Changing uniforms : the teaching and learning of English in the transition phase

Abstract

This research has focused on the teaching and learning of English across the transitional phase, when children are transferred from the primary level to the secondary level of formal schooling. This revealed that transfer to a secondary school is a crucial step in the educational development for pupils. However, as with any transfer from one stage to another, continuity is vital. This transfer is characterised by change, which caused concern and anxiety in the pupils concerned. Furthermore, results indicated that during this transition, the teaching and learning of English was not continuous. In Year 6 the teaching and learning of English centred round and was dictated mainly by the Junior Lyceum entrance examination in the upper streams and with pupils' low ability being the main constraint in the lower streams. As a result, this hindered the more progressive teaching of the language. Teachers at both levels were not aware of the teaching methodologies and learning of English on the other side of the divide. Consequently pupils were not prepared for either the new school environment or the teaching of English in secondary school. Hence in transferring from Year 6 to Form 1 many pupils experienced adjustment difficulties and difficulties in learning English.