This study described the self reports of 189 sixth through eighth grade students regarding the extent to which specific life events were perceived as upsetting. Specifically, the study sought to compare and rank perceptions of male and female students to determine differences in perceptions that may be associated with sex or age. (DF)

Examined relationship between relative age and achievement in middle school by investigating standardized mathematics and reading scores for 933 students. Found significant differences among relative age groups in only one area, sixth-grade reading. Found no main effect for gender and no interaction between age and gender in sixth, seventh, or…

This study of mathematics and science attitudes of 117 African-American gifted middle grade students found significant gender differences in attitude toward success in mathematics and perceptions of mathematics as a male domain. No significant grade differences or interactions were found in any of the variables. (Author/JDD)

Students with (n=45) and without (n=60) mild mental retardation were compared on nine measures of syntactic complexity in writing at three grade levels (grades six, seven, and eight). Multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant differences for group but not for grade level or group by grade level. (Author/DB)

A simple-structure factor analysis of test data from 149 sixth-grade children in Norway was conducted. Broad factors were interpreted to represent Visualization, Speediness, and Fluency, as well as Fluid and Crystallized Intelligence. The results are discussed in relation to the Cattell-Horn theory of intelligence. (Author/JAC)

An inventory of 424 students (grades 5-8) and study of 21 teachers found that 11.8% of the students scored in the clinical range of depression. The greatest proportion of students with depression were in grade eight, and teachers with more experience were better able to identify depressed students. (Author/CR)

This article examines naive conceptions of spatial reference that children bring to Logo programing language learning. Students from Grades 4, 5, 6, and 8 were introduced to six Logo commands, and then were tested on predicting the output for instances of each of the commands. (Author/LMO)

Replicated earlier studies on bullying using younger students. Findings from 178 fourth through eighth graders revealed that nearly 90% reported victimization by bullies. Bullying was seen as largely verbal phenomenon, with teasing as most common behavior reported. Although specific rates of bullying and reported trauma were higher among middle…

A study explored girls' emerging attitudes toward breast care and breast self-exam (BSE) and the extent to which girls had given thought to these issues. Analyses focused specifically on individual differences related to age, stage of breast development, perceived normalcy of breast development, and body image. The sample consisted of 43 white,…

The intention of this study was to discover how and to what extent children use simile and metaphor in their spontaneous oral language. Results showed that type of stimulus was the most influential factor in inducing children's oral metaphoric language, with the nature of the task also significant. (Author/GK)

This study, with 87 underachieving and 77 achieving gifted students in grades 6-9, found that general locus of control measures did not differentiate between the 2 groups, that both scored significantly higher on positive internal than on negative internal locus of control, and that there were no gender or grade effects. (Author/DB)

Two cohorts of students with and without learning disabilities were followed for three years, and they and their teachers annually rated their capabilities and efforts in science. Some age differences in student self-evaluation were found. Comparison of student and teacher ratings suggests that teachers often have higher expectations for students…

The Study Technique Questionnaire was administered to 914 students in grades 6-8, in grades 10-12, and in undergraduate school. The students were asked to describe, in detail, their preferred study technique for a fairly long reading assignment. The responses were reliably grouped into one of nine categories: read only; read and underline; read…

Administration of 2 affective tests to 89 students with learning disabilities (LD) in grades 4-8 revealed that subjects perceived the school environment and academic tasks as 2 separate factors. LD students, compared to nondisabled students, exhibited more positive attitudes toward the school environment than for academic learning tasks. School…