The continuity of experience with regard to values

The continuity of experience with regard to values in the transition between the primary and secondary phases of schooling

Acknowledging the centrality of continuity in education for the holistic development of the child, the intention is to explore the differences between the experience of character formation and development in pupils in the later years of primary schools and the early years of secondary school. Consideration will be given to the ways in which primary and secondary schools undertake their responsibilities, how they seek to fulfil them and the extent to which they are seen to be part of a continuous process by pupils, teachers and parents.

This study aims to explore the nature of and changes in children’s understanding of values in the transitional phase of schooling from primary to secondary education as well as the consistency in provision made by schools for children’s character development. The key purpose of the study is to explore appropriate and effective ways in which to conceive teaching character. From this relatively broad base the following objectives have been formulated to guide the research process:

• How do the 10-12 year olds participating in this study understand values (in the context of human qualities/characteristics)?

• How do their teachers understand values?

• What values do 10-12 year olds hold as important?

• How do primary and secondary schools make provision for character education?

• What factors in and/or outside the school appear to influence the character formation of the 10-12 year olds participating in this study?

This study opens a new vista on character education in its exploration of children’s views and attitudes towards character development and regarding the integral role of the school in this process from the final year at primary school through to the end of the first year at secondary school. It seeks to map the field of values within the transitional phase of schooling within one community. It seeks to discover whether character education is a real aspect of the curriculum and a relevant feature of the experience of children in both primary and secondary schools in the area. By considering both the cognitive and affective elements of character development, it will explore how these children acquire ‘good’ or ‘worthwhile’ values. Acknowledging, as Gillet (1914:1) emphatically does, that ” character does not exist without will (and) will does not exist without character”, the study will consider the evidence for children coming, through time, to control their own actions to the end of “knowing the good, loving the good and doing the good” (Ryan and Bohlin, 2000:5).

Methodological Approach

A case study of one community is preferred . In advancing knowledge within this area, a large scale survey could not give full consideration to the research questions. In order to give full consideration to the field of values development and to explore the consistency of provision made by schools for character education during the transition it is necessary to include in the sample, the secondary schools to which children go from the primary schools. Consequently, six primary schools and seven secondary schools have been selected in the city of Canterbury. This should provide a sample of approximately, 201 year 6 pupils, 1154 year 7 pupils and 80 teachers. The selective educational system in Kent also provides an opportunity to consider the development of children undergoing different types of schooling (or school ethos).

The study will be carried out over a two year period involving two phases and will collect both quantitative and qualitative data.

Phase 1:

In order to build a theoretical foundation for Phase 2, a small group interview approach will be employed with the children and semi-structured interviews with one member of the teaching personnel in each school, identified by the head teachers. This will enable the researchers to begin mapping the present state of character formation in the last year of primary school and the first year of secondary school. Questions to be posed to the children will be centred on their perceptions of values, what they consider to be important in their lives, how they come to identify values, both in what they value and in the moral sense, how they develop the desire to want to be good/ have good conduct and the major influences, both in and outside school, on the values they regard as important. Acknowledging that teacher selection of children has both strengths and weaknesses, six children will be selected by the class teacher in one year 6 class in each of the six primary schools, as well as six children in one year 7 class of each of the seven secondary schools. The semi-structured interviews will focus on teacher understanding of and views towards values and the ways they believe their teaching influences character development in the children they teach. Documentation from schools relating to values/character education and/or character development will be collected from the schools. Collected data will be analysed and used to inform the compilation of two close-response questionnaires for Phase 2: one for pupils and one for teaching staff.

Phase 2:

A close response questionnaire will be administered to all year 6 and year 7 pupils in the sample schools. Although analysed data from phase 1 will inform the construction and approach of the questionnaire in Phase 2, no assumptions will be made, based exclusively on the initial collection of data. A second close response questionnaire focussing on the ethos of the school and the influence of both the teacher and the teaching approach, will be administered to all year 6 teachers, all year 7 form tutors and all school personnel responsible for the transition of pupils between primary and secondary school. The questionnaires will be administered in the second term over two consecutive years.

In order to examine the aspect of consistency in values between primary and secondary school more closely, changes in character development will be tracked over the two-year period. This will entail asking children to write their names at the bottom of the questionnaire. When they have completed the second questionnaire, the questionnaires will be matched and the names torn off. The participants will be informed.

Data analysis

Phase 1

Small group interviews and semi-structured interviews will be recorded, transcribed and analysed manually. Relevant themes/ issues- either present or absent-will be identified. School policy documents will be examined and particular attention given to the manner in which schools address pupil character development and education.

Phase 2

Although the results from Phase 1 will inform Phase 2, they will not determine it. To ensure robustness of data it is important that assumptions from the first phase do not unduly influence the findings of Phase 2. That said, phase 1 will undoubtedly produce a number of possible provisional assumptions which will be taken into consideration in the preparation of the questionnaires for the second phase. Questionnaires will employ a three-point scale and will be precoded to allow for a systematic approach to data analysis, which initially involve frequency analysis employing the cross tabs process in SPSS.

Ethical considerations

The research process will proceed in accordance with the ethical guidelines of the British Educational Research Association (2003), with particular regard to the following areas: responsibility to the research profession, responsibility to participants, responsibility to the public and the funding agency. In addition, assuming the research developments are beneficial, the participating schools will be beneficiaries of the piloting of any new teaching approaches/ resources that emerge from the study.

Dissemination of Research

The outcomes of the research will be published in a final report, a summary of which will be sent to the participating schools. In addition, the project will lead to the development of materials, the sharing of good practice via conferences, symposia and a website concerned with the personal and citizenship development of students.