BRIDGING THE PRIMARY–SECONDARY SCHOOL TRANSITION: A RETROSPECTIVE LONGITUDINAL AND MULTI-INFORMANT RE-ANALYSIS OF A MULTI-SCHOOL PEER INTERVENTION

Resumé

The transition from primary to secondary school involves changes not only in routines and academic expectations but also in students’ peer relationships. Historical longitudinal datasets can provide valuable insight into how such relationships develop across an actual school transition, particularly when they are revisited through new research questions. This article presents a retrospective re-analysis of a multi-school Social Art Group (SAG) intervention conducted in 2005–2006 across three primary schools and one receiving secondary school. The original project examined whether reciprocal peer relationships developed during the intervention and whether these relationships were maintained after transfer. The present re-analysis addresses a different question: whether observable peer interaction, reciprocity and relational continuity necessarily follow the same pattern across the transition to secondary school. Preserved peer-nomination data, sociograms, post-transition favourite-friend reports, video observations, and parent and practitioner accounts were reorganised around four dimensions: contact, reciprocity, persistence, and convergence or divergence across data sources. The findings showed a clear descriptive shift towards more positive cross-group peer choices during the primary-school phase, while negative cross-group choices disappeared. Two reciprocal relationships between students from the different groups emerged by the end of primary school and remained identifiable after transfer. However, cross-group interaction was less evident in the recorded secondary-school sessions. Thus, what students reported about continuing relationships did not fully correspond with what was visible during the limited periods of direct observation. The re-analysis suggests a useful distinction between interactional continuity and relational continuity. A relationship may remain identifiable after school transfer even when it is less visible in a particular observational context. The findings therefore highlight the value of examining peer relationships through multiple sources rather than relying on observed interaction alone. Given the small historical sample, differences between measures across phases, and the limited post-transition observation period, the findings should be interpreted descriptively and do not establish causal intervention effects.