“This is a new start for you”: exploring adopted young people’s educational experience and what works well to support their transition to secondary school

“This is a new start for you”: exploring adopted young people’s educational experience and what works well to support their transition to secondary school

Alexandra Barry · Newcastle University

This doctorate combines a qualitative literature synthesis with interviews involving three adopted young people and seven adoptive parents. Grounded-theory analysis examined transition to secondary school. The young-person material included the possibility of a fresh start and changes in how adoption was understood alongside relationships and school support.

Limitations: Only three young people contributed, all interviewed alongside parents; one joined for part of an interview. Adult themes should not be presented as children’s own views. Recruitment through adoption agencies may select particular experiences. This small interpretative study does not establish which support is effective across schools. Participants were recruited through adoption-agency newsletters and emails. This is a recruitment relationship; it does not establish that agencies conducted the research.

Research type

Doctoral thesis

Source reviewed

Full text

Peer reviewed

No

Age group

Children / Adolescents