Peer ideas can be valuable contributions to scientific inquiry. Divergent peer ideas can enrich students' thinking and encourage curiosity. Meanwhile, similar peer ideas can promote convergent thinking that can reinforce understanding. However, students need guidance in critically evaluating peer ideas in relation to their own, and in recognizing…

Research has documented the presence of norm misperception in the context of school bullying, as children and adolescents typically underestimate the degree to which their peers disapprove of bullying behavior. Despite commonly held attitudes in opposition to bullies and in support of helping victims, widespread misperception of the norm makes…

Students with disabilities are at an increased risk of experiencing poorer quality peer relationships than those without disabilities. Previous school-based efforts to promote positive peer interactions among students with and without disabilities have included individual skill development and broader initiatives such as inclusive school…

Background: Very few studies have properly identified how peer victimization is associated with lower achievement in middle or high school. In this context, this study examined how peer victimization at the beginning of middle school is linked with subsequent student achievement. Specifically, it assessed if the behavioral, affective, and…

While it is well established that positive peer relationships lead to positive outcomes, little is known about the mediating role of school motivation on the association between perceived peer support and school achievement among middle grades students. Even less is known about the effect of gender on this mediation. The current study examined…

Given the rapid rate at which educational technology is continually evolving compounded by the rapid transition to digital learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and its aftermath, this research seeks to understand how one-to-one Chromebooks impact a variety of facets of the middle school science classroom. In three separate, yet related…

This study examined cultural specificity in how interpretations about peer provocation are associated with revenge goals and aggression. The sample consisted of young adolescents from the United States (369 seventh graders; 54.7% male; 77.2% identified as White) and from Pakistan (358 seventh graders; 39.2% male). Participants rated their…

Peer victimization represents a pervasive problem, particularly for students in middle school. Although curriculum-based prevention programs have generated small to moderate effects on victimization, these effects tend to weaken beginning with the transition to middle school. In this study, we evaluated cooperative learning (CL) as a mechanism to…

Gender-typical characteristics are associated with popularity and acceptance, suggesting that gender typicality is an important component of how adolescents are perceived by peers. The current study addressed the contributions of self- and peer-perceived gender typicality in predicting popularity and liking among same- and other-sex peers.…

Most research on peer victimization has focused on Western samples, but in recent years peer victimization in China has become more prevalent. As a result, limited information is available on how peer victimization, school climate, peer preference, and adjustment difficulties impact Chinese middle school students. This cross-sectional study…

Based on theories of emotion contagion and social appraisal in interpersonal affect transfer and the control-value theory of achievement emotions, the present study examined associations between students' perceptions of peer emotions and their own self-perceived emotions in English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms. Data were collected from…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between middle school students' school burnout, problem-solving skills, peer relationships, and perceived school experiences and to determine the predictive power of perceived school experiences, problem-solving skills, and peer relationships on academic burnout. Method: The…

Belonging-centered academic environments have been positively associated with increased academic achievement, engagement, and persistence. Yet, belonging is a context-driven construct, indicating that there may be differences in what an individual construes as a belonging-supportive versus belonging-thwarting environment. Therefore, when…

Gaps in STEM performance have narrowed over the last 50 years (Leaper et al., 2012; National Science Foundation, 2013). Nonetheless, disparities remain in many STEM fields -- with the largest occurring in the physical sciences, computer science, and engineering (UNESCO, 2012). Although gender gaps in science and math performance have been closing,…

This descriptive study determined the relationship of peer bullying in the early adolescent period to family functions and children's behavior. The cohort for the research consisted of 320 students and parents who were selected by a simple random method from a middle school. The data were collected using the student and parent questionnaires,…