04. Inclusive Education
Paper
Transition to Formal Schooling of Children with Disabilities: A Systematic Review
Daniel Then, Sanna Pohlmann-Rother
University of Würzburg, Germany
Presenting Author: Then, Daniel
For children with disabilities and their families, starting school is considered a particularly sensitive and, therefore, challenging phase: The children face the challenge to deal with changes in the support structures surrounding them. The families face the challenge to organise additional support addressing the specific needs of their children (Janus & Siddiqua, 2018). As a result, children with disabilities (Jiang et al., 2021) as well as their families (McIntyre et al., 2010) tend to find the transition to be particularly difficult. As educational disadvantages at transition to school affect a child’s whole educational career (Crosnoe & Ansari, 2016) and thus the life of the child’s family, designing an inclusive transition setting for children with disabilities is crucial both for the children’s future academic trajectories and the families’ future experiences.
Although the transition to school is such an important biographic milestone, recent research activities addressing the transition to school of children with disabilities haven’t been systematically reviewed yet. Available reviews on this topic focus on studies conducted before the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) in 2006 (e.g., Janus et al., 2007). As a result, it is difficult to identify current research gaps and to derive future research needs in this field.
Therefore, we conducted a systematic review that focus on the transition to school of children with disabilities (Then & Pohlmann-Rother, 2023). In order to structure the research field, we developed a theoretical model of inclusive transition to school and used it as a conceptual framework of our review. According to the ecosystemic perspective on transitions (Bronfenbrenner, 1979), three levels are considered relevant for the transition within this model: The (1) individual level includes the actors in the transition process, i.e., the child; families/parents; preschool teachers; the teachers in compulsory school-based settings; the neighbourhood (Rimm-Kaufman & Pianta, 2000); and service providers such as school psychologists or therapists. The (2) process level contains the processes that moderate the successful course of the transition to school in general, i.e., the long-term and high-quality (Garber et al., 2022) adaptive support of the child; the support and active involvement of families/parents in the transition (Cook & Coley, 2017); children’s interactions at the peer level (Dockett & Perry, 2004); (multi-)professional cooperation of teachers with each other and with service providers (Ahtola et al., 2011); and the coordination of the institutions’ activities to foster alignment and continuity between the educational settings (Boyle et al., 2018). (3) Finally, on the societal level, the administrative framework of the transition (e.g., the legal provisions regarding the school enrolment process) is set.
Following this model and addressing the current need in conducting a systematic review of transition to school of children with disabilities, we focus on the following research questions:
- What samples and research designs are used in empirical studies on the transition to school of children with disabilities published since the adoption of the UN CRPD in 2006?
- What are the main research priorities on the transition to school of children with disabilities?
- What are the needs for future research regarding the transition to school of children with disabilities?
We use the term ‘transition to school’ to describe transitions from preschool to compulsory school-based settings. According to the biopsychosocial model of the World Health Organization (2001), we focus on ‘children with disabilities’ as a group of children who experience long-term restrictions in their social participation and in their interactions with their environment because of permanent physical, mental, or psychological exceptionalities.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedWe conducted the review following the PRISMA guidelines (Page et al., 2021).
First, we defined the inclusion criteria of the review. Content-related criteria for inclusion were the studies’ focus on the transition to formal schooling as well as the studies’ additional focus on the group of children with disabilities. Formal criteria were the publication in English or German, the design as an empirical study, the publication in the period 2006–2022 (up to March 31th, 2022), and the publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
Subsequently, we conducted a systematic literature search. In the first step, we conducted a systematic data base search in six scientific databases (PsycInfo, Web of Science, ERIC, JSTOR, BIDOK and Fachportal Pädagogik). This process yielded 4,559 studies. Afterwards, we excluded duplicates and obviously irrelevant records (e.g., studies addressing an inappropriate age group). As a result, 1,654 studies remain for abstract screening. This was performed by two independent raters according to the inclusion criteria. Non-matches were discussed for consensus validation of the results. In this way, 1,480 studies that did not meet the inclusion criteria were excluded. We proceeded by conducting a full-text analysis of the remaining 174 studies. This was performed independently by both raters before discrepancies were discussed and consensus validation was performed. Thus, 31 studies were identified to be included in the review. The second step of our search aimed at additional sources, e.g., searching the bibliographies of included studies. This step produced another 774 records, which were filtered again, e.g., by removing duplicates. We double-checked the abstracts and full texts of the remaining studies and discussed any discrepancies. This left us with 24 studies for inclusion in the review. In total, N=55 studies were included in the review. The overall rate of agreement of all assessments by both raters was 78.26%.
In order to systematize the search results, the identified studies were categorized using a coding system developed on the basis of the model of inclusive transition. For this, the three levels relevant for the transition (individual, process, and societal level) were derived from the model as main categories. Then, the main categories were deductively broken down into subcategories according to the relevant transition actors (child, families/parents, etc.) and processes (adaptive support of the child, etc.). After that, the studies were assigned to the categories according to their thematical focus. The assigning process were conducted by two independent coders (Cohen’s Kappa = .80).
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsRQ 1: Samples and research designs. The analysis of the studies included in the review indicates that there are quantitative large-scale studies focusing on the transition to school of children with disabilities, but they are not distributed equally across the levels: On the one hand, all studies on societal level are large-scale. On the other hand, just one study on process level (i.e., studies focusing on the processes that moderate the transition) and no study on individual level (i.e., studies focusing on the subjective perspectives of the transition actors) are large-scale. Furthermore, studies considering the transition of children with developmental disabilities are particularly common. The research designs of the studies included in the review reflect a wide range of data collection methods with (qualitative) interview and (quantitative) questionnaire surveys predominating.
RQ 2: Research priorities. Most of the studies primarily address the individual level (N=45), especially the perspectives of parents, pedagogues, and additional service providers such as therapists. An emphasis is on the perceived facilitators (e.g., children’s school readiness skills) and barriers of a successful transition (e.g., lack of expertise of the pedagogues). However, studies concentrating on the moderating processes in the transition (N=6) (e.g., teachers’ (multi-)professional cooperation) or the administrative framework of the transition (N=4) are sparse.
RQ 3: Research needs. The review helps to identify both general and specific needs for future research. In general, future studies on the transition to school of children with disabilities need to focus the processes that moderate the transition in a more comprehensive way as these processes are main facilitators of the successful course of the transition. An additional emphasis on the institutional and administrative framework of the transition would be meaningful, too. Specifically, future studies should examine the children’s perspectives in the transition as well as the role of the peers.
ReferencesAhtola, A., Silinskas, G., Poikonen, P.-L., Kontoniemi, M., Niemi, P., & Nurmi, J.-E. (2011). Transition to formal schooling: Do transition practices matter for academic performance? Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 26(3), 295–302.
Boyle, T., Petriwskyj, A., & Grieshaber, S. (2018). Reframing transitions to school as continuity practices: The role of practice architectures. Australian Educational Researcher, 45(4), 419–434.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Harvard University Press.
Cook, K. D., & Coley, R. L. (2017). School transition practices and children’s social and academic adjustment in kindergarten. Journal of Educational Psychology, 109(2), 166–177.
Crosnoe, R. & Ansari, A. (2016). Family Socioeconomic Status, Immigration, and Children’s Transitions into School. Family Relations, 65, 73–84.
Dockett, S., & Perry, B. (2004). Starting school: Perspectives of Australian children, parents, and educators. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 2(2), 171–189.
Garber, K. L., Foster, T. J., Little, M. H., Cohen-Vogel, L., Bratsch-Hines, M., & Burchinal, M. R. (2022). Transition practices of rural pre-k and kindergarten teachers and their relations to children’s academic and social skills. Early Education and Development. Advance online publication.
Janus, M., Lefort, J., Cameron, R., & Kopechanski, L. (2007). Starting kindergarten: Transition issues for children with special needs. Canadian Journal of Education, 30(3), 628–648
Janus, M., & Siddiqua, A. (2018). Challenges for children with special health needs at the time of transition to school. In Information Resources Management Association (Ed.), Autism spectrum disorders (pp. 339–371). IGI Global.
Jiang, H., Justice, L., Purtell, K. M., Lin, T.-J., & Logan, J. (2021). Prevalence and prediction of kindergarten-transition difficulties. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 55, 15–23.
McIntyre, L. L., Eckert, T. L., Fiese, B. H., DiGennaro Reed, F. D., & Wildenger, L. K. (2010). Family concerns surrounding kindergarten transition: A comparison of students in special and general education. Early Childhood Education Journal, 38(4), 259–263.
Page, J. M., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., et al. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372(71).
Rimm-Kaufman, S. E., & Pianta, R. C. (2000). An ecological perspective on the transition to kindergarten: A theoretical framework to guide empirical research. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 21(5), 491–511.
Then, D. & Pohlmann-Rother, S. (2023). Transition to formal schooling of children with disabilities: A systematic review. Educational Research Review, 38, 100492.
04. Inclusive Education
Paper
Anxiety and Depression During Adolescence Predict a Less Successful Transition from Compulsory Education to Vocational Education and Training (VET)
Sara Lustenberger1, Matthias Wicki1,2, Caroline Sahli Lozano1, Kathrin Brandenberg1, Sergej Wüthrich1, Janine Hauser1
1Bern University of Teacher Education, Switzerland; 2Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Switzerland
Presenting Author: Lustenberger, Sara;
Wicki, Matthias
An inclusive school system provides equal opportunities for education and satisfaction of individual learning needs to all pupils. In recent years, the understanding of inclusion has broadened to focus on the best possible support and participation of all learners (Booth & Ainscow, 2002). The larger scope includes not only physical disabilities or learning problems, but also other aspects possibly linked with marginalization, such as mental health problems.
A relevant group of learners in the context of inclusion are children and adolescents with mental illness. Studies have shown that anxiety disorders are among the most common mental illnesses in children and adolescents, affecting about 10% (Schneider & Margraf, 2019). Depressive disorders are also very common, especially in adolescence. The prevalence rate of depression increases from less than 2% in kindergarten children to about 9% during adolescence to more than 20% by age 18 (Pössel, 2019). These disorders tend to persist into adulthood and, if left untreated, can have long-term consequences for the rest of the life course (Pössel, 2019; Schneider & Margraf, 2019).
The impact of mental illness on the transition from compulsory education to vocational education and training (VET) has been little researched to date - in particular, the recording of transition trajectories in this group of learners represents a research gap (Kranert & Stein, 2019). Research in this field is important because the transition from school to VET represents an important developmental step for young adults and lays the foundation for their professional future as well as for the further course of their lives. Early educational decisions and career transitions have long-term consequences; for example, missed vocational training is rarely compensated later on in the career and early career decisions are rarely changed (Blossfeld, 1988). In addition to performance- and aptitude-related characteristics, ascriptive characteristics such as gender, natio-ethno-cultural and social origin exert a significant influence on the transition process (e.g. Glauser, 2015).
Previous research shows that the presence of a diagnosed mental illness at lower secondary level is associated with lower educational aspirations and, consequently, more likely school failure, and can significantly complicate the transition to VET further down the line (for a review see Stein & Kranert, 2020). In addition, various studies have shown that depression and anxiety disorders can have a negative effect on VET (de Lijster et al., 2018; Wickersham et al., 2021). However, previous studies on the influence of mental illness incompletely consider performance- and aptitude-related as well as ascriptive characteristics (e.g. Baumann et al., 2018). From the literature is known that mental illnesses correlate for example with gender and natio-ethno-cultural background. The question therefore arises how large the correlation between mental illnesses and educational attainment is when adjusting for these factors.
The planned study contributes to closing this desideratum and investigates whether the presence of an anxiety disorder or depression during lower secondary level is a risk factor for three aspects of educational attainment: intellectual demands of VET, educational changes, and educational satisfaction. Additionally, it is explored, inasmuch these associations are stable when adjusting for performance, social and natio-ethno-cultural origin as well as further central ascriptive characteristics.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThe study is based on a prospective longitudinal study among pupils in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. The baseline assessment was completed during second or third year of compulsory secondary school (mean age: 15.3 years) and the follow-up four years later (mean age: 19.7 years).
A total of 2228 pupils participated in the baseline study, 1368 of those pupils also participated in the follow-up (retention rate overall = 61%). At baseline, standardized school achievement (standardized tests in math and language to assess academic performance level) and intelligence tests (Culture Fair Intelligence Test 20-R) were administered to the adolescents, and sociodemographic and origin-related variables (highest international socioeconomic index of occupational status; Ganzeboom, 2010) were collected. In addition, the teachers indicated for each pupil in the class, whether they received integrative school measures. At follow-up, criterion variable (level of intellectual demands of VET (Stalder, 2011), change of education and satisfaction with education) were collected for the first, second and third year after completion of compulsory education. At follow-up, the young adults were additionally asked retrospectively whether they received a clinical diagnosis for anxiety disorder, depression, or other mental illnesses at lower secondary level and with which school grades they completed lower secondary level. Mental illnesses and school performance were assessed with objective criteria as cues (clinical diagnosis, grades), therefore the bias due to the retrospective assessment is supposed to be minimal (Schmier & Halpern, 2004).
Initial analyses examined the possible association between the presence of an anxiety disorder or depression at baseline and outcome variables at the transition to vocational education stage, with stepwise regression models adding baseline context variables (age, gender, natio-ethno-cultural background, intelligence, school achievement, school level, grades, and integrative school measures). For the final version of the present study, a propensity score matching approach is expected to be used. This allows, similar to a case-control study, to compare the educational trajectories of adolescents with vs. without a diagnosed anxiety disorder or depression, with both groups being similar in terms of achievement-related, aptitude-related, and ascriptive characteristics.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsResults:
Preliminary results on 1368 youth with complete data show that 11.3% (n = 154) of young adults reported having received a diagnosis of mental illness at lower secondary level. 5.7% (n = 78) of the total sample reported a diagnosed depressive disorder and 3.6% (n = 49) an anxiety disorder. The presence of an anxiety disorder or depression was a significant predictor of lower level of intellectual demands of VET, more frequent educational changes, and lower educational satisfaction. The same pattern of results could be found, even when adjusted for context variables (such as e.g., social origin, intelligence). Therefore, the present study shows consistently that a diagnosed anxiety disorder or depression at lower secondary level is a risk factor for the transition from compulsory education to VET.
Discussion:
The negative impact of mental illnesses, as shown here for diagnosed anxiety disorder and depression, on the transition from compulsory education to VET can have far-reaching consequences. For example, a lower level of intellectual demands of VET can make it more difficult to access certain occupational fields and positions (Glauser, 2015). Since the transition from compulsory school to VET has a central influence on the further course of life, it is of great importance to provide targeted support to young people with a mental illness at an early stage. However, care services for children and adolescents with mental illnesses are often insufficient, especially for those from psychosocially and economically distressed families. In the context of inclusion, a "good school for all" should be sensitive to mental illness in adolescence, provide early support, and thus reduce possible educational inequalities. The earlier a mental illness is diagnosed and treated, the better the prognosis for the rest of the person's life.
ReferencesBaumann, I., Altwicker-Hámori, S., Juvalta, S., Baer, N., Frick, U., & Rüesch, P. (2018). Employment prospects of young adults with mental disorders. Swiss Journal of Sociology, 44(2), 259–280. https://doi.org/doi:10.1515/sjs-2018-0012
Blossfeld, H.-P. (1988). Sensible Phasen im Bildungsverlauf. Eine Längsschnittanalyse über die Prägung von Bildungskarrieren durch den gesellschaftlichen Wandel. Zeitschrift für Pädagogik, 34(1), 45–63.
Booth, T., & Ainscow, M. (2002). Index for inclusion: Developing learning and participation in schools. Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education (CSIE). https://www.eenet.org.uk/resources/docs/Index%20English.pdf
de Lijster, J. M., Dieleman, G. C., Utens, E. M. W. J., Dierckx, B., Wierenga, M., Verhulst, F. C., & Legerstee, J. S. (2018). Social and academic functioning in adolescents with anxiety disorders: A systematic review. Journal of Affective Disorders, 230, 108–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.01.008
Ganzeboom, H. B. G. (2010). International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-08) with ISEI-08 scores. http://www.harryganzeboom.nl/isco08/isco08_with_isei.pdf
Glauser, D. (2015). Berufsausbildung oder Allgemeinbildung. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-09096-8
Kranert, H.-W., & Stein, R. (2019). Der Übergang ins Berufsleben von Heranwachsenden mit psychischen Belastungen. Forschungsstand und weitere Entwicklungslinien. https://doi.org/10.25656/01:25194
Pössel, P. (2019). Depression/Suizidalität. In S. Schneider & J. Margraf (Hrsg.), Lehrbuch der Verhaltenstherapie, Band 3: Psychologische Therapie bei Indikationen im Kindes- und Jugendalter (S. 675–696). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-57369-3_38
Schmier, J. K., & Halpern, M. T. (2004). Patient recall and recall bias of health state and health status. Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research, 4(2), 159–163. https://doi.org/10.1586/14737167.4.2.159
Schneider, S., & Margraf, J. (Hrsg.). (2019). Lehrbuch der Verhaltenstherapie, Band 3: Psychologische Therapie bei Indikationen im Kindes- und Jugendalter. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-57369-3
Stalder, B. E. (2011). The intellectual demands of initial vocational education and training in Switzerland. Ratings for the period 1999‐2005 [Application/pdf]. https://doi.org/10.7892/BORIS.131086
Stein, R., & Kranert, H.-W. (2020). Inklusion in der Berufsbildung im kritischen Diskurs. Frank & Timme GmbH.
Wickersham, A., Sugg, H. V. R., Epstein, S., Stewart, R., Ford, T., & Downs, J. (2021). Systematic review and meta-analysis: The association between child and adolescent depression and later educational attainment. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 60(1), 105–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2020.10.008
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