Secondary to tertiary transitions : current trends

Abstract

RESEARCH QUESTIONS: 1. What are the secondary school leader’s perceptions of the transition for students from secondary to tertiary education? 2. What are the tertiary transition challenges for secondary students from a tertiary institution leadership perspective? 3. In which ways could secondary to tertiary transition be improved?

ABSTRACT: The number of our young people transitioning from secondary to tertiary education in New Zealand continues to decline despite multiple interventions, policies and programmes put in place. This study focusses on the current trends in secondary to tertiary transition by investigating the perceptions of this transition from the perspectives of senior secondary and tertiary leaders.

The research was conducted in four Auckland secondary schools and one Auckland institute of technology. Four senior leaders from the secondary schools and three senior leaders from the tertiary institution were interviewed in semi-structured interviews to gather qualitative data to identify current transition trends across both sectors.

The study highlights the significant contributions across both sectors in the provision of secondary to tertiary transition programmes. Three central themes emerged from the research: the importance of collaboration, the value of pathway programmes and teams and the barriers created by policy versus practice. These themes and the feedback received from the leaders interviewed provided a set of recommendations.

The recommendations place a focus on: the establishment of an Advisory Panel including the various stakeholders from across each party involved in this transition, the establishment of dedicated transition pathway teams in both secondary and tertiary institutions and the call for our secondary schools to collaborate, sharing knowledge and resources across their wider community.