The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the demographic characteristics of middle school students on their mathematics performance on the STAAR examination. More specifically, this study examined the effect of the variables gender, ethnicity, and at-risk status, separate and collectively, on the four mathematics components…

The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to examine if gender and participation in a STEM curriculum have separate and/or interacting statistically significant effects on academic achievement of 8th grade middle school students attending Arizona Title I middle schools. The theoretical foundation was cognitive learning theory, which…

This study examined student learning outcomes from a middle school computer science (CS) curriculum developed through a researcher and practitioner partnership (RPP) project. The curriculum is based on students creating mobile apps that serve community and social good. We collected two sets of data from 294 students in three urban districts: (1)…

The transition to online learning due to COVID-19 changed the nature of participation in class. Typically quiet middle grades girls who had struggled to participate in their in-person classes were provided many different avenues to contribute to class online. While prior research has examined the reasons students are quiet and the ways teachers…

This paper reports the findings of a quasi-experimental study that investigated the impacts of effective group work on Hong Kong science classrooms. One hundred and fifty-two Secondary 2 (or Grade 8) students from two schools participated in a teaching intervention (comprising 16 lessons) in which they studied the topic 'Making Use of Electricity'…

Grounded in Self-Determination Theory, this study examined trends in depression and the longitudinal impacts of teacher autonomy support and teacher-student relationships on students' depressive symptoms. A total of 1613 Chinese primary school students (48.17% females) and 1397 Chinese middle school students (47.67% females) completed self-report…

Emotions are central to how students experience mathematics, yet we know little about how specific instructional practices relate to students' emotions in mathematics learning. We examined how dialogic instruction, a socially dynamic form of instruction, was associated with four learning emotions in mathematics: enjoyment, pride, anger, and…

While it is well established that positive peer relationships lead to positive outcomes, little is known about the mediating role of school motivation on the association between perceived peer support and school achievement among middle grades students. Even less is known about the effect of gender on this mediation. The current study examined…

Motivating girls to enroll in computer science (CS) courses is critically important. Stereotypes that girls are less interested than boys in CS may deter girls. Three preregistered experimental studies (N = 1,053) examined causal links between gender-interest stereotypes and middle school students' CS motivation. Experiment 1 showed that…

This study aimed to explore if there was a significant difference in student performance in ELA and Math in middle school grades six through eight, pre- and post-COVID-19. This study aimed to identify student performance deficiencies in grades six through eight relating to gender, socioeconomic status, and race. The significance of this study is…

Background: Promoting and improving STEM education is being driven by economic concerns as modern economies have a rising demand for qualified researchers, technicians, and other STEM professionals. In addition, women remain under-represented in STEM-related fields, with significant economic and societal consequences. Abundant research has shown…

To increase engagement with science and technology, young people around the world are encouraged to attend activities at science centers. But how effective are these activities? Since women have weaker ability beliefs and interest in technology than men, it is especially important to learn how science center visits affect them. In this study, we…

The aim of the present study was to assess the energy-, environmental-, and climate change literacy among primary and middle school students in selected cities of Ethiopia. This survey study was conducted in primary and middle schools found in six cities and involved a total of 1589 students. The finding indicate that the participants of the study…

The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative research study was to compare the mathematics and science achievement of eighth-grade students in STEM vs. nonSTEM middle schools in Middle Georgia. There was minimal research in regard to the benefits STEM education has on middle schools in Middle Georgia as the initial push and adoption of STEM…

The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented disruptions to teaching and learning. In March 2020, COVID-19 pandemic was recognized as a life-threatening virus, therefore, schools across the United States of America had an induced lockdown, which prevented the continuation of in-person learning. Adjustments, quickly, were made to the learning…