Student Discipline Problems and the Transition from Elementary to Middle School

Background and Purpose: The successful transition from elementary school to middle school is critical for academic success. Unfortunately, a substantial body of research describes this transition as stressful for many students. Studies have linked the transition to middle school with negative educational outcomes as well as declines in student motivation, functioning, and attitudes toward school. Some research attributes these difficulties to students' developmental changes while other studies highlight differences in the middle school environment compared to elementary school. Given this mix of student developmental changes, social and peer pressures and educational demands of middle school, it is hypothesized that substantial disciplinary problems will be associated with the transition from elementary to middle school. Facing such a transition, students often worry about knowing the rules at the new school and the consequences for violating these rules. More research is needed to fully evaluate this hypothesis in addition to research exploring the nature and type of infractions that students are being disciplined for in elementary school compared to middle school. Identification of those infractions common among new middle school students would inform efforts aimed at smoothing the transition from elementary school while also drawing attention to areas wherein students might be struggling. The purpose of this study then is to explore the differences in the types and frequencies of student discipline infractions and dispositions between elementary and middle school.

Methods: Using data from two consecutive school years, all transitioning students (n=4145) enrolled in one medium-sized school district in the southeastern United States are followed from 5th grade (the final year of elementary school) through 6th grade (the first year of middle school). The school district has 49 elementary schools feeding 14 middle schools. Official school discipline records for all students are tracked for this two-year period and changes in the frequency and nature of infractions and dispositions were analyzed using bivariate statistics with a Bonferroni adjustment for multiple comparisons.

Results: Results show a substantial increase in reported student discipline problems and the use of in-school suspension in middle school. Among transitioning students, 333 (7.9%) had at least one disciplinary incident in 5th grade compared to 1084 (26.2%) in 6th grade. This increase was consistent by students' gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status though males, ethnic minorities, and low socioeconomic status students are disproportionately over-represented in all discipline categories across both years. The differences were most dramatic for subjectively-defined infractions like “class disturbance” and “failure to follow rules” compared to more concrete, objective infractions.

Conclusions and Implications: The results here suggest many students have problems transitioning to middle school. The severe increase in subjective discipline referrals has implications for middle school programming and teacher training. Middle schools should offer orientation and transition programs to new students that discuss expectations for student behavior and consequences for misbehavior. Moreover, schools and school social workers should implement a wide range of school-based programs that teach both students and teachers how to handle and resolve the inevitable day-to-day conflicts that occur in schools in more productive ways.