The role of teaching support in assisting students' transition to high school

This study investigated the role of primary (elementary) school teaching support in assisting students' transition to high school. The sample comprised 19,465 Australian Year 6 students (the final year of primary school) who were tracked into Year 7 (the first year of high school). Path analytic findings showed that Year 6 perceived teaching support positively predicted their Year 7 motivation (valuing, growth goals, aspirations). In turn, Year 7 motivation predicted Year 7 engagement (perseverance, homework application, making schoolfriends-positively, misconduct-negatively) and achievement (positively). Findings showed that predictive paths were generally invariant across student and school attributes, suggesting that teaching support yielded positive transition effects across a diversity of student and school types. Taken together, teaching support in primary school reaches across time (Year 6 to Year 7) and context (primary school to high school) to play an important role in supporting students' transition-related motivation, engagement, and achievement.