Education Sciences (Jun 2023)

Supporting a Responsive Transition to High School through a Summer Transition Camp

  • Cheryl R. Ellerbrock,
  • Erin Parke,
  • Jennifer Denmon

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13070629
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 7
p. 629

Abstract

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In this qualitative case study (n = 32), researchers sought to understand the ways a multi-day summer transition camp may help incoming ninth-grade students experience a developmentally responsive transition into high school. The findings revealed camp helped support students’ procedural, social, and academic-related needs and concerns. Learning the school layout and policies helped support students’ procedural-related needs and concerns. Promoting student–student, educator–student, and school–student relationships helped support students’ social-related needs and concerns. Attending academic classes and communicating expectations for academic success helped support students’ academic-related needs and concerns. A summer camp may foster a responsive transition and mitigate school failure, but must be developed and delivered based on students’ developmental and transition-related needs and concerns. Furthermore, students must perceive camp activities as actually supporting their needs and concerns.

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