Measuring Cognitive and Psychological Engagement in Middle School Students
By:
Published on 2008 by ProQuest
Information from the survey was extracted using inferential statistical analyses, including the Pearson product-moment correlation, t test, and the one-way ANOVA to analyze the strength and direction of the relationships identified in the research questions.
This Book was ranked 32 by Google Books for keyword middle graders.
Aggression and Perceptions of Parenting Among Urban Public Middle School Students
By:
Published on 2008 by ProQuest
Adolescent aggressive behavior is a major social problem in the United States and is linked to violence and violence-related injury. Understanding the relationship between parenting and early adolescent aggression provides important insights for developing prevention interventions. This study explored the relationship between parenting and early adolescent aggression in an urban low-income, predominately African American sample. The first aim was to examine whether aggression-specific parenting practices and parenting style predicted subsequent early adolescent aggression. The second aim was to examine the extent to which parenting style moderated the relationship between aggression-specific parenting practices and subsequent early adolescent aggression. The third aim was to explore the bidirectional relationship between parenting (parenting style and aggression-specific parenting practices) and early adolescent aggression. A total of 209 sixth grade early adolescents attending two Baltimore City middle schools completed questionnaires about their overt and relational aggressive behaviors at two time points. Early adolescents also reported on their perceptions of a parent or guardian's parenting style (support/behavioral control and psychological control) and aggression-specific parenting practices (aggression-avoidance parenting practices and aggression-endorsing parenting practices). Adjusted logistic regression results indicated that early adolescents who reported having a parent who supported aggression avoidance strategies were less likely to engage in overt aggression. Study findings also showed that parent support for aggression avoidance strategies ameliorated the tendency toward aggressive behavior when parenting styles were at their least protective levels. A bidirectional relationship between parenting and early adolescent aggression was not found; however, Structural Equation Modeling results indicated significant relationships between early adolescent aggression and subsequent parenting. Early adolescent overt and relational aggression predicted declines in parenting practices and parenting styles associated with buffering early adolescents from aggression. The results of this study suggest that parenting practices and parenting styles may exert a minor influence on early adolescent aggressive behavior in an urban low-income, predominately African American sample. Future research should investigate the role of multiple environmental influences (i.e., parenting, family, peer networks, community violence exposure, school environment) in the prediction of early adolescent aggressive behavior in this population.
This Book was ranked 31 by Google Books for keyword middle graders.
Middle School Students with High Incidence Disabilities: Perceptions of the Special Education Experience
By:
Published on 2008 by ProQuest
In the United States there are currently more than 6,500,000 students receiving special education services in our public schools. Of those over 2,000,000 are ages 12 to 15. Middle school children diagnosed with the three most commonly occurring disabilities number 1,564,118 with almost 44,000 in Arizona (U.S. Department of Education, 2007.) The purpose of this study was to address the lack of research employing a phenomenological approach to gain insight and improved understanding of the experience of children ages 12 to 15 years who receive special education services to address their high incidence disabilities. In-depth interviews with nine children who live the intersect of middle school and high incidence disabilities were used to give these early adolescents opportunities to voice their perceptions of how the system of special education affects them and their life choices. Two major themes identified were the students' preferences for full inclusive and need for active roles in placement decisions. Findings of this study may lead the discourse toward development of more holistic and humanistic practices.
This Book was ranked 20 by Google Books for keyword middle graders.
Effects of Music Instruction on Perceptions and Academic Achievement of Middle School Students
By:
Published on 2009 by ProQuest
This action research project examined data of students involved in instrumental music lessons and students not involved in instrumental lessons in grades 5-8. Instrumentation included examining standardized tests, a survey of student perceptions, and perceptions of three middle-level educators who considered music and non-music students regarding personal responsibility and leadership. Analysis of the data consisted of descriptive and inferential statistics using the t test and cross tabulations to compare music and non-music students' mean differences. Findings of the study revealed that MCA II math test scale scores for students in grade 5 involved in instrumental lessons were significantly higher than those of students not involved in instrumental lessons. Perceptions of students in grades 5-8 involved in instrumental lessons were also significant in several areas. Results of this study provide information for students, teachers, parents, and administrators regarding music instruction and the role it plays in the curriculum of public schools.
This Book was ranked 15 by Google Books for keyword middle graders.
Achievement Goals, Engagement and Achievement of African American and White Middle School Students
By:
Published on 2009 by ProQuest
The present study investigated the relationships among mastery, performance approach and performance avoidance achievement goals, school engagement and academic achievement for African American and White middle school students.
This Book was ranked 21 by Google Books for keyword middle graders.
A Model for Improving Reading and Literacy Skills Among Middle School Students
By:
Published on 2007 by ProQuest
Students without basic reading and literacy skills have problems in college, in the job market, and in understanding societal issues. However, there is a lack of consensus among reading specialists on how best to assist middle school students struggling with reading. This qualitative research study applied a modified Delphi exploration technique to develop a best practices model, as identified by 25 experts in the field of reading and literacy, for middle school educators to improve the reading and literacy skills of students and reduce the summer learning loss of children who are economically disadvantaged. This study sought to understand what pedagogical facilitation practices could be applied to increase reading and literacy among middle school students, how schools can adjust their school years, what challenges are involved in improving literacy and reading levels, and how schools can provide summer school programs to improve literacy. Qualitative data gathered from the seed questions were organized using NVivo software. During the analysis, a line-by-line examination of the data was conducted, leading to the revelation of themes according to the participants' responses, which were then used to develop a survey to gain consensus from the experts. The results of the study indicated that teachers and administrators can likely achieve positive social change by developing positive communication between the school and home environment; by extending, and in some cases requiring, summer school programs; and by initiating more tutorial programs, such as Literacy 180, to assist middle school children who are lagging behind their peers.
This Book was ranked 26 by Google Books for keyword middle graders.
Teaching Middle Graders to Use Process Writing Skills
By:"Marilyn Seguin"
Published on 1994 by Incentive Publications
This Book was ranked 12 by Google Books for keyword middle graders.
Saxon Math: An Analysis for Middle School Students At-risk of Low Performance
By:
Published on 2008 by ProQuest
Publishers of Saxon Math proclaim that it is the leading researched skills-based product in the nation; districts throughout the United States and in foreign countries employ the program. Studies reviewed of program effectiveness, although limited at the middle school level, showed that students performed higher on districts' performance tests than students who were not instructed with the program. Questionable, however, were factors relative to this performance, especially as related to the teacher. This study investigated the effects of Saxon Math on low performing middle school students in mathematics who were located in a school district in the state of Georgia. The study found no positive significant difference in the performance of these students when Saxon Math was the only instructional tool used. However, when other strategies were used in conjunction with Saxon Math, a positive significant difference was found. Conclusions reached were that the years of teaching experience in mathematics at the middle school level and experience teaching at-risk learners were significant to student achievement. Also concluded was that Saxon Math used with strategies to include the use of manipulatives and cooperative learning enhanced the achievement of learners at-risk of failure in mathematics.
This Book was ranked 19 by Google Books for keyword middle graders.
Comparison of Senior Middle School Students' Smoking Behavior Between Urban and Rural Area in China
By:
Published on 2007 by ProQuest
This study examined the smoking behavior among 3818 middle school students (9th graders') in either urban or rural area across four geographic regions in China. After adjusting for age, peer and parental smoking, rural boys demonstrate more severe smoking behaviors compared to urban boys (odds ratio [OR] =1.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] =1.36-2.62 for lifetime smoking; OR =1.28, 95% CI =0.93-1.77 for past month smoking; and OR =2.04, 95% CI =1.27-3.26 for a lifetime whole cigarette use). Rural girls, on the other hand, were less likely to smoke than urban girls. Smoking initiation age was not statistically significantly different between rural and urban students. Across the four regions, the students in the southwest region had a higher smoking prevalence than those in the other three regions. Our findings suggest that rural boys and urban girls, especially those in the southwest region, are important populations for tobacco control interventions.
This Book was ranked 16 by Google Books for keyword middle graders.
Middle School Students' Quadrilateral Learning: A Comparison Study
By:
Published on 2007 by ProQuest
The objectives of this study were to investigate whether the use of technology, the Geometer's Sketchpad, is more effective than the use of traditional tools such as ruler and protractor to enhance eighth-grade students' understanding of quadrilaterals and their mathematical reasoning ability and to examine how the use of the Geometer's Sketchpad affects on the development of students' understanding and reasoning ability.
This Book was ranked 24 by Google Books for keyword middle graders.
Leading Middle School Students: Expectations of Memphis Middle and Middle/high School Principals' Leadership Proficiencies Based on the ISLLC Standards
By:
Published on 2007 by ProQuest
There is a major division between the faculty and the administration in many schools in the Memphis City Schools District. Although most principals were once teachers, the perception of the characteristics of a good leader, from the perspective of a teacher, are often different from that of a principal. The leadership skills necessary for principals have been identified by the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC). This study explored the difference in the prioritization of the ISLLC standards by teachers and principals in the true middle schools of Memphis as compared to those in the middle/high schools of the Memphis City Schools District. Contributing to the body of knowledge that prepares future teachers and leaders to create a positive atmosphere for the students in the schools of this district, this study found congruence in the ranking of the ISLLC standards among the teachers of middle school students in the Memphis City Schools District. Data in this study also revealed more congruence between the opinions of principals and teachers in the true middle schools of the district as opposed to the middle/high schools. These results expose a need for more communication between the principals and teachers regarding the goals of the school as they relate to leadership. An awareness and consensus of the most important ISLLC standards to each group at the beginning of each school year would foster a more collaborative atmosphere, stimulate higher ratings of job satisfaction, and create more opportunities for a successful school year for all stakeholders.
This Book was ranked 27 by Google Books for keyword middle graders.
The Relationship Between Self-regulated Learning and Academic Achievement in Middle School Students: A Cross-cultural Perspective
By:
Published on 2008 by ProQuest
Self-regulated learning is an individual's ability to initiate strategies to facilitate learning and to adjust those strategies based on learning situations (Zimmerman & Martinez-Pons, 1990). This study explored the relationship between self-regulated learning and academic achievement. Ethnic and socioeconomic differences in the types of self-regulated learning strategies used were also examined.
This Book was ranked 17 by Google Books for keyword middle graders.
Improving Literacy Instruction for Middle School Students Using the Daily Five
By:"Beth Ellen Weinrich"
Published on 2008 by ProQuest
This quantitative inquiry investigates whether the Daily Five literacy model could be implemented in a middle school literacy block and contributes to academic achievement as defined by district benchmarks. The Daily Five elementary instructional model was adapted for a middle school literacy block for this purpose, and its implementation was tested on two groups of students: one group of advanced placement sixth graders, and one group of general education sixth graders. Data collection included several forms of reading comprehension and vocabulary development measurements. Positive results involved academic achievement as defined by benchmark standards for the majority of students. Negative results centered around The Daily Five being usurped by instructional mandates to prepare for state testing.
This Book was ranked 28 by Google Books for keyword middle graders.
The Voices of Academically Successful Urban Middle School Students of Color
By:
Published on 2009 by ProQuest
A growing number of urban middle schools have been cited as not adequately serving the needs of Black and Hispanic students. Understanding how some Black and Hispanic students are able to achieve academic success in these settings may help to improve instruction for all students.
This Book was ranked 30 by Google Books for keyword middle graders.
Middle School Students' Learning and Motivation in Physical Education: A Self-determination Perspective
By:
Published on 2007 by ProQuest
Self-determination theory (SDT) explains human motivation by focusing on the importance of motivational regulation based on three basic needs: the needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness. SDT, when applied in education, emphasizes helping learners internalize extrinsic motivation so as to regulate their learning behavior from an amotivation state to intrinsic motivation. Guided by self-determination theory, the dissertation study was designed for two major purposes: (a) examining the inter-relationships of the components in the self-regulation model to verify its tenability in motivating middle school learners in physical education, and (b) identifying the contribution of the self-regulated motivations to knowledge and skill learning in physical education. Two separate studies were conducted to answer the research questions. In Study 1, 297 sixth grade students from 15 randomly selected middle schools provided need satisfaction and self-regulated motivation data for a two-step structural equation modeling analysis. The results indicated that students' satisfaction of autonomy and competence accounted for a large portion of variability in intrinsic motivation and in identified regulation. Satisfaction of autonomy also contributed to introjected regulation. Satisfaction of any of the needs did not contribute to the external regulation. It was also found that individuals who exhibited satisfaction in competence need lessened amotivation. Unexpectedly, it was found that satisfying the need for relatedness is likely to lead students to becoming amotivated in physical education. In Study 2, 242 participants provided data on SDT components and their learning on health related fitness knowledge and two motor skills determined using a pre- and post-assessment research design. Descriptive statistics showed that students were motivated but learned little. Subsequent structural equation modeling analyses revealed that extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation did not contribute to knowledge and skill achievement and amotivation impeded knowledge learning. The findings imply that when competence-based learning achievement is absent, learners can be motivated but do not achieve what they are expected to achieve. The findings provide theoretical insights to developing a constructivist learning environment to direct students' motivation toward learning in physical education and strongly suggest that a curriculum reform in physical education is needed to strengthen competence-based learning (knowledge and skill growth).
This Book was ranked 18 by Google Books for keyword middle graders.
