Transitions to school: reframing professional relationships

Abstract

Systemic splits between pre-compulsory and compulsory early years education impact on transitions to school through discontinuities in children’s experience. This paper presents data from a critical participatory action research project about transitions between pre-compulsory and compulsory early education schooling in Australia. The project aim was to investigate how transitions to school might be enhanced by developing deeper professional relationships and shared understandings between teachers from both sectors. Within the communicative space afforded by a professional learning community, the participants engaged in critical conversations about their understandings of transitions practices and conditions, including systemic differences. Data analysis provides a snapshot of changes in teachers’ thinking about professional relationships, continuity and factors influencing cross-sectoral professional relationships. Findings suggest that affording opportunities for teachers to re-frame cross-sectoral professional relationships has led to transformative changes to transitions practices, understandings and conditions.

Keywords:

• transitions to school
• critical participatory action research
• cross-sectoral professional relationships
• professional learning community