Gender attitudes are usually viewed as products of the socialization process and therefore may be viewed as modifiable behaviors. Of great practical importance is the discovery of how they are formed, how they are organized in the mind, and how they may be changed. A study attempted to determine if exposing middle school students to…

The difficulty students have in transferring what they have learned to "real life" situations is emerging as a major problem. This action research project examined the impact of an intervention to improve transfer of learning by means of student journals and projects, and graphic organizers. Participating in this research were 68…

This report describes a project designed to decrease the number of missing, incomplete, and late assignments of seventh-grade students in a middle school science class. The students attended a small parochial school in a suburb of a large midwestern city. The students' problems with organization were documented through anecdotal records; surveys…

Seventh grade students in three schools in different communities in the Midwest were described by parents and teachers as not exhibiting acceptable responsibility for their own learning and not showing respect or ownership for their learning environments. This paper describes a program designed for improving these students' responsibility for…

This report describes a plan that was developed for improving middle school student writing skills and attitudes toward writing. The targeted population consisted of seventh and eighth graders in a low to middle class community located in western Illinois. The problems of weak writing skills, ineffective use of the writing process, and poor…

This action research project evaluated a program to reduce inappropriate behavior and maximize prosocial skills. The program involved development and implementation of cooperative learning, weekly prosocial lessons, a conflict resolution program, and a community service project. The target population consisted of 240 seventh and eighth grade…

This report describes a program for improving moral character to increase academic achievement. Targeted population consisted of middle school students in a growing middle class community in a northern suburb of Chicago, Illinois. The problem, an absence of proper moral character, was documented through data collected from discipline referrals to…

This report describes a program for improving the retention of science concepts and motivation through the use of technology. The targeted population consisted of seventh grade students in a suburb of a large Midwestern city. The problem, due to lack of access to technology, was documented through student surveys, teacher observation, previous…

The major purpose of this study was to compare self-instructional mastery and nonmastery treatments to determine if there are differences in learning, retention, and time-to-testing of high, middle, and low aptitude students. Twenty grade 7 classes from the Savannah-Chatham County School District served as the experimental population. Students…

An action research project implemented a program for improving the reading skills of at-risk middle school students. The targeted population consisted of fifth- and seventh-grade students in a rural, middle class community located in northeastern Illinois. Evidence for the problem includes teacher observation, checklists, standardized tests, and…

A study determined the relationship, if any, between students' learning styles and the types of books they choose to read independently, as well as the amount of time they spend reading independently. Study participants were 72 seventh-grade students attending a middle school in Cobb County, Georgia, who had scored 70 or above in any of the four…

A program was implemented for increasing writing and problem solving skills to increase educational achievement. The targeted populations consisted of sixth and seventh grade students from two growing middle class suburban communities located in the Midwest. The problems of inadequate writing and problem solving skills were documented through data…

A 12-week study evaluated the use of specific teaching techniques for improving the writing of 7th-grade students of English as a Second Language (ESL) in a process-oriented writing classroom. The subjects, 24 students of varied linguistic backgrounds, were pre-tested during the first week on writing skills, grammar awareness, and writing…

This action research study examined the problem of the loss of commitment to schoolwork by middle level students as evidenced by missing assignments; late work, incomplete work, or both; and an attitude of indifference on the part of the students. The study also reviewed a variety of strategies to improve student learning and students' view of…