Enacting Transition Pedagogy at a School Level: An Action Research Analysis of Institutional Change Using Schein’s Model of Organisational Culture

Abstract

Transition pedagogy is a whole-of-institution approach for supporting learning across diverse student cohorts through intentional, integrated (co-)curricular design. However, in large institutions, it is not always possible to enact transition pedagogy across the whole organisation. This action research study examines a multi-year transition pedagogy project to influence organisational culture in an academic School, as an example of locally-enacted transition pedagogy. Schein’s model of organisational culture was used as a lens for iterative examination of artifacts for evidence of change in underlying assumptions and values. Analysis identified four organisational principles that were important to create an environment to facilitate successful localised implementation: teaching context; collegial conversation; institutional knowledge; and growth and leadership, albeit alongside external vulnerability. The study shows that it is possible and valuable to successfully enact transition pedagogy at local scales. The findings underscore the potential for scalable and adaptable application of transition pedagogy principles in similar educational settings.