This explanatory sequential mixed methods study examines what influences 7th and 8th grade rural middle school students to consider a potential career trajectory. Phase One of the study includes a demographic and career cluster interest survey of 38 participants. Phase Two of the study focused on 23 of the 38 Phase One participants, who were…

The More Than Human (MTH; Bang and Marin 2015) world is often considered passive and neutral, not implicated in meaning-making in science classrooms. Through this framing, learning spaces are considered the backdrop upon which learning occurs, where the goal of science teaching is to explain why or predict how science phenomena-assumed as static…

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…

The purpose of the present study was to explore the voices of high- and low-achieving middle school students around the function and utility of a student-engaged design learning how to learn intervention. The intervention was a year-long standard elective course in the curriculum in which all students enrolled during their time in middle school.…

The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented disruptions to teaching and learning. In March 2020, COVID-19 pandemic was recognized as a life-threatening virus, therefore, schools across the United States of America had an induced lockdown, which prevented the continuation of in-person learning. Adjustments, quickly, were made to the learning…

This study examined whether the intensive reading intervention affects annual reading level growth in middle school students to mitigate reading loss from the COVID19 school closures. Participants included struggling middle school readers (N = 101) from a rural district in east Texas. Student participant Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)…

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has implemented a student accountability system that measures students' performance on State of Texas Assessment for Academic Readiness (STAAR) in several content areas. How students perform determines the accountability ratings that will be assigned to every school district in Texas. Therefore, teachers and…

Therapy dogs positively impact students mental and emotional well-being, which can improve the student's academic performance. Therapy dogs can reduce stress and anxiety levels, which leads to better concentration and improved learning outcomes. Canines can also help improve social skills and behavior, which fosters a more productive classroom…

Quality environmental education (EE) is key for supporting sustainable development and use of resources. Educators in rural India face considerable challenges to teach EE in K-12 school settings. This study took place in Assam in Northeast India where non-governmental organization (NGO) educators are working to develop an EE program for students…

Math anxiety levels directly and negatively impact student performance in the math classroom. Educators must work to implement instructional strategies that effectively reduce math anxiety and improve student math performance. This study evaluated mastery learning interventions as an effective tool for reducing math anxiety among middle school…

Cognitive development of eighth-grade students, as identified by Jean Piaget, occurs during a time when many of them are transitioning between concrete operations and formal operations where the ability to think in abstract concepts becomes possible. Because of this period of transition, many eighth-grade students find difficulty in demonstrating…

Background: Gamification is the use of game design elements, such as rules of play, point scoring and competition, in a non-game context, in learning activities. We designed a game, based on the famous augmented reality game "Pokémon GO," called Insects GO in which players should capture images of real insects with their mobile phones.…

The fields of science and literacy education continue to be shaped by pervasive gender inequality. Previous research has documented how the formation of a 'science identity' is contingent on access to science capital while research in literacy education continues to highlight how boys struggle in their literacy acquisition. Despite a robust…

Prompted by the challenges faced by teachers in balancing grammar and content in English classes, coupled with the poor English proficiency of rural Odia medium school students, the study aimed to devise an intervention that could balance content and grammar, thereby enhancing the grammar competency and content comprehension of eighth-grade…

In tracing two Chinese rural middle school classes for 3 years, this study found the positive impact of adopting the algorithm-based mobile short video platform Douyin on rural adolescents' intrinsic motivation. The application's broad adoption has reshaped the social processes supporting adolescent users' intrinsic motivation and spontaneous…