Exploring the interrelationship between young adolescents’ online lives and school lives when transitioning from primary to secondary school in England

Young adolescents face significant academic and social challenges during the transition from primary to secondary school, potentially impacting their sense of belonging and well-being. Concurrently, their increasing use of online spaces adds another layer of complexity to their experiences during this time. This study aims to provide further insight into these complexities by exploring the interrelationship of school and online spaces of young adolescents in England during their transition from primary to secondary school. This research focuses on five young adolescents aged 10-11 years living in England at a time of transition, as it follows them from their final months in primary school into their secondary school. Based on a Communities of Practice framework, the data were collected and analysed using a sociocultural, interpretivist case-study methodology. The experiences and perceptions of the young adolescents were explored through collages, discussions, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, field notes and journal entries and analysed through thematic coding. Findings, underpinned by an adapted Communities of Practice framework, suggest that these young adolescents used online spaces as a place of reassurance during transition. Friendships appeared to be of great importance at this time, and there seemed to be an entanglement of spaces where school and online communities of practice were sometimes accessed simultaneously. Findings also suggest that these young adolescents’ projected identities appeared similar across these spaces, although identity seemed to be a flexible construct in response to ongoing practice. The study highlights social and cultural challenges that may be encountered during the transition from primary to secondary school in England, particularly those related to friendships and the complexities of managing them within and between school and online spaces. These findings prompt questions about the need to reconsider policies and practices governing the timing and approach to this critical time of transition.