Supporting pupils with chronic illness: an exploratory study of the retrospective views of adolescents with chronic illness on their transition to mainstream post-primary education

This study examined the retrospective views of adolescents with chronic illnesses with particular regard to their experience of transitioning from mainstream primary to mainstream post-primary education. The study adopted a qualitative methodology whereby semi-structured interviews were carried out with five participants with a range of chronic conditions. The data w;as analysed using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Analysis found four superordinate themes: systemic factors, social context, within-child factors, and supporting transition. There were a further 15 themes and 29 subthemes which are discussed in chapters 4 and 5. From these findings, the researcher makes recommendations to support children with chronic illnesses as they transition both for primary and post-primary schools as well as for Educational Psychologists, reflecting on the implications of the findings in terms of professional practice and future research.