Middle level schools have special needs because of the characteristics of the age group served. Staff development is crucial for middle schools. Its purposes and major planning components are presented in this paper. Most mid-level educators were prepared for elementary or high school teaching and have a limited knowledge of early adolescent…

This experiment explored how incorporating the importance of task strategy use and positive achievement beliefs into cognitive modeling affected self-efficacy and skill acquisition. Students deficient in division skills received cognitive modeling of division solution strategies and practice opportunities. For one group of students the cognitive…

"Skills for Adolescence" is a drug prevention program designed specifically for young adolescents (ages 10 to 14) which features a course for grades 6-8 that can be offered in conjunction with classes in language arts, social studies, health, and related content areas, providing opportunities for students to use the skills of reading, writing,…

The relationship between altruistic behavior and popularity found in young children becomes much less defined with older children. In a paired-comparison procedure, 144 children from two elementary schools ranked the relative attractiveness as a potential friend of four fictional children described as altruistic, prosocial-aggressive, good at…

The study examined the perceptions of two gifted samples (n=54) and a nongifted control group (n=130) of preadolescent boys (ages 12-13) regarding their school and peer experiences, intrafamily roles, discipline and identification models, and career choices. Results of a 62-item questionnaire indicated that the group identified as having…

Service learning has been proposed as one strategy to empower youth, engage students, and provide real-life applications for classroom learning. One model of service learning, "The Helper Model," which was designed specifically for use with middle school students, is presented here. Data to test the model were collected from over 500…

The quality of the parent-parent relationship is considered as an important factor for managing stressful family crises. The assumption in this study is that specific patterns of parent-parent communication make it easier or more difficult to adjust to changes in the family that are required when the first child enters early adolescence. In a…

Summarizes work by three researchers in the area of young people and libraries. The first examined library habits of pregnant teenagers; the second explored reading interests of children and adolescents and factors involved in their selection of reading materials; and the third advocated making research relevant to those involved in collecting…

A study analyzed the potential rhetorical impact of AIDS-related television programming directed at preadolescents. The four programs selected for the study were all submitted in the children's television category of the Peabody Awards competition for the 1987-1988 season. They are (1) an episode of the PBS children's documentary series…

This study attempted to systematically explore the range of variation in social response in 17 subjects (ages 5 to 15) with infantile autism. To collect observational data on social initiations, social responses, social monitoring with eye contact, and responses to specific types of social events, subjects were observed during free play in their…

Discusses how Montessori infant and toddler communities provide an occasion for child development education for upper elementary and adolescent students within the school. Uses a question-and-answer format to illustrate how the program addresses the reality of lifestyles other than that of the traditional family. (Author/KB)

Summarizes current research on teaching children to love reading, and identifies techniques that can be used by parents, teachers and librarians to foster this attitude. The topics discussed include the value of reading aloud to children, selecting children's books, the different interests of boys and girls, and reading to develop values. (six…

This study developed representations of the LOGO programming process which provide the basis for strategy analyses and a new perspective on problem solving in complex, semantically rich task environments such as LOGO. Nine students, ages 10 to 14, who had been identified as gifted and had previous programming experience, were trained in the…

From 1990 to 1992, 13,065 secondary students in selected midwestern school districts filled out questionnaires asking for information on their use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and cocaine. The questionnaires also requested information on the following variables: the student's involvement in activities in and out of school, employment, church…

Support services in the schools, such as guidance counseling, have been and are necessary and integral components of an ever-changing educational agenda. Guidance remains a vital responsibility of education. This study collected a variety of job-related and professional information from counseling personnel (N=147) who provided services to early…