Moving into middle school: Individual differences in the transition experience

The present investigation examined individual differences in the transition to middle school by considering the "voice of the consumer". To this end, students (N = 160) were asked to evaluate their experiences during the first months of grade 7, and variations in these self-evaluations were examined as a function of a broad range of potential student characteristics. Specifically, using a short-term longitudinal design, composite indices of self-concept, social adjustment, school attitudes/behaviour, as well as academic achievement, assessed both prior to and during the transition period, were used to predict individual differences in student reports of the quality of their transition experience. Results indicated that, for both boys and girls, individual differences in the transition experience were predicted from grade 6 indices of social adjustment and school attitudes/behaviours. Further, a more positive transition experience in early grade 7 was uniquely related to indices of social adjustment and self-concept in grade 7 Results are discussed in terms of the impact of social functioning on school adjustment.