Negative mood regulation expectancies (NMRE) represent people's beliefs that they can use behaviors and cognitions to alleviate unpleasant emotional states. The relationship between NMRE and measures of affect, coping, depression, and anxiety with youth in Grades 4 through 8 (N = 539) was examined. In hierarchical regressions, scores on an NMRE…

Learning to write in middle school requires the expansion of sentence-level and discourse-level language skills. In this study, we investigated later language development in the writing of a cross-sectional sample of 235 upper elementary and middle school students (grades 4-8) by examining the use of (1) lexico-grammatical forms that support…

The ability and to make good estimates is essential, as is the ability to assess the reasonableness of estimates. These abilities are becoming increasingly important as digital technologies transform the ways in which people work. To estimate is to provide an approximation to a problem that is mathematical in nature, and the ability to estimate is…

Identified teacher decisions related to achievement gains by implementing the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' Standards. Results indicated that there was correlation between time span and problem solving gain as well as computation achievement gain, and the number of times teachers chose to use manipulatives to teach. (MOK)

Conducted 4-month participant/observation and 52 interviews with sixth and seventh graders. Identified six categories that students viewed as being their responsibilities for learning: doing work, obeying rules, paying attention, learning or studying, trying/making effort, and responsibility as something given or taken. (Author/NB)

Many educators believe that middle grades schools have a responsibility to capitalize on the natural curiosity of young adolescents through the use of an exploratory curriculum to help students understand the world in which they live. This study examined the status of middle grades exploratory programs in Alabama. A 22-item questionnaire was sent…

Examined extent to which sixth and seventh grade students' (n=133) preference for outdoor activity changed during middle school. Found that boys', compared to girls', preference to play outdoors existed only in sixth grade. Factor analyses indicated three factors describing students: Teachers' Choice, Active Female Oriented, and Outdoor Male…

This report is an examination of recommended and actual school-based guidance policies, programs, and practices for young adolescents. The information is drawn from Canadian and international publications, and from a survey of guidance and career education programs for grades 7-8 in Ontario boards of education and schools, called The 1990 Ontario…

This document articulates the goals and objectives of the middle school guidance program in Orange County, Florida Public Schools system. Professional roles and responsibilities are discussed, as well as program implementation. These goals to assist students are listed for the middle school guidance program: (1) understanding the school…

This study used an open-ended problem-solving approach to teaching and assessing middle school students' understanding of the concept of arithmetic average. Three main results of this study show evidence of positive instructional impact on students' understanding of the concept of average: (1) the number of students who gave correct answers…

A longitudinal study of 248 students followed from sixth to eighth grade was conducted to examine their perceptions of pedagogical caring in relation to their motivation to achieve positive social and academic outcomes. Perceived caring from teachers predicted motivational outcomes. Implications for understanding links between teacher behavior and…

This study examined time issues raised by sixth- and seventh-grade teachers field testing a National Science Foundation-sponsored investigation-centered mathematics curriculum for middle grades students. Teacher surveys indicated numerous time issues associated with teaching in the spirit of the current mathematics education reform movement and…

The Project Northland peer participation program tested the feasibility and effect of involving students in planning and promoting alcohol-free peer social activities. Longitudinal studies indicated nearly half of the student cohort participated. There was a relationship between students' involvement with planning and lower rate of alcohol use.…

Collected observations of parental behaviors of fifth graders and then obtained adjustment measures for the fifth, sixth, and seventh grades. Supportive, aware parenting was associated with early adolescents' positive academic, social, and psychological adjustment in fifth grade and with further improvement in adjustment in seventh grade. (RJM)

Studies suggest that the transition to middle school is associated with a decline in motivation and performance for a number of children. This longitudinal study examined changes in motivation in English and mathematics across and after the transition from elementary to middle school. Of particular interest were changes in personal goal…