Research has identified several factors which may be stressful in early adolescence, including school change, puberty, and family changes. This study used a longitudinal cohort sequential design to examine whether stressful changes in early adolescence have impact beyond early adolescence. Of the 335 sixth graders initially sampled, 169 were…

This study on the attitudes of middle and junior high school students toward extracurricular activities focused on investigating differences in attitudes of male and female students, rural and urban students, and black and white students. Subjects were 1,383 middle and junior high school students randomly selected from 13 school districts in…

Friendships of early adolescence are generally accepted as having special significance for psychological development. This study was conducted to examine the sources of conflict between friends during early adolescence; to assess the social-cognitive developmental level of early adolescents; and to explore the relationships among sources of…

Being older rather than younger than most of one's classmates is presumed to provide benefits to students throughout elementary and secondary school. The present study investigated this age status hypothesis among students before and after the transition to middle school in sixth grade with respect to school strain, self-esteem, and grade point…

This paper reviews some literature on the emergence of formal reasoning and reports a study of reasoning performance of 213 middle grade students in relationship to grade level and chronological age. While a number of large-scale studies have indicated that formal reasoning emerges in a regular progression across age ranges and grade levels, few…

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,…

This teacher guide illustrates how guidance may be integrated into classroom instruction in grades four through six and highlights ways in which teachers can build a fully integrated guidance process in their classrooms. Section A explains the purpose of the manual as helping teachers to focus on the guidance process as it relates to five guidance…

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…

This paper reviews the literature concerning attitudes of fifth and sixth grade students to provide background information for instructional designers and scriptwriters from the Skills Essential to Learning Project, which develops television/film series and related print materials for different grade levels to enhance the teaching of thinking…

Ratings of the physical attractiveness of 11-to-12-year-old children were obtained, and the association between physical attractiveness and teachers' judgements of these children were examined. Teachers revealed a systematic tendency to rate girls higher than boys, and significant sex differences were observed in teachers' ratings of…

Examined the influence of age, social class, and maternal employment on changes in nutrition knowledge and dietary quality following a nutrition education program for 10- to 13-year-olds. Results indicated that nutrition knowledge but not dietary quality were increased by the program. (JAC)

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…

Offers background on constructivism as a means of reconceptualizing the ways in which students learn. Given this concept of learning and the Montessori emphasis on contextualized learning, investigates the potential role of the Internet and the World Wide Web in the classroom, including examples of classroom use and career development. (Author/SD)