Describes the changes that have been made and are planned in the home economics curriculum in New York State. Changes discussed include living skills for males and females; four freestanding modules spread over grades six, seven, and eight; closer cooperation between home economics teachers and guidance personnel; and overlap with health…

Discusses a study which examined whether the social skill of responding appropriately to teacher questions could be taught using repeated (daily) exposure to an interactive video-based modeled sequence, and whether the use of role-play would have additional positive effects on rates of appropriate responding. (AEF)

Investigation of the roles of pubertal timing and pubertal status on school achievement for 115 boys and 137 girls followed through grades 6, 7, and 8 indicates that late-maturing boys have the lowest school achievement, whereas late-maturing girls have the highest. Followups at grade 12 indicate few long-term effects. (SLD)

Why do some adolescents cheat and others do not? To answer this question, the relationship between motivational factors and self-reported cheating beliefs and behaviors was examined in a sample of early adolescents. It was hypothesized that cheating and beliefs in the acceptability of cheating would be more likely to occur when students perceived…

This unit is one of a series that represents specific moments in history from which students focus on the meanings of landmark events. By studying a crucial turning point in history students become aware that choices had to be made by real human beings, that those decisions were the result of specific factors, and that they set in motion a series…

Recent studies have documented a decline in academic performance and motivation as students move from elementary to middle level schools. This paper expands these studies in three ways: (1) by examining the classroom-level differences among middle school students' motivation to see if motivational constructs vary by classroom; (2) by exploring the…

This study of metacognition and motivation explored variations over time in the relationships between children's metacognitions about their study activities and various components of motivation for achievement. The study attempted to: (1) identify possible causal relations between metacognitive and motivational variables by looking at their…

Designed for music educators instructing grades 4 through 8 in string instruments, this Mesa (Arizona) public schools guide presents information on the string curriculum, orchestras, and practicing. The goals and objectives for string instruments delineate grade levels and how student skills will be verified. Following 17 curriculum goal tests,…

The Teachers Achieving Success with Kids (TASK) mentorship program was designed to improve the attendance, discipline, academic achievement and attitudes of at-risk students attending an urban middle school. In order to develop positive relationships, 25 teacher-student pairs met each day away from the classroom setting and engaged in one hour…

The junior high school, typically grades 7-8 or 7-9, offers a program that is "not-quite-yet-but-trying-to-be" a high school. The organization of the middle school (commonly the grades 6-8), however, is based on a philosophy of education that was specifically designed to meet the special needs of a preadolescent learner; middle schools incorporate…

This study investigated whether Chapter 1 middle school students showed more achievement gain when delivery of the pull-out supplementary reading or mathematics instruction was "massed" in time blocks or "distributed" weekly across the school year. All students in one Middle School Chapter 1 Learning Center program participated…

Helping students learn about taking responsibility for the planning and shaping of their personal financial futures is this 13-lesson teaching unit's goal. Each lesson includes performance objectives, materials, motivational activities, development, and enrichment activities. Concepts are taught through worksheets, stories, and games. Students are…

A study assessing the instructional effects of increasing core French instruction in grade 8 from 20 to 40 minutes daily looks at students' acquisition of language skills, attitudes, and cultural awareness. A random sample of two groups of 150 students was chosen and the groups were administered different tests. Subjects were chosen randomly from…

This longitudinal study measured the impact of pubertal development, sex, race, and school type on the self-esteem of 12- and 13-year-old children. One of the questions being investigated was whether the move from a protected elementary school into a larger, more impersonal junior high affected children's self-image more negatively than did a move…

This curricular framework for the subject area section, Home Economics for Grades K-8, is one of eight Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools (MCPS) Programs of Studies. The Goals of Education adopted by the MCPS Board of Education are provided. A Point of View subsection includes reasons for studying the subject, general outcomes sought,…