This essay examines learners' understanding of how they use role. It draws upon a semi-structured interview with five Year 7 students, which took place after their first lesson exploring "Darkwood Manor," a gothic sequence of drama. Considering the elements which shape how they adopt roles in the classroom, I interrogate the students'…

The concerns over school segregation have gained salience in Finland in the last two decades, paralleling the discussions elsewhere in Europe. This article examines from the pupil perspective, how school segregation and school selection are 'lived' in a lower secondary school in the metropolitan area of Helsinki. Using the concept of borderwork, I…

Through a case study of a seventh-grade ELA teacher, this article examines New Literacies pedagogy and more specifically a digital video project amid high-stakes testing pressures that often place limitations on teaching and learning.

This longitudinal study investigated whether cybervictimisation is an additional risk factor for depressive symptoms over and beyond traditional victimisation in adolescents. Furthermore, it explored whether certain coping strategies moderate the impact of cybervictimisation on depressive symptoms. A total of 765 Swiss seventh graders (mean age at…

The present study examines the relative role of three distinct types of peer relationships (reciprocated friendships, frequent interactions, and shared group membership) in within-year changes in academic self-concept and engagement before and after the transition to middle school (fifth and seventh grade). In a series of linear regression…

Cellular telephones have become an increasingly prevalent feature of contemporary American life, with usage often beginning during early adolescence. With this in mind, twenty 7th graders and their mothers participated in separate qualitative interviews regarding early adolescents' use of cell phones as well as perceived risks and benefits of such…

Background: This intervention study examined the prevalence of bullying in an urban/suburban middle school and the impact of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP). Methods: A quasi-experimental design consisting of a time-lagged contrast between age-equivalent groups was utilized. Baseline data collected for 158 students prior to…

This study investigated the effectiveness of an expressive writing intervention in a sample of Italian early adolescents on internalizing and post-traumatic stress symptoms and coping strategies. Participants were 153 Italian adolescents (48% male), attending 7th grade (M = 12.24 yrs, SD = 0.47). Youth were randomly assigned either to write about…

The current study considers how the structure of peer networks facilitates or constrains children's opportunities to engage in relationally aggressive behaviors such as social exclusion and rumor spreading. Specifically, the influence of two network features, centrality and density, on relational aggression are explored using grade-level…

Different functions within different forms of aggression were examined in relation to peer-perceived preference and popularity among middle school students. Two hundred and three 7th grade students were nominated by a subset of their grade mates based on indices of likeability, popularity, and aggressiveness. Both linear and curvilinear…

The study aims were, first, to examine the associations between the type and intensity of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and peer and parent relationships. Second, the study explored gender- and age-specific ICT usage and their associations with peer and parent relationships. The participants were 478 Finnish 10- and 13-year-old…

This study investigates shared and unique associations of early adolescent friendship and peer victimization with self reports of school liking and teacher reports of academic competence. Participants were 398 sixth and seventh grade students and their teachers and peers. Measures of friendship included self reports of friendship support and…

This study aims to examine the relationships between social withdrawal, peer rejection and peer victimization among Taiwanese middle school students as well as to explore the applicability of relevant models in an East Asia culture context. The sample of this study consists of 219 7th grade students from middle schools in Taiwan. Data from…

Middle schoolers are developing skills for learning. Part of those skills is learning how to be an active participant in class and take control over their classroom behavior. Students who are not actively listening or participating are not internally motivated to learn the material. It was my hope that by reflecting upon their participation each…

This paper explores the social positions that students construct and the patterns of participation that different individuals and groups achieve within a classroom community of practice. Using a form of collective argumentation to promote student involvement in the practices of a disciplinary community of mathematicians, the study employed a…