How do children with a cleft lip and/or palate negotiate the secondary school transition in the UK? An ecological approach to understanding resilience in action

Abstract

In this article, we explore the process of resilience for children with a cleft lip and/or palate (visible difference) starting secondary school in the United Kingdom. A qualitative longitudinal research design was used to consider resilience as a process with Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory as a lens. Data were collected using a range of qualitative methods, including family interviews, child interviews, and video blogs. Fourteen parents and eight child participants between 11 and 12 years old took part in the research. Key results identified a series of steps in the resilience process during the school transition, namely, (1) the family preparing for the new school microsystem, (2) the children entering and negotiating the new microsystem, (3) navigating in and between microsystems, and (4) actively engaging with the mesosystem. To conclude, viewing resilience as a process helps us understand the interactive role played by schools in preparation for supporting and monitoring the transition. Successful negotiation of the transition of secondary school required the child to be recognized as an active participant in this process.