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…

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)

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…

Being older rather than younger than most of one's classmates is presumed to provide benefits to students throughout elementary and secondary school. The present study investigated this age status hypothesis among students before and after the transition to middle school in sixth grade with respect to school strain, self-esteem, and grade point…

Two studies examined the development of display rules for anger and the relationship between the use of display rules for anger and aggressiveness as rated by school peers. Findings indicate that the phenomenon of display rules for anger is complex and depends on the way display rules are defined and the age and gender of the subjects. (GLR)

This study examined the conceptions that 85 gifted elementary and middle school students had of academic fun, using repertory grid techniques. In general, similarities across age and gender were found, though sex differences were found in attitudes toward technology and computer activities and age differences in attitudes toward mathematics.…

This paper reports the results of a counseling survey completed by 523 middle school students at Crook County Middle School, Prineville, Oregon, to provide data regarding student concerns in the areas of health and growth, personality, school, home and family, friends, and the future. Results are reported for each of the six categories by grade…

Uses a hierarchical linear model to test the effect of birthdate on science ability in British schoolchildren, ages 11, 13, and 15. Reports that summer-born children scored lower than autumn-born children on science survey tests. Urges teachers to consider these artificial performance differences when grouping pupils according to ability for…

This qualitative study examined the attitudes and interests of 284 gifted readers in grades 6, 7, and 8. Students were from a high socioeconomic status, suburban school district in the midwestern United States and were either identified as gifted or had a history of involvement in a program for the gifted. Data collection instruments included a…

A series of studies conducted in the late 1980s suggested that American adolescents lack adequate knowledge in geography, history, science, and current events. This paper examines motivational predictors of students' knowledge of current events and AIDS. Researchers surveyed 579 middle school students from 4 middle schools, and 1,548 high school…

A study was conducted to determine the impact of overage middle school students on middle schools. Four groups of educators were surveyed to determine their perceptions of the impact of overage middle school students. Questionnaires were returned by 183 teachers, 44 counselors, 24 principals, and 7 central office staff members, all of whom had…

The effect on achievement of the timing of the transition from elementary to intermediate school was investigated. Focus was on determining whether it matters if children transfer to an intermediate school at grade 6 or at grade 7. The Otis-Lennon School Ability Test was administered to grade 5 students in spring of 1981. The sixth and…

The study described is part of a larger project, Career Oriented Modules to Explore Topics in Science (COMETS), designed to integrate career education into the science curriculum. This study aimed to determine the attitudes of male and female students aged 10-16 toward scientists, science, women in science, careers in technical fields, and careers…

Some researchers have begun to investigate students' attitudes toward science and their scientific attitudes as possible effectors of students' scientific achievement. In this study both of the aforementioned factors are examined by administering the Test of Science Related Attitudes (TOSRA) to 35 sixth grade students, 21 seventh grade students,…

A total of 283 students at Fassett Middle School in Oregon, Ohio, a suburban, middle-class city were surveyed about their attitudes toward foreign language study in high school. The participants were 151 male and 132 female students in grade 6 (87), grade 7 (104), and grade 8 (92). The objective was to determine whether or not the middle school…