Early adolescence is a critical time for promoting emerging adolescents' positive social skill development and mental well-being. This investigation addresses unique characteristics of these relations by holistically examining how school-based social cohesion and school stress combine to impact peer aggression and prosocial behavior. Using a…

This study examined the extent to which student perceptions of classroom openness and personal characteristics were associated with civic engagement. Survey data including student perceptions of classroom openness, which indicates perceived levels of social and political discussions in the classroom, and personal characteristics such as gender,…

Nature conservation and environmental protection are not only visible in the media, but also play a role in the everyday life of young people, as evidenced by 'Fridays for Future', a demonstration for climate justice. To facilitate the embedding of conservation in school contexts, this study addresses the ideas and approaches which students have…

The present study examined how perceptions of school climate differ across subgroups of early adolescents with distinct patterns of involvement in aggression and victimization. We identified subgroups among 800 sixth-grade students (87% African American, 51% female) based on latent class analysis of items assessing aggression and victimization.…

A healthy family climate, including parents' attitudes towards their children and the quality of sibling relationships, is essential for child resilience. One of the domains where parental attitudes are determinative is the children's academic life. In an unhealthy family climate, for instance, parental pressure for academic success may cause…

Police stops often perpetuate racial disparities in academic outcomes, yet few studies have examined factors that mitigate these negative consequences. Using two longitudinal studies (Study 1: n = 483, M-age = 12.88, 53% males; Study 2: n = 131, M-age = 15.11, 34% males), this article tests whether parental and school cultural socialization…

This research aimed to establish the relationship between the social exclusion perceived by gifted and talented students and their sense of humor. Besides, the goal was to evaluate the relationship between the variables of the use of humor, the process of coping through a sense of humor, and the appreciating humor in cases of ignoring and avoiding…

Storytelling and drama are well-known teaching tools that can be used throughout the curriculum for the active participation of students in their own learning process. The introduction of robots in storytelling and drama activities provides students with a meaningful, multisensory, hands-on learning experience. This paper explores the potential…

Supportive classroom environments are associated with improved student outcomes, particularly during early adolescence (ages 10-14 years). Applying Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory to further investigate the microsystem of the school (Bronfenbrenner and Morris in The ecology of human development, Harvard University Press, Boston, 1998),…

The goal of this study was to examine the unique associations of aggression with peer status in a non-Western context. The moderating effects of peer community and teacher closeness at the classroom level and gender and grade at the individual level were considered. Participants were 1954 third to sixth grade students (M[subscript age] = 9.60…

Limited research attention has been devoted to disparate vulnerabilities to social-ecological risk factors and how these may explain group differences in bullying by race. To address this gap, the present study used data of early adolescent respondents (M[subscript age] = 11.2 years) from 36 public middle schools (N = 2701) to assess the nexus of…

Using a sample of 787 German students in 6th/7th grades (M[subscript age] = 12.9; SD = 0.70; 53.6% female) latent means of interest, flow experience, and learning strategies (elaboration, control strategies, and persistence) were compared from two contrasting learning contexts [teacher-directed learning (TDL) and making (self-directed learning)],…

Vertebrate species knowledge, a key factor for conserving biodiversity, is a compulsory part of school curricula. This study evaluated the vertebrate species knowledge of sixth-grade German grammar school pupils (aged 11-13) to investigate the influence of socio-demographic factors (gender, size of hometown, mother tongue), personal expectations…

In this paper, we present a qualitative study about the parental influences on sixth graders' mathematical identity. The case study was conducted in a Greek primary school where fifteen children were interviewed through a series of questions for each of the following axes: attainment, attitudes, values, nature of mathematics, self-confidence and…

The COVID-19 pandemic caused schools to shift to virtual or hybrid instruction, thrusting young adolescents into a very different educational environment. Stage-environment fit theory outlines ways in which educational contexts may, or may not, meet the developmental needs of young adolescents. Yet little is known about how virtual environments…