Preparing Students for Junior High School

Abstract

The entrance into junior high school is a critical but seldom studied event in the life of the adolescent. Little has been done to prepare youths for the transition. This study evaluated a skills building approach to prepare sixth graders for the entry to junior high. The curriculum was administered to two grade schools (n = 138) with two additional grade schools (n= 140) serving as controls. At the conclusion of post testing, youths in the skills training condition were more informed about junior high school, percieved themselves to be more prepared, and were better able to handle stress and peer pressure than the youths in the control condition. They used more direct refusals as a tactic in handling peer pressure, and were able to generate more options for dealing with tough situations. Generally, results of the study support claims of program effectiveness.