Transition to Upper Secondary School: an Estonian Experience

Abstract

This is a study of the transition to upper secondary education, an area largely ignored by international educational research. In particular, the study focuses on the transition from compulsory basic education to an academic general upper secondary education in Estonia. This study involves a national survey of school principals as well as case studies. The mixed methods analyses show that a number of barriers can be identified that may have an adverse impact on students’ adjustment to a new learning environment, potentially affecting their educational outcomes and future life-chances. The study places the findings in the context of broader societal processes that have taken place during the last decade in the Baltic countries in general, including Estonia.

Keywords:

• School transition
• secondary schools
• Estonia
• barriers to transition

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Karmen Trasberg from Univeristy of Tartu, Séan Darmody and two referees for their useful comments on an earlier draft of this article.