This study focused on parents' relationships and involvement in their children's lives and the effects on the students' school engagement and school performance. The study used the Wave I data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). The data on seventh and eighth grade students' school and family experiences were…

Presents research findings regarding motivation's role in music education. Explains that students in grades five through eight provided reactions to a fictitious band student's experience with failure. Reports that many respondents believed that the student would perform better, try harder, and receive the teacher's and fellow students' support in…

A middle school student helper teacher program based on some cooperative learning tenants provided alternative instruction to sixth grade instrumental students in music lessons that would have been severely curtailed due to budget reductions and increasing enrollment. Students were grouped on like instruments and divided into subgroups by ability.…

A study in Finland investigated the relationship of two general aspects of student motivation for second language learning (preference for challenge and curiosity) and motivation specific to the learning situation. Subjects were 292 sixth-graders and 301 eighth-graders, who performed two open and two closed English vocabulary tasks in two…

This manual describes the Mathematics Assessment Questionnaire (MAQ) and its development, provides relevant background from the research literature, describes approaches to the reporting and uses of the MAQ (including its use in instructional planning), and presents sample responses from students and classes. The MAQ provides teachers and students…

This program is for students of grades 8 and 9 who may function a year or two behind their age peers in mathematics. It is designed to develop concepts, skills, and attitudes required for effective computation and problem solving at home, in the classroom, in the workplace, and in the community. Other goals are to develop a positive self concept,…

This report describes an exemplary Oregon middle school that incorporates a comprehensive program of academic instruction and activity, a community of dedicated staff and involved students, and an orderly environment marked by a businesslike approach to teaching and learning. Outstanding components of Philomath Middle School's climate for learning…

Examines relationships between student interests and aptitude in selected academic fields and their success in intensive courses on these subjects. Discusses a two-year study of 33 mathematics students and 32 literature students in the eighth and ninth grades in the Soviet Union. Shows that differentiated, intensive study did not strengthen…