Longitudinal Negotiation, Navigation Processes, and School Success in High School: A Two-Wave Latent Transition Approach

By combining person-centered analysis with latent transition analysis (LTA) and adapting a navigation and negotiation perspective, we examined the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents’ depression and anxiety levels as well as their adaptation and success in high school. Focusing on the navigation (individual adaptation) and negotiation (social adaptation) factors that contribute to school success, our data from a longitudinal study in Switzerland (wave 1 in autumn 2020, grade eight [ n = 315]; wave 2 in spring 2021, grade eight [ n = 257]) revealed four patterns: students with high levels in both dimensions (“thriving”), students with low levels in both dimensions (“demanding”), students with low negotiation but moderate to high navigation (“unsupported bloomers”), and students with high negotiation but low navigation (“encouraged non-achievers”). The “thriving” pattern had about three times more students than the “encouraged non-achiever” pattern did and about five times more students with a lower depression/anxiety profile than the “demanding” pattern did. Parental involvement and reading comprehension were identified as crucial factors in students’ academic achievement, with parental involvement being significantly associated with the “unsupported bloomers” pattern, suggesting that parents can compensate for the lack of teacher academic support and recognition and it can contribute to students’ academic success. Adolescents with high navigation and negotiation resources had higher reading comprehension scores compared to those with lower navigation and negotiation resources. Reading comprehension significantly influenced grades in language subjects and mathematics. The study emphasized the importance of individual and social adaptation factors in promoting academic success and personal growth in high school.