ERIC Number: EJ1474009
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Dec
Pages: 30
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1381-2890
EISSN: EISSN-1573-1928
Available Date: 2025-06-16
Life Satisfaction, Relatedness, and Study Engagement in the Upper Secondary School Transition: The Function of Social Support
Jenni Sullanmaa1; Lotta Tikkanen1; Sanna Ulmanen1,2; Kirsi Pyhältö1,3
Social Psychology of Education: An International Journal, v28 n1 Article 128 2025
Transition to upper secondary education can represent a challenge for students' wellbeing. In this study, we examined how the social support from guardians, peers, and teachers experienced before transition predicts study engagement, sense of relatedness and overall life satisfaction after transition. Survey data (n = 280) were collected from Finnish students in the 9th grade of lower secondary school (T1), and during the first year of their upper secondary school (either in upper secondary or vocational track; T2). The analyses were conducted using structural equation modelling. The results showed that support from teachers in lower secondary school predicted the students' study engagement and overall satisfaction with life after the transition to secondary education. Moreover, peer support before transition was found to predict students' sense of relatedness after transition, while the support from guardians predicted higher life satisfaction. The findings provide new insights on supporting adolescents' well-being throughout school transitions by investing in supportive social resources early in school.
Descriptors: Life Satisfaction, Social Support Groups, School Transition, Sense of Belonging, Foreign Countries, Grade 9, Grade 10, Middle School Students, High School Students, Predictor Variables, Adolescents, Well Being
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Grade 9; High Schools; Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Grade 10
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Finland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1University of Helsinki, Centre for University Teaching and Learning, Faculty of Educational Sciences, Helsinki, Finland; 2Tampere University, Faculty of Education and Culture, Tampere, Finland; 3University of Stellenbosch, Center for Higher and Adult Education, Stellenbosch, South Africa