The transition from primary to secondary school is an exciting time for most pupils. Some, though, will feel apprehensive about starting a new school because they are afraid of failure and of not being accepted. Pupils with a migration background and those with a difficult social background are especially prone to such fears. Their lack of trust in themselves and others can lead to a significant drop in performance. However, starting a new school can also be a great chance for a fresh start and to establish trusting relationships between teachers and pupils.<\/p>\n
This transitional phase thus presents teachers with opportunities to effectively lay the foundations so as to ensure that new pupils feel they belong and are motivated to actively take part in lessons throughout their time at school, despite the occasional set-back.<\/p>\n
Teaching strategies to help strengthen pupils\u02bc motivation are being developed and evaluated as part of a research\/practical project and will then form part of a toolkit which will eventually be used in teacher training and further training. One item in the toolkit is the \u201fself-affirmation intervention\u201d, a method first tested in the United States which has been adapted to the German school system. The research project was funded by Stiftung Mercator.<\/p>\n