As part of a renewed focus on current environmental concerns, the new geography programs set out for middle schools introduced new subjects on global change in 2015, subsequently replaced by a focus on climate change in 2020. The case study approach to teaching, imposed by official directives, makes it difficult for middle school students to…

The middle-school years (Year 7 to Year 9) is a particular challenge for socially disadvantaged populations, with high proportions of children either repeating school years or dropping out of school. In Australia, a group of particular concern is First Nations children for whom there is a collective effort by all governments to improve education…

This study investigates how sensitively the current grit measure (Grit-S) is able to reflect the differences between individuals (i.e. item discrimination) and change within individuals (i.e. sensitivity to change of items) using longitudinal data. Data from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Study 2018 of elementary (fourth grade) and middle…

This study examined associations between perceived popularity trajectories and changes in proactive and reactive aggression in middle adolescence. The sample included 1,374 adolescents from 5 cohorts who were followed from Grade 7 to Grade 9 (49% males, M[subscript age] = 12.67 years, SD = 0.67). Popularity trajectories were identified based on…

Typically a longitudinal growth modeling based on item response theory (IRT) requires repeated measures data from a single group with the same test design. If operational or item exposure problems are present, the same test may not be employed to collect data for longitudinal analyses and tests at multiple time points are constructed with unique…

Patterns of consumption and production are not sustainable in developed/developing countries. In developed countries, the levels of pollution, especially those causing global change, are far too high and trends go in the wrong direction. In developing countries, there is too much strain on the local resource base, and this strain is increasing due…