In this paper We present a pilot study providing ICT resources at some Italian junior high schools. In 2009, 156 classes at 6th grade were endowed with additional resources earmarked for purchasing ICT equipment. By selecting an equivalent number of classes in the same schools, we are able to conduct an evaluation of the causal effect of ICT on…

Encouraging early development of career maturity has a wide variety of benefits for both students and society (Berger et al., 2007; Council of Canadian Academies, 2015; Hedlund, 1993; Hektner 1995; Welde et al., 2016). This large study of students in grades 6-9 in Nova Scotia showed that such programs are currently needed, especially regarding…

After accepting the principal position at Farmersville (TX) Junior High, the author decided to increase instructional rigor through question mapping because of the success he saw using this instructional practice at his prior campus. Teachers are the number one influence on student achievement (Marzano, 2003), so question mapping provides a…

This grounded theory study examined the perceived effects of a cohort of seven secondary-level teachers earning a reading endorsement in a single-district sponsored professional development program. The researcher collected data through semi-structured personal interviews with the teachers, their principal, and the director of special services for…

The research involved examining the nature of the transition that students experienced in progressing to junior high school from primary school. Students' experiences were chosen as the focus of the research because the issue of substance being investigated was that of alienation. The main methodology that was used was the qualitative procedure of…

Fourth-, sixth-, and eighth-grade children were tested with different methodologies for deriving measures of their knowledge of interlandmark distances and directions on their school campus. Overall results emphasized that measures derived from children's estimates of direction information were not comparable with measures derived from their…

Investigated multidimensional models of self-concept. Administered Self-Description Questionnaire-I and Multidimensional Self-Concept Scale to 43 fifth and sixth graders; Self-Description Questionnaire-II and Multidimensional Self-Concept Scale to 38 eighth graders. Total scale scores were significantly correlated, reflecting similarity in…

Intended to increase reading motivation in students, this book features tales of ghosts and poltergeists. The tales range from the legendary to the contemporary. These accounts of ghost stories in the book provide subject matter for thoughtful interpretation and discussion, while challenging students in four critical reading categories: main idea,…

Presents examples of students' work to illustrate the typical approaches used at sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade levels and four common threads that are consistent with student development as observed in a Connected Mathematics Project class. (ASK)

This study looked at student difficulties with fractions by focusing on understanding of part/whole relationships. The sample consisted of two sixth-grade and two eighth-grade classes. A lack of substantial improvement from sixth to eighth grade on many fraction tasks was noted and viewed as cause for concern. (MP)

Investigates students' sensitivity to compare/contrast, description, enumeration, and sequence text structures using an error-detection paradigm. Finds that task (oral recall and recognition), text structure, and grade level differentially affect students' sensitivity to the four text structures. (RS)

T-algebra is a project for creating an interactive learning environment for expression manipulation tasks of elementary algebra. Our main didactical principle has been that all the necessary decisions and calculations at each solution step should be made by the student, and the program should be able to understand the mistakes. This paper…

This study investigated whether the van Hiele model accurately describes the geometric thinking of gifted students in the 6th through 8th grades prior to a formal course in geometry and made comparisons with what has been found with other populations. The results from 120 students who completed a 25-item multiple choice paper-and-pencil test,…

In a replication of two studies, the author found that sixth and eighth graders performed comparably to their counterparts of 60 years ago on reading comprehension and vocabulary tests. (MKM)

Developed two parallel short forms of Crandall Social Desirability Test for Children (CSDTC) and validated forms using factor analytical instrument reduction techniques on data from two samples of sixth and eighth graders (N1=356; N2=181). Concluded that short forms should be of use to those researching sensitive and/or controversial topics such…