Transitioning into Secondary School: A Systematic Quantitative Review of Literature in the Australian Context

Transitioning across different schooling sectors presents various challenges for young people. This is evident in the transition from primary to secondary schooling, when factors such as student belonging and positive connections are vital. Students with learning support needs or living in isolated localities may experience additional challenges. To help alleviate these challenges, transition programs are implemented by the primary or secondary school. A limited number of literature reviews within the Australian context focus on determining the themes that influence student transition, the types of transition programs, and the geographic locality of peer-reviewed articles across primary to secondary settings. The authors conducted a systematic quantitative literature review of the peer-reviewed literature with inclusion criteria resulting in 30 articles for analysis. The review yielded four themes in the Australian literature—student perceptions, mental health, academic motivation and success, and students with learning support needs—and a fifth theme aggregating less prominent topics. Additionally, the review revealed that transition programs were few and geographic localities of studies were predominantly from three states. Studies also varied across metropolitan/rural settings and school types. The findings show a need for transition research to focus on themes within a study and focus on differing locations when studies are conducted.