MAPPING BARRIERS TO SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL TRANSITIONS IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE – IRISH AND ESTONIAN EXPERIENCES; pp. 51-72

Several international studies refer to school transitions as a time when pupils are particularly vulnerable and may easily become disengaged and at-risk of early school leaving. Early school leaving is generally seen to jeopardise young people’s future as their possible career opportunities and life chances are largely determined by their educational attainment at school. The overall aim of this exploratory study is to obtain more adequate knowledge of factors that influence school transitions drawing on data gathered from Ireland and Estonia, representing two different national education systems. The analysis of quantitative and qualitative data indicate that while a number of institutional/organisational factors can be identified in both countries as having a detrimental effect on pupils during transition, the nature of these factors in Ireland and Estonia is different. The study builds upon existing international research on transition-related difficulties in school.