The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of adjunct aids in the form of questions on ninth graders' comprehension of 3,500-word passages. Specifically, the study focused on the effect on literal comprehension of content and process stimulus questions written at the cognitive levels of memory and evaluation when positioned before and…

This study examines the influence of perceived risks as well as the understudied role of benefits on alcohol and marijuana use among adolescents and adults. Ninth grade students and young adults were asked about the perceived risks and benefits of alcohol and marijuana use. Analyses showed a consistent pattern: perceived benefits were more…

The purpose of the present study is to examine the effect of instruction based on constructivist approach on 9th grade students' understanding of chemical bonding concepts (n=41). Also, the effects of gender differences were investigated. Control group students were taught by traditional instruction. Experimental group students were instructed by…

Research has suggested that important research questions can be addressed with meaningful interpretations using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). The proper interpretation of results, however, is invariably linked to the choice of centering for the Level-1 predictor variables that produce the outcome measure for the Level-2 regression analysis.…

A study explored the developing literacy response of adolescents through writing by investigating three characteristics: patterns, individual variations, and the effects of genre on response. Subjects, 7 grade nine students from a small private secondary school on the west coast of Canada, were selected for their wide reading experiences. Subjects…

A study examined the effects of training students in two kinds of self-questioning strategies, critical self-questioning and interpretive self-testing, on their acquisition of information from a science text. Subjects, 175 ninth-grade students from a junior high school in southeastern Idaho, were blocked according to their reading ability and then…

A study examined how collaborative writing groups functioned in a Madison, Wisconsin high school classroom. The class in the study was ninth-grade English "Academically Motivated" (which is neither high nor low tracked). The researcher spent the first 9-week quarter in the classroom observing, taking field notes, teaching some of the classes that…

The ecological perspective holds that community and school activities are a rare product of interaction among adolescents, communities, families, and schools. This study was designed to assess the outcomes of a personal empowerment program. The sample consisted of 25 male and 27 female ninth grade students. Students took a pretest and received a…

In an effort to determine whether the metacognitive strategy of self-questioning enhances lecture comprehension, 56 Honors Program ninth graders in two sections of a freshman honors world history course were assigned to four conditions. Subjects: (1) were trained to pose questions for themselves during classroom lectures and to use their questions…

A study was conducted to determine the effects of a ninth-grade experience-based career education (EBCE) program upon occupational sex role stereotyping. Twenty-four volunteers were assigned to the EBCE group and twenty-four assigned to the control group. The career education group met four class periods per week and one full day per week for…

This study's purpose was to investigate effects of heightened anxiety upon writing performance of subjects with different levels of creativity and prior anxiety. Eighty ninth-graders were divided by median splits on test scores into high and low creativity and prior anxiety levels. Subjects produced editorial essays half under high and half under…

Starting from a situated cognition perspective, this paper reports on the activity of 9th grade students who are interpreting the shape of a graph arising from the motion of a bouncing ball. In an unfamiliar context, informed by previous knowledge of similar experiments, the obstacle of understanding why the graph does not start from the origin is…

The goal of this research is to compare the effectiveness of two teaching methods (inducing a cognitive conflict, or ICC, versus direct teaching, DT) for students of two academic levels (low versus high) regarding gains in the ability to use the control of variables strategy. 121 students who learned in a heterogeneous school were divided into…

Although much attention has been devoted to the study of social competence in the past decade, few researchers have examined the adolescent age group. These two studies examined what behaviors are important for positive peer relations in adolescence. In the first study 1,142 ninth-graders (577 males, M age=14.78; 565 females, M age=14.61) from 7…

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors and data that influenced the key implementation decisions of a ninth-grade dropout intervention program in a large urban high school in 1987-1988. The school district was composed of 12 high schools, 15 middle schools, and 48 elementary schools, and served approximately 40,000 students. Data…