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Summary Of Section 2: The Transition Between Key Stages 2 And 3 In Dt ...



Summary of Section 2:
The transition between key stages 2 and 3 in DT involves pupils developing and incorporating their own ideas in to projects, as well as developing greater proficiency in practical and theoretical work. There is considerable overlap in the attainment levels within both key stages, which helps to account for variation in individual motivation and skill levels, and so assists those implementing the transition.
General school policy for facilitating the transition from primary to secondary education is important in helping pupils to settle in to a new working environment. There is, however, a need for definite, subject-specific policy on transition if continuity is not to be lost. This section has defined some of the important areas for both general and DT policymakers in this area, and has emphasised the value of a local approach in formulating and implementing policy for regulating the Key Stages 2 ?3 transition in this subject area.

Section 3: A Research Methodology for investigating transition
- a methodology for the local assessment and evaluation of the effectiveness of transition is outlined.
3.1 The need for information
As has been outlined in the previous section, the variation between individual schools necessitates a case-by-case appraisal of the needs and (later) the successes of a transition policy in the DT departments of KS2 and KS3 providers. Although there is likely to be a general school policy, this will not provide the requisite information about pupils' achievement and potential as they start KS3 work. Therefore, there is a need for further and more detailed information relevant to this specialist area. In addition to its value to the schools in question, information would be useful to educational researchers generally, and particularly to those investigating the primary to secondary transition.
This section suggests the relevant information that should be collected, and proposes a methodology for doing so. This work has been linked to existing school research policies, particularly those explored by Bogdan (1982) and Pajares (1992), but has been adapted for this specialist study.
3.2 Contents of a Research Pack
Broadly, it is envisioned that a research pack will be produced, that contains some components to be sent to KS2 providers and others to KS3 providers, at both the school and subject management levels. The aim is to collect the relevant information and then to distil it to a short summary that can be issued to both providers, identifying the needs of pupils in the transitions period. In the case of an academic research project (as opposed to an educational providers assessment) the results can be collated, summarised, and compared with those in other schools to provide a clearer broad picture of policy in this area.


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