Multi-dimensionality of the Transition to Primary School

Moving beyond the concepts of school readiness and adjustment, this book reimagines the transition to primary school as a complex, dynamic and multidimensional process. It considers three dimensions: individual transitions; the reorganisation of relationships and collectives; and educational processes designed to support change.First, the book develops a conceptual and methodological framework for studying these dimensions; then, it illustrates this framework through qualitative research conducted in Japan, China, and Australia. Using ethnography, auto-ethnography, and action research, the studies examine children’s crises, the evolution of their social circles, and the development of a comprehensive transition curriculum. Within- and across-context analyses demonstrate how broader structures, institutions, relationships, and children’s agency interact to produce distinctive trajectories and recurring mechanisms.This book provides researchers and educators working in early childhood education, elementary education, child development, and educational psychology with a coherent framework and practical analytical tools.