall transition from school-based to home-based services based on national Guidelines for Evidence-Based Child Telebehavioral Health domains: Patient Appropriateness, Crisis Management/Safety, and Logistics/Administrative Protocols. This experience and lessons learned can inform other school-based telemental health programs considering expansion to home-based services. The authors also discuss evolving telehealth policy and the reimbursement environment, with continued relevance due to continued COVID-19 outbreaks impacting school services and future public health emergencies affecting schools. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement This report shares lessons learned when rapidly transitioning the Telehealth ROCKS rural telebehavioral health services from the supervised school setting to the unsupervised home setting during the COVID-19 pandemic to meet escalating student behavioral health needs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The impact of COVID-19 on overseas school leadership

This qualitative study investigated the impact of COVID-19 on leadership in public and private schools overseas. This research used a central phenomenon model to assess the pandemic's impact on school leadership. The research question and sub-research questions that guided this study were: (1) What were educational leaders' perceptions of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on their school leadership at public and private overseas schools? (1a) What primary challenges and opportunities were experienced at the onset of the pandemic? The COVID-19 pandemic influenced (1b) What challenges and opportunities for professional development? (1c) What challenges and opportunities were associated with distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic? This study collected data from email interviews comprised of 19 school leaders of K-12 students from public and private schools overseas to understand their experiences while leading during the pandemic. This study revealed behaviors school leaders endured through the ambiguity of teaching and learning, lack of preparation, and limited materials. Their voices told of the need for professional development embedded in professional learning communities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Parents' perceptions of the impact of COVID-19 and school transition on autistic children's friendships.

LAY ABSTRACT: Research shows that moving schools can be a challenging time for autistic children and young people. One factor that has been found to support successful transition is friendships. However, there is little research exploring how transition between schools affects autistic children's friendships, and even less on how children's relationships during transition have been impacted by COVID-19. Fourteen parents of autistic children and young people were interviewed about their child's move to a new school and the impact they felt this had on their friendships. Parents described how moving with existing friends helped some children to find the transition less challenging. Others had differing experiences, with their children's friendships playing a much smaller role in the move. Differences were also seen with regard to the impact of COVID-19, with some parents speaking of how hard being away from friends was for their child, while others found the social restrictions a welcome break from interacting with peers. The study highlights how different the experiences of autistic individuals, and their parents, can be and the importance of a child-centred approach to transition support.

Comparing the effects of freshman year transition programs on student engagement

High school graduation rates gradually increased to 80% until 1968, at which point there was a steady decline until 2002 when the passage of No Child Left Behind required states to measure and increase graduation rates for all students (Kamenetz, 2015). With this greater accountability in place, educators readily identified ninth grade as a critical year for improvement (Dedmond et al., 2006). On-track indicators were identified for academic and behavioral measures, as well as student engagement (Haueser & Koenig, 2011). Schools have implemented transitional programs such as peer-led programs (i.e., Link Crew or Peer Group Connection) and Freshman Academies to improve student success and subsequent graduation rates (Dedmond et al., 2006). This causal-comparative, nonexperimental study compared ninth-grade transition programs for improving academic, behavior, and student engagement of ninth-grade students in a traditional or ninth-grade transition program cohort. Results of this study did not find statistically significant differences in credits earned and discipline incidents between cohorts. Statistically significant differences were found in grade point averages (GPAs), rates of promotion to tenth grade, and attendance. The traditional ninth-grade cohort had higher GPAs and rates of promotion to tenth grade as well as fewer absences than the cohort who experienced ninth-grade transitional programs. The results of the Student Engagement Instrument (SEI) for measuring student engagement revealed statistically significant differences between cohorts, with the ninth-grade transition program having higher overall SEI scores as well as higher subscales of affective and cognitive engagement. The results of this study may have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Examining the life experiences of first-generation students in urban 4-year institutions through a strengths-based lens

First-generation college students are the first in their families to pursue postsecondary education. As a result, they may lack the information and resources to navigate the college process and its transitions. More research is needed on how focusing on first-generation students' strengths can inform programs and support to assist with the postsecondary transition. This study further explores the assets that first-generation students bring to the college experience and how capitalizing on these strengths through programs and support can ease the transition process and help first-generation college students develop a sense of belonging. This qualitative, phenomenological research study was conducted through ten interviews with undergraduate, first-generation college students. The emerging themes were parents and family, peers, professors and staff, and programs and services, which aligned with the literature. This research study had two significant findings: (a) students with older siblings who completed college, extended-generation students viewed themselves differently from traditional first-generation students, and (b) first-generation students felt a sense of belonging and connectedness throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and its continuing effects. Suggestions for future research and implications for practice are also discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Children of war: Preparing military dependents for higher education by providing comprehensive, focused support to improve education outcomes

Since 2001, over two million children have experienced having one or both of their parents deployed (Tunac de Pedro et al., 2018). There is significant research that shows that "military children experience tremendous psychological strain as a result of stressful military related life events" (Tunac de Pedro et al., 2011, p. 567). The research that currently exists focuses on childhood experience and intervention at the K-12 level. The research on best practices for supporting military children presented herein could form the foundation of how colleges and universities can provide similar support to military dependents in higher education.This study focused on supporting the children of military service members in higher education by developing students' self-advocacy and providing academic support and mentoring for these students while they were concurrently enrolled in high school and college. The intent of the interventions discussed in this study was to provide those students with the tools they need to successfully navigate veteran-focused resources on college campuses and to self-advocate for the resources they need to be successful. The findings presented in this study provide the foundation for recommendations for further research and intervention. The analysis and conclusions are limited due to the framework of the intervention which was exacerbated by COVID-19.While this study may not have been conducted across a broad institutional manner, the findings demonstrate that implementing a course curriculum and providing focused interventions show that student success is related to focused intervention and a student's feelings of validation. This study further shows that students who are military dependents have a clear sense of that identity and what it means to themselves and to their community. I have argued throughout this study that there needs to be focused attention on military dependents in higher education. Even with the end of America's longest war, there is still a generation of young people whose lives are marked by their parent's sacrifice and service. The very least that we can do is to make every effort to validate these student's experiences and to support them as they pursue their academic goals. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The impact of COVID-19 on identity formation, coping, and college transition of NCAA greek student-athletes

The spread of Covid-19 has been a disruptive force on society, wreaking unprecedented havoc on people's daily lives. This unwelcomed disruption has mirrored elements of forced transition, bringing psychological symptoms and the psychosocial impact previously seen in athletes whose athletic careers are unexpectedly terminated by injury, deselection, or another similar traumatic event. For International Student-Athletes (ISA), the transition to college is a period marked by multiple challenges since they have to adjust to a new academic, athletic, social, and cultural environment. Covid-19, perceived as a significant transition, hit the first-year ISAs while going through the traditional process of transitioning to college. This study explored the perceptions of Greek student-athletes who experienced the Covid-19 transition during their first year of college in the United States. Aspects of subjective well-being and identity formation were assessed. Using the Consensual Qualitative Research methodology (CQR), findings suggest that studying and playing at a competitive level was the top motivation for Greek ISAs to pursue a degree in the United States. The American experience favorably impacted Greek ISAs (e.g., maturity, open-mindedness, professionalism), while the compulsory athletic restriction and social isolation during the Covid-19 outbreak posed additional psychosocial challenges. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Ready or not: Pennsylvania high school teachers' experiences with transition to emergency remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic had lasting detrimental effects on the teaching profession (Milman, 2020). Teachers faced multiple transitions from classroom teaching to emergency remote teaching during a stay-at-home order confining them to their homes while instructing students virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic (Kim & Asbury, 2020;Milman, 2020). It is significant to recognize what teachers experienced and its effects on their practice and outlook of the profession for the future. This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of Pennsylvania high school teachers' multiple transitions from classroom teaching to emergency remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years. This study examined teachers' experiences during multiple transitions to emergency remote teaching and their perceptions of professional identity, self-efficacy, and the teaching profession during the COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured interviews took place via Zoom with six participants who encountered multiple transitions to emergency remote teaching, which provided data for qualitative phenomenological analysis. Schlossberg's (1981) transition theory is the foundation for this study. Data was comprised of emergent themes from the interviews. Four themes were identified from the interviews: a) uncertainty, (b) finding a way, (c) the importance of relationships, and (d) confusing government and administrative directives. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Parent perceptions of IEP team support through life-course transitions

Parents of children with moderate to severe disabilities face greater obstacles and challenges in life compared to parents of typically developing children. Life-course transitions for students with disabilities, such as the imminent transition from public school systems to adult life, often elicits stress-induced emotions and perceptions in parents and students. Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and Individualized Transition Plans (ITPs) are collaboratively developed with input from the student, family, and many different professionals in the school systems. Ensuring students and families are able to access proper supports aligning with postsecondary goals for familial quality of life necessitates collaborative input from all stakeholders. This study explored how parents of students with moderate to severe disabilities perceived the IEP/ITP teams and experiences with systems of support as their children transitioned from high school to post-secondary education. Quality of life domains and transition theory provided the conceptual lens to analyze the experiences and perceptions of 9 families with children who have moderate to severe disabilities and have transitioned their children to postsecondary education. This phenomenological study took place during an unprecedented time of the global COVID-19 pandemic;results illuminated unique stories of transition interwoven with the impacts of the pandemic. Findings from this study corroborate prior studies in transitions and quality of life of families of children with special needs. Self-determination, positive family outlook and perceptions of self, as well as culturally and familial sensitive strategies and supports appropriately initiated by IEP school teams, gleaned more seamless transition experiences for positive familial quality of life. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Ready or not: Pennsylvania high school teachers' experiences with transition to emergency remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic had lasting detrimental effects on the teaching profession (Milman, 2020). Teachers faced multiple transitions from classroom teaching to emergency remote teaching during a stay-at-home order confining them to their homes while instructing students virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic (Kim & Asbury, 2020;Milman, 2020). It is significant to recognize what teachers experienced and its effects on their practice and outlook of the profession for the future. This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of Pennsylvania high school teachers' multiple transitions from classroom teaching to emergency remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years. This study examined teachers' experiences during multiple transitions to emergency remote teaching and their perceptions of professional identity, self-efficacy, and the teaching profession during the COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured interviews took place via Zoom with six participants who encountered multiple transitions to emergency remote teaching, which provided data for qualitative phenomenological analysis. Schlossberg's (1981) transition theory is the foundation for this study. Data was comprised of emergent themes from the interviews. Four themes were identified from the interviews: a) uncertainty, (b) finding a way, (c) the importance of relationships, and (d) confusing government and administrative directives. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The impact of COVID-19 on identity formation, coping, and college transition of NCAA greek student-athletes

The spread of Covid-19 has been a disruptive force on society, wreaking unprecedented havoc on people's daily lives. This unwelcomed disruption has mirrored elements of forced transition, bringing psychological symptoms and the psychosocial impact previously seen in athletes whose athletic careers are unexpectedly terminated by injury, deselection, or another similar traumatic event. For International Student-Athletes (ISA), the transition to college is a period marked by multiple challenges since they have to adjust to a new academic, athletic, social, and cultural environment. Covid-19, perceived as a significant transition, hit the first-year ISAs while going through the traditional process of transitioning to college. This study explored the perceptions of Greek student-athletes who experienced the Covid-19 transition during their first year of college in the United States. Aspects of subjective well-being and identity formation were assessed. Using the Consensual Qualitative Research methodology (CQR), findings suggest that studying and playing at a competitive level was the top motivation for Greek ISAs to pursue a degree in the United States. The American experience favorably impacted Greek ISAs (e.g., maturity, open-mindedness, professionalism), while the compulsory athletic restriction and social isolation during the Covid-19 outbreak posed additional psychosocial challenges. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Telehealth ROCKS at home: Pandemic transition of rural school-based to home-based telebehavioral health services

School-based telebehavioral health is one avenue to increase students' access to mental health services, especially for students who are less likely to access traditional community mental health settings due to a lack of transportation to distant sites, financial resources, and other barriers. With the shortage of child behavioral specialists in Kansas' rural and underserved communities, the Telehealth ROCKS (Regional Outreach to Communities, Kids, and Schools) program was created to address student behavioral health needs at school through telehealth. Since 2018, this program has provided approximately 1,600 mental health appointments. With public health mandates and a shift to online school, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a rapid telehealth transition from services in rural supervised school settings to direct-to-consumer services in homes. The authors describe the challenges and opportunities experienced during this transition across telebehavioral health specialties: (a) developmental/autism assessments, (b) developmental behavioral interventions to address problem behaviors, (c) child and adolescent psychological services, (d) medical complexity services, and (e) child and adolescent psychiatry. The authors then describe the overall transition from school-based to home-based services based on national Guidelines for Evidence-Based Child Telebehavioral Health domains: Patient Appropriateness, Crisis Management/Safety, and Logistics/Administrative Protocols. This experience and lessons learned can inform other school-based telemental health programs considering expansion to home-based services. The authors also discuss evolving telehealth policy and the reimbursement environment, with continued relevance due to continued COVID-19 outbreaks impacting school services and future public health emergencies affecting schools. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement This report shares lessons learned when rapidly transitioning the Telehealth ROCKS rural telebehavioral health services from the supervised school setting to the unsupervised home setting during the COVID-19 pandemic to meet escalating student behavioral health needs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

A qualitative study of middle school science teachers' perceptions of the transition to online instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic

The purpose of this study was to explore the unique lived experiences of four middle school science teachers from North Carolina and South Carolina during and following the transition from in-person to online instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Four predominant themes were identified from individual, semi-structured interviews of the teachers: technology change;organizational change;changes in curricula, delivery, and student interaction;and career and personal changes. The teachers in this study described the challenges and opportunities experienced during the rapid transition in March 2020 to virtual teaching and learning. The teachers' lived experiences seamlessly aligned with the stages of change discussed by Lewin (1947) and other researchers (Bridges & Bridges, 2017;Kotter, 2012;Lewin, 1947;Page & Schoder, 2019). The teachers' comments and experiences provided a unique perspective into the technical, personal, psychological, social, and cognitive shifts during unplanned, rapid, and disruptive change. The results of this study provided evidence of the teachers' resilience and their ability to persevere in times of crisis. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Outreach efforts between teachers, parents, and administrators as children transition from pre-kindergarten to kindergarten

The problem addressed was the gap in research on practice regarding outreach efforts between teachers, parents, and administrators during the transition to kindergarten. The purpose and research questions for this basic qualitative study involved how individuals representing these groups described their outreach efforts when transitioning children from pre-K to kindergarten and their perspectives regarding the influence of outreach efforts on parental involvement. Two administrators and four teachers were recruited through a public database. Four parents were recruited through the study site's Facebook page and through purposeful snowball sampling. Criteria for participation was 3 or more years of experience with the district for school personnel. Parents must have had a child who transitioned from a pre-K to a kindergarten classroom within the past school year.Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory served as the conceptual framework. Data from semistructured interviews were analyzed using thematic inductive analysis to identify patterns and themes. There were five themes that emerged from the data. Pre COVID traditional outreach efforts were effective, created an open door policy, and allowed the establishment of relationships with parents to inform and engage them in their children's education. During COVID, all stakeholders had to reach out in innovative ways, and parental involvement and engagement were limited. Implications for positive social change include improving outreach efforts between all stakeholders when children transition from pre-K to kindergarten that could positively influence parental involvement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

How did autistic children, and their parents, experience school transition during the Covid-19 pandemic?

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the start of the academic year in September 2020 was a unique time for those transitioning to a new school. This study aimed to explore the experiences of parents who supported autistic children making a range of different school transitions in 2020. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 13 parents of autistic children in the UK, and data were analyzed with reflexive thematic analysis. For some parents, the Covid-19 pandemic negatively impacted on aspects of school transitions. However, other parents expressed the view that these same circumstances created opportunities to approach the school transition in a unique, improved manner. This article sheds light on the heterogeneity of experiences and perceptions of parents of autistic children, and highlights the need to examine the impact of Covid-19 on school transitions, including practices that it may be advantageous to retain.

An abrupt transition to remote learning: The tenuous educational experiences of first-generation college students amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

And just like that, on March 11th 2020, the university released a startling update informing the campus community that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person instruction would not resume after Spring Break and that all classes would shift immediately to remote instruction. What does remote instruction mean? What happened to these students as a result of the university's sudden transition to technology-enabled and online courses? What was their academic and social experience really like throughout emergency remote learning? Of particular concern to me were first-generation college students who relied upon the university's infrastructure to meet their needs. Consequences associated with reliance on technology, limited access to internet service, lack of parental and community support, and diminished institutional resources raised red flags. This unprecedented educational circumstance prompted by a global pandemic presented a prime research opportunity. As such, I conducted a qualitative research study utilizing the narrative approach to explore their unique and shared educational experiences as first-generation college students relegated to emergency remote learning. Through the development of trends and themes derived from these students' narrative accounts, I provide insight into their profoundly altered educational experience and offer recommendations that promote a high quality virtual learning environment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

A qualitative case study of the evolution of community college faculty during a rapid transition from direct to e Learning instruction during a pandemic

The problem addressed was post-secondary faculty's continued resistance to learning and using eLearning technology to its maximum capacity to achieve learning outcomes in concert with the often-biased samples in research on the change process and faculty perceptions of their transition from direct instruction to eLearning. Most research on faculty perceptions of transitioning from direct instruction to eLearning solely includes faculty who voluntarily transitioned and were not forced;thus, the sample is often biased about faculty opinions and perceptions regarding their experience. The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive single-case study was to explore community college faculty experiences with transition from direct to eLearning instruction and uses of a learning management system in the context of the rapid change process before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty-seven community college faculty employed full-time during the 2019-2020 school year participated in the study. All were forced to transition to a full eLearning model due to the national emergency declaration and school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews, surveys, and secondary documents. Lewin's (1951) Change Theory served as the theoretical framework. Thematic analysis revealed participants represented their lived experiences through the following themes evolving states of readiness, emotionally charged, and a time of personal growth. The faculty reported that (a) administrative and institutional guidance and (b) asynchronous and synchronous accessibility and usability tools acted as both driving and restraining forces during their forced unfreezing. The participants' varying levels of readiness for eLearning impacted their change experience. Limitations were that only one community college was sampled, and only full-time faculty were sampled. Key recommendations for practice include the exploration and re-evaluation of professional development offerings, more resources and strategies to fast-track transformative initiatives, and integration of modern technological advancements. Future research should focus on conducting a mixed-methods study to explore Community College Faculty (CCF) needs during change and technology that may result in a strategic plan for future rapid institutional change to increase readiness for instructional delivery changes that stem from outside forces. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)