Six Reactions to School Transfer.

Summary. TWO samples representing rural (N = 390) and city (N =454) children were tested before and after transferring to secondary school in an attempt to determine the nature of individual reactions to school transfer. Measures used included ability, achievement, attitude to school, and personality. Cluster analysis applied independently to these two samples identified six subgroups showing different patterns of adjustment. Two of these reactions were considered particularly important. One, labelled disenchanted, characterised able children showing poor adjustment and academic deterioration. The other, described as worried, associated low ability with high anxiety, and poor self-concept. Since the six reactions were replicated across both samples it is suggested that they comprise widely occurring reactions to school transfer.