Barriers and Support Perceived by Students Experiencing the Transition from Primary to Secondary Education

This paper presents a qualitative methodology based on interviews research and aimed at finding out how the transition from primary to secondary education is taking place in a group of students from the School Reinforcement and Support Programme (PROA) in a secondary school in Cantabria (Spain). The results shows how the testimonies of students contribute to an understanding of whether factors are serving as barriers or aids in the teaching and learning process, analyzing matters such as classroom rules, relationships, teaching methodology, evaluation and the role of tutorials. The findings show that understanding the educational reality of young people first hand could help this school community think about what changes should take place with the aim of achieving educational success for all students, in line with what has been considered one of the main goals of this educational reinforcement programed.