Gifted children in grades 4 through 6 were presented with a list of 34 leadership positions and asked whether men, women, or either sex could hold that position. Analysis indicated that boys tended to have more traditional sex role stereotypes than did girls. (Author/DB)

Examines recent research on cultural and gender differences among early adolescents, focusing on friendship patterns, identity development, social expectations, self-esteem, learning styles, health concerns, achievement aspirations, and sex role attitudes and behaviors. Young adolescents benefit when middle-level educators provide opportunities…

Discusses research the author undertook with a class of fifth graders, in which they read and discussed popular series books. Shares examples of their talk about the topic and what that talk reveals about the potential of the classroom as a space to reveal, complicate, and challenge gendered assumptions about what is desirable or appropriate…

Development of positive self-concept is critical at the middle level, a time when students are gaining basic skills and knowledge, establishing patterns of interacting with people and ideas, and setting personal life goals. A survey of students at a North Dakota middle school found that girls' self-concept was much lower than boys'.…

As girls move into adolescence, they become vulnerable to certain psychological losses: those of clarity, self-confidence, and voice. Cooperative-learning research shows that female students (from middle-school to college) interact and perform better when participating in same-gender groups. To use single-gender groups effectively, teachers must…

Although current middle-level philosophy recommends a carefully planned transition between schools, many elementary school students continue to leave cohesive, self-contained classrooms for quasi-departmentalized middle schools with continuously changing class membership. A two-phase pilot study showed that (male) students in a constant-membership…

Considers how poetry for adolescents depicts female and male roles and examines portrayals of gender in young adult poetry. Finds volumes that both upheld and challenged traditional gender roles. Discusses five anthologies that provide a balance of poetry considered rich and some anthologies challenged for their assumptions regarding gender roles.…

This study examined the self-perception and motivational orientation of 49 intellectually gifted fourth and seventh graders. Compared to controls, the gifted children perceived themselves as more scholastically competent, better behaved, but less athletically competent. Gifted girls perceived themselves as more scholastically competent than either…

This study investigates how the psychological and social processes of children participating in an instructional program in critical thinking become engaged as children incorporate cultural and sex-typed information into the development of specific cognitive skills. Forty boys and girls randomly selected from four fifth-grade classes at two…

Examines the ways in which the boys and girls in three fourth-grade classrooms used writing to perform gender roles. Notes that the characters in girls' narrative writing demonstrated more emotion and more prosocial behaviors (helping, sharing, empathizing), whereas characters in boys' narrative writing exhibited more aggressive behavior and…

Highlights the experiences of three females (who were members of peer-led literature discussion groups) to examine notions of empowerment, student voice, and student silence. Finds that the discussion groups appeared to enact different conceptions of power. Discusses implications for instruction and research. (PA)

Unofficial, vernacular literacy of four diverse sixth-grade groups in a midwestern area was explored using naturalistic, direct observation in classrooms, informal interviews, and literacy survey. Research spanned the 1991-92 through the 1994-95 school years. The focus group, which was studied all 4 years of the research period, attended an…

Evaluated effective Classroom Management (ECM)-Elementary, an inservice course in which teachers (N=23) were taught communication, problem solving, and self-esteem enhancement techniques to encourage positive attitudes and eventually reduce student drug use. Results showed teachers regarded the training highly but treatment effects on students…

The influence of two subgroups (male and female) on their larger middle-school community are examined. Participant observation of two single-sex classes in an urban middle school reveals both negative and positive effects. The classes differed in organization, goals, sense of community, and actual or potential fracturing or strengthening effects.…

This quantitative/qualitative evaluation of an 80-hour course integrating the SCOPE Computer Program in Mathematics and Science into the curriculum for students, grades 6-12, was conducted to: (1) provide immediate feedback to facilitate improvement of the program; (2) determine course effects; and (3) provide practitioners with an effective…