Syntactic knowledge, the implicit and explicit knowledge of syntax, is a necessary--but often overlooked--component of proficient reading (e.g., Deacon & Kieffer, 2018). Though some research exists on effective syntactic instruction, such as sentence combining (Neville & Searls, 1985; Wilkinson & Patty, 1993), researchers have called…

In this research, the effects of using Model-Based and Argumentation-Supported Model-Based Inquiry methods on 6th-grade middle school students' knowledge, scientific process skills, and motivation regarding the subject of sound and its properties were examined according to the current curriculum. A total of 77 students attending a state school…

Middle school math students are underperforming on teacher-created assessments and assignments, state assessments, and nationally normed assessments, such as the Measures of Academic Performance (MAP) and the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). Only 35.7% of sixth graders in South Carolina scored "meets or exceeds…

This study aims to examine the effect of problem posing-based active learning activities on students' problem-posing skills and problem-solving achievement. To this aim, an experimental design with pre-test post-test control group was employed. The participants consisted of two groups of sixth graders, one experimental group (N=23) and one control…

Science education research has repeatedly revealed students' problems with understanding the energy concept, in particular, their understanding of potential energy. Newer research suggests that teaching students fields as a means to store potential energy may promote a more consistent understanding of the energy concept. Yet, it is presently…

This study aims to better understand Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) in middle school science teaching by revealing the perceptions of sixth-grade students in a public school in Turkey about POGIL. In the research conducted as a case study, the data were collected through interviews with 12 students who were taught the Particle…

This study examines the effects of plugged and unplugged programming tools used in algorithm teaching at the K-12 level on student computational thinking skills and to determine whether gender is a factor in this process. The study group was designed with a control group pre-test--post-test; quasi-experimental model, that consisted of 109 students…

The purpose of this mixed-method action research study was to improve Black students' performance in my sixth-grade science class by improving their ability to use the claim, evidence, and reasoning (CER) framework. Using criterion-based convenient sampling, I enlisted 17 Black participants, all of whom were underperforming in my science class at…

We conducted a descriptive exploratory study in which we analyzed 313 sixth to eighth grade students' answers to a word problem, accompanied by diagrams, involving generalization in an algebraic functional context. In this research, we jointly addressed two objectives: (a) to determine the strategies deployed by students to generalize and (b) to…

Circulatory system is a challenging subject for middle school students to learn and understand conceptual relationships. To address these challenges, this study developed plugged (computational thinking activities using computer) and unplugged (computational thinking activities without using computer) teaching modules that integrated computational…

This study aimed to investigate the effects of robotic coding supported Design-Based Science Instruction (RC-DBSI) on sixth-grade students' science process skills. One-group pretest-posttest experimental design was employed in the study. Participants consisted of thirty-nine sixth-grade students enrolled in a public middle school located in the…

This study investigates sixth-grade Turkish students' pattern-generalization approaches among arithmetical generalization, algebraic generalization, and naïve induction. A qualitative case study design was employed. The data was collected from four sixth-grade students through the Pattern Questionnaire (PQ) and individual interviews based on the…

This study aimed to examine the effect of using Excel in teaching fractions in a 6th grade mathematics course on students' academic achievement and attitudes. To achieve this, a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group was implemented. The research involved 62 students from a public secondary school in a central province of…

The study examined how school closures and the rapid transition to online learning may have impacted student performance. In March 2020, a global pandemic was declared in response to the quick spread of the COVID-19 virus. The impact of this global pandemic was felt across all areas of daily routines. Businesses closed, and many workers found…

The study aimed to identify significant disparities in the reading growth of English learners (ELs) enrolled in either push-in or pull-out EL services, as measured by the ACCESS and MAP assessments. Conducted at a middle school in southwestern Illinois, the research focused on the impact of different EL programming types on the reading performance…