In 2020, ACER conducted a rapid review of the research literature related to student transition from primary to secondary school (see Sniedze-Gregory et al., 2021).

The research literature was viewed through the lens of Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory of development, which positions the individual at the centre of four ecological and environmental systems.

For the purposes of this professional learning module, Bronfenbrenner’s theory acknowledges that students are positioned within their own complex systems of influence.

These influences are exemplified in the figure on the right. It is within this complex individual-but-interactive environment that school transition influences, factors and outcomes are understood.