Elementary organizational structures and young adolescents' self-concept and classroom environment perceptions across the transition to middle school.(Report)

Abstract. Transitions can be difficult at any age; however, the move from elementary school to middle school, coupled with the onset of adolescence, is often associated with a myriad of psychological and academic declines. One strategy currently used to "ready" elementary students for middle school is a departmentalized organizational structure. The purpose of this study was to investigate young adolescents' self-concept and classroom environment perceptions as they transitioned from two different elementally organizational structures into one middle school. Data were collected from 125 fifth-grade students who participated in a middle school transition program. Findings suggest that participants' perceptions of self-concept and classroom climate did not differ prior to or after the transition to middle school, based on the elementary organizational structure they experienced. However, time effects suggest that students' self-concept did significantly increase across the transition to middle school, while their perceptions of classroom climate were mixed.

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In the spring of every year, young adolescents brace for a traditional rite of passage: leaving the nurturing, caring confines of the elementary school for the larger, competitive, and sometimes intimidating middle school. Although grade transitions may be difficult at any age, researchers hypothesize that the transition to middle school is particularly challenging, due to the timing of the transition with the onset of adolescence (Blyth, Simmons, & Carlton-Ford, 1983), a developmental mismatch between young adolescents' needs and the middle school environment (Eccles & Midgley, 1989), or the shifting motivational orientations of middle school classrooms (Anderman & Midgley, 1997). While many students make smooth transitions into middle schools, those young adolescents who have difficulty may experience academic (Barber & Olsen, 2004; Chung, Elias, & Schneider, 1998; Wampler, Munsch, & Adams, 2002), motivational (Anderman & Midgley, 1997; Zanobini & Usai, 2002), and emotional (Barber & Olsen, 2004; Chung et al., 1998) declines. These declines may lead to negative long-term outcomes, including dropping out of school, drug abuse, and delinquency (Anfara & Schmid, 2007; Davis, Davis, Smith, & Capa, 2003; Murdock & Miller, 2003; Wigfield & Eccles, 1996).

Given the importance of positive middle school transitions, educators in elementary schools often try to prepare students by using various organizational structures, including departmentalization, to mimic the middle school environment (Parker & Neuharth-Pritchett, 2008). The appropriateness and effectiveness of these organizational structures in elementary and middle schools is debated (Culyer, 1984; Elkind, 1988; Gibb & Matala, 1962; Lamme, 1976; McGrath & Rust, 2002), and research inquiry regarding how students experience the middle school transition from these various elementary organizational structures is missing from the literature. Furthermore, while studies of student outcomes (such as academic achievement, motivation, self-concept, and perception of classroom environment across the transition) are documented in the literature, there is a dearth of recent research, particularly for students transitioning into developmentally appropriate middle school contexts (Jackson & Davis, 2000). As a result, the purpose of this study is to understand how young adolescents in different elementary organizational structures perceive themselves (i.e., their self-concept) and their classroom environments prior to, and across, their transition to a middle school environment.

Literature Review

Defining Developmentally Appropriate Middle Schools

Prior to considering the middle school transition literature, it is critical to understand young adolescents and the characteristics of schools designed to meet their developmental needs. Young adolescents, students ages 10-14, experience a period of intense physical, cognitive, and psychological change (Rice & Dolgin, 2005). Young adolescents often exhibit behaviors representative of being between two life stages, childhood and adulthood, thus making work with this age group dynamic, challenging, and complex. Hallmark changes associated with early adolescence are increasingly complex problem-solving capabilities, growing desires for independence and decision-making opportunities, and a need for close, personal relationships with adults (Eccles & Midgley, 1989; National Middle School Association [NMSA], 2003; Rice & Dolgin, 2005). Young adolescents also are characterized by their developing sense of social justice and their ability to conceptualize the future.