The predictive validity of the mathematics subtest of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT-M) was investigated for 1,996 mathematically gifted (top 1 percent) seventh and eighth graders through academic achievements assessed over 10 years. The SAT-M appears to have predictive validity for differentiating highly able seventh and eighth graders. (SLD)

Tests a model of the effects of negative social sanctions that considers the mediating effects of self-rejecting feelings associated with perceived rejection and failure. Results with 1,925 seventh graders asked about drug use are compatible with theoretical premises underlying the predicted association between negative social sanctions and…

Perceptions of 520 Israeli seventh graders of teachers' differential behavior toward high and low achievers were compared with those of 17 teachers themselves. In a second experiment, teachers received feedback, which decreased the gap between students' and teachers' perceptions, although contrasting perceptions of emotional support given to low…

Discussion of collaborative learning focuses on a study of seventh-grade social studies students that was conducted to determine whether incorporating structure and training into collaborative, computer-based learning would improve achievement, self-esteem, or increase the number of explanations given. Treatment groups that included regular and…

Proposes middle-school curriculum integrating two diverse disciplines (home economics and science), incorporates social issues, and deals with fundamental concerns of young adolescents. Three major areas are included in framework: food additives for appeal, science of textile fibers, and chemistry of household cleaning. All should be taught by…

In a follow-up study, academic achievement results from 2 years later are added to data from 1990 for 1,208 seventh and ninth graders for whom relationships between achievement and time use were studied. Results focus on competition of time uses for the time and attention of the adolescent. (SLD)

Reports a study which looked for measurable differences between the vocabulary achievement scores of remedial reading elementary students (mostly Hispanic) taught with teacher instruction and those taught with computer assisted instruction (CAI). Although the differences were not statistically significant, consistent improvement was measured for…

Explored were the relationships among students' mathematics language facility, procedural mathematics knowledge, and understanding and application of mathematics concepts. Findings indicate that students needed both procedural knowledge and language facility in mathematics for an acceptable level of conceptual achievement. (CW)

Describes a teaching activity in which middle school students draw maps based on map models used in ancient Babylon. Contends that this approach serves as a transition from the study of world civilizations in grade six to the U.S. history course in grade seven. Includes 10 student-created maps and student comments about the activity. (CFR)

An instrument based on the PRECEDE model was used to assess the effectiveness of a one-period AIDS education program for adolescents. Data analysis indicated significant differences between pretest and posttest scores for knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs for those who completed the program. (SM)

Describes how two teachers collaborated with a university-based researcher/teacher educator to design and implement more authentic science in a grade 7 classroom. Discusses the ways in which the teachers changed their views about science and science teaching, the anxieties they experienced, and the institutional constraints that impacted their…

Reports on a research project that investigated seventh grade science students' cognitive, affective, and physical behaviors as they used the Yahooligans! search engine to find information on a specific search task. Describes measurement techniques that included software, interviews, and questionnaires, and discusses implications for user training…

Investigated seventh- and ninth-graders' school context, motivation, and behavior during transition to high school. Found more positive motivational contexts in ninth than seventh grade. Found that seventh-grade discipline referrals, doubts about the economic value of education, and negative expectations of peers and teachers discriminated between…

Argues that the key to helping one seventh-grade boy make the transition from non-reader to reader was in changing his self-image as a non-reader. Shows how he became actively engaged in reading and writing when he felt valued, took risks, and developed his own ideas. Argues for more closely aligning students' lives within school and outside…

Describes a seventh-grade class project in which students researched a specific social problem, proposed an action plan, and took steps to implement the plan. Students who chose problems closer to home (the elderly, literacy, dropouts) were able to develop more effective action plans. (MJP)