Adolescent development HC 9
Adolescents in school - Dr. Astrid Poorthuis ()
Lecture outline
Part 1: School transition
Part 2: Effects of grades
Part 3: Peers’ influences on academic development
Learning objectives
Part 1:
o understand the challenges of studying the impact of school transitions
o Gain knowledge on different theories and views on the impact of school
transitions
Part 2
o Understand the effects grades can have on students’ motivation and
engagement
o See that grades can be a reward but also a threat
Part 3
o Be able to differentiate between conceptualizations of peer influence
o Understand how peers influence adolescents’ school engagement and
achievement
Part 1: School transition
Your school transition
Think back to the time you made the transition from primary school to
secondary school. How did your life change?
Think: Individually list the 5 most important changes (2 minutes). Also note
how these changes affected you.
Pair: Discuss your list with the person next to you. Do you have similar or
different experiences? (5 minutes)
School transition involves many changes
Procedural changes: ‘knowing how to change classes, longer distance to
school, how to use a locker’
Academic changes: new subjects
Social changes: find new friends, being bullied.
What do children worry about? (UK)
Most of them about social changes!
Decline in engagement & motivation
School engagement: active participation & involvement in classroom activities
Motivation: students’ cognitions regarding schoolwork (Can I do it? Do I want
to do it, and why do I want to do it?)
In many countries (including US, UK and the Netherlands), students’
motivation and engagement (on average) decline as they grow older
, Adolescent development HC 9
Steep decline across the school transition.
o Caused by the transition? Other explanations? How to test this?
Cumulative change theory
Simmons & Blyth, 1987; Simmons et al., 1987: classic study on the impact of a
school transition.
Theory: transitions will be harder for children who experience several life
changes at the same time (e.g., pubertal development, change in residence,
start of dating, family disruption). One change at the time will not have an
influence but multiple changes will.
Unique opportunity to compare children in two school systems: one involving a
school transition between 6th and 7th grade, the other not.
Some of the findings
Girls who experienced a school transition and pubertal development at the
same time declined more in self‐esteem and school‐ related measures, than
other girls.
Number of life transitions at
the same time (X-as). Girls
who experienced 3 or more
life transitions including
school report lower levels of
self-esteem than others. GPA
also lower who experienced
many life changes at the
same time.
Are you convinced? (1 min)
So, postpone the school transition?
Or are there other possible explanations?
Person-environment fit theory
Negative changes in motivation and engagement after the school transition
result from mismatch between the environment and adolescents’ needs.
According to this theory the transition itself is not the cause of stress or
negative adjustments, but the nature of the school into which the students
move.
Basic needs: self-determination theory
Students’ (and all other people’s) needs:
o Need for autonomy and control
o Need for relatedness
Adolescents in school - Dr. Astrid Poorthuis ()
Lecture outline
Part 1: School transition
Part 2: Effects of grades
Part 3: Peers’ influences on academic development
Learning objectives
Part 1:
o understand the challenges of studying the impact of school transitions
o Gain knowledge on different theories and views on the impact of school
transitions
Part 2
o Understand the effects grades can have on students’ motivation and
engagement
o See that grades can be a reward but also a threat
Part 3
o Be able to differentiate between conceptualizations of peer influence
o Understand how peers influence adolescents’ school engagement and
achievement
Part 1: School transition
Your school transition
Think back to the time you made the transition from primary school to
secondary school. How did your life change?
Think: Individually list the 5 most important changes (2 minutes). Also note
how these changes affected you.
Pair: Discuss your list with the person next to you. Do you have similar or
different experiences? (5 minutes)
School transition involves many changes
Procedural changes: ‘knowing how to change classes, longer distance to
school, how to use a locker’
Academic changes: new subjects
Social changes: find new friends, being bullied.
What do children worry about? (UK)
Most of them about social changes!
Decline in engagement & motivation
School engagement: active participation & involvement in classroom activities
Motivation: students’ cognitions regarding schoolwork (Can I do it? Do I want
to do it, and why do I want to do it?)
In many countries (including US, UK and the Netherlands), students’
motivation and engagement (on average) decline as they grow older
, Adolescent development HC 9
Steep decline across the school transition.
o Caused by the transition? Other explanations? How to test this?
Cumulative change theory
Simmons & Blyth, 1987; Simmons et al., 1987: classic study on the impact of a
school transition.
Theory: transitions will be harder for children who experience several life
changes at the same time (e.g., pubertal development, change in residence,
start of dating, family disruption). One change at the time will not have an
influence but multiple changes will.
Unique opportunity to compare children in two school systems: one involving a
school transition between 6th and 7th grade, the other not.
Some of the findings
Girls who experienced a school transition and pubertal development at the
same time declined more in self‐esteem and school‐ related measures, than
other girls.
Number of life transitions at
the same time (X-as). Girls
who experienced 3 or more
life transitions including
school report lower levels of
self-esteem than others. GPA
also lower who experienced
many life changes at the
same time.
Are you convinced? (1 min)
So, postpone the school transition?
Or are there other possible explanations?
Person-environment fit theory
Negative changes in motivation and engagement after the school transition
result from mismatch between the environment and adolescents’ needs.
According to this theory the transition itself is not the cause of stress or
negative adjustments, but the nature of the school into which the students
move.
Basic needs: self-determination theory
Students’ (and all other people’s) needs:
o Need for autonomy and control
o Need for relatedness
