The current study examined the extent to which sixth grade students used their pre-existing topic beliefs to guide comprehension of semantic ideas within multiple conflicting texts, and the sources providing them. Adolescents completed an inventory assessing their pre-reading topic beliefs one week prior to the study. During the study, students…

In this study, a mixed method was used. The sample consisted of 175 female and 155 male fifth-, sixth- and seventh-grade students studying in a public secondary school in the Central Anatolia Region in Turkey. The sample was used in accordance with a cluster sampling method, a type of probability sampling. In the quantitative dimension of the…

The paper presents the results of the pre-research conducted under the project entitled "Seniors in the Eyes of Children". The main objective of the project was to create and test a research tool in order to establish what the attitudes of pupils to old age and seniors were. Semantic differential was chosen for these purposes. Semantic…

This research examined the process and conditions of social projection of biased ethnic attitudes to classmates in two samples of Grades 4-6 children (n = 342, M[subscript age] = 10.75, SD = 0.98; 49% girls; and n = 525, M[subscript age] = 10.49 years, SD = 0.96; 51% girls). Children reported on the ethnic group norm in their classroom and on…

In the present study, we examine the personal belief in a just world (PBJW) for teachers and learners in predominantly Afrikaans-speaking South African schools, and the relationship between teachers' PBJW and their perception of problem behaviour in the classroom. The study is informed by national debates of school violence in South African…

Mathematics related affect turn from positive to negative during comprehensive school years worldwide. There is a clear need to find solutions to the problem. However, some gaps and problems appear in the methodologies and the common approaches used in the field. This article discusses five studies addressing affective development, challenges some…

The relevance of environmental attitudes is obvious and attitudes towards farm and companion animals and animal welfare in medical research are an important aspect of education. However, both have rarely been linked with each other, and animal attitudes are only sparsely represented within environmental education assessment instruments. Linking…

We tested whether gender-specific vs. common classroom norms were more powerful moderators of the association between a risk factor (rejection) and peer victimization among girls and boys. The participants were 1220 elementary schoolchildren from grades 4-6 (with 10-13 years of age). We compared different multilevel models including combined vs.…

Outreach activities, like mobile science exhibitions, give opportunities to hands-on experiences in an attractive learning environment. We analysed attitudes, motivation and learning during a science exhibition visit, their relations to gender and future educational plans in Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Belgium (N = 1210 sixth-graders). Pupils'…

Purpose of this study was to investigate civilized and uncivilized behaviors in the classroom, the emotions and reactions towards them, as well as the strategies aiming to prevent these kinds of behaviors from the point of view of students and teachers attending second stage of primary education (6th, 7th and 8th grades). As a qualitative research…

Social coping and self-concept were explored among Irish (n = 115) and American (n = 134) grades 3-8 students. Denying one's giftedness or the impact it has on peer relationships were associated with poor self-concept in both samples. Among Irish students, denying giftedness was associated with more positive self-concept when paired with a high…

Students' attitudes, intentions and behaviours towards their peers with disabilities are important to their mutual co-existence and development. The aim of this study was to investigate a) whether students' attitudes and intentions towards their schoolmates with disabilities are related to their general and modified behavior in mainstream physical…

Four million individuals under the age of 21 admit to consuming alcohol in any given month. This is a significant statistic considering alcohol is responsible for most health problems related to drugs among adolescents. Research has shown that the high influence of alcohol advertising may encourage adolescents to emulate the behaviors seen in…

Network position ("isolate," "member," "liaison"), peer-group substance use, and their interaction were examined as predictors of cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use in a sample of 163 urban sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. Two measures of peer substance use were compared: one based on social network analysis…

Globalization and increased diversity within student populations generate a growing impetus toward a multicultural approach to music education in today's schools; however, student responses to world music are often initially negative (Shehan, 1985). This study investigates whether sixth-grade students become more appreciative of Indonesian Gamelan…