Investigated relationship between anxiety and self-esteem of a group of middle school children, many of whom were Black. Findings from 53 sixth and seventh graders support hypothesis that there would be significant inverse relationship between measures of anxiety (state and trait) and measures of self-esteem of preadolescent students. (NB)

The problem of this study was whether there was greater improvement in cognitive abilities and affective behaviors of disadvantaged black students in an open education program as compared with a traditional education program. Two random samples were drawn from the sixth grade population of a middle school. Ninety students were selected from the…

The problem presented in this dissertation was to describe and investigate open and traditional classrooms and their effect on black, urban, middle school students' attitudes, creativity, and achievement. Research suggested that specific areas that needed examination were students' attitudes toward school, basic skills, creativity, and…

Two studies examined middle school students' achievement values by using peer-nomination procedures. Nominations of peers whom participants admired, respected, and wanted to be like were summed to create a values index. The usefulness of peer-nomination procedures as a methodology for studying values and implications for understanding the plight…

Reports research examining the relative effects of parental marital status and socioeconomic status (SES) on the educational achievement of African-American middle-grade students. Data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 show that at lower SES, African-American students from divorced households scored significantly higher on a…

One middle school principal stemmed the flight of white and middle-class black citizens from a Chattanooga school district and reopened a magnet middle school. Using staff development, she encouraged her teachers to learn how to work effectively to motivate students. (SM)

A study determined the effects of a pedagogical approach using rap music on the learning of musical forms among urban African American youth and whether there were differential effects among students of different levels of self-esteem. Urban African American youth (n=66) from the St. Louis County Public Schools who were enrolled in general music…

This paper presents a description of a northern Florida middle school and of the students enrolled in the school, 92% of whom are African-American. Three quarters of the entire student population is eligible for free or reduced price government assisted lunches. This figure is double the state average. During academic year 1991-92, expenditure per…

Evaluated the effects of a pilot program designed to improve the attendance and academic skills of African-American students at risk. Results with 15 middle school students show improved attendance, fewer suspensions, and better grades in mathematics, English, science, and history. In addition, most participants were promoted to high school. (SLD)

This study examined distinctions between self-esteem as a general attitude of self and the underlying self-beliefs which link the self with a positively or negatively valued attribute. It was hypothesized that black adolescents would have higher scores on the general self-esteem measure, while they would not have have higher scores on all specific…

Through a partnership with a large research institution, an historically Black university in the rural southeast transformed its Applied Psychology course from the traditional lecture format to a service learning experience. This new format integrates community service with academic instruction and focuses on developing critical thinking skills…

This study examined the self-concepts, locus of control, and machiavellianism of 169 ethnically diverse (African-American, Mexican-American, and Chinese-American) middle school gifted students. Self-concept was significantly and positively correlated with internal locus of control and with low machiavellianism. (Author/DB)

This paper addresses the study of children's reading interests and their attitudes toward reading as these factors relate to leisure-time reading. The problem of poor performances on measures of reading achievement by African-American children from low-income families has been studied for over 3 decades. Additionally, sociocultural and…

Certain groups are underrepresented in mathematics courses and do not achieve to their potential. Black students and female students are among those groups. During middle school years boys begin to outperform girls in mathematics. White students begin to outperform black students even before the middle school years. Previous research has indicated…

In order to examine factors associated with success in reading, reading teachers in four middle schools identified low-income black students in grades six, seven, and eight who met specified criteria for success or failure in reading. Results from a series of affective tests indicated that significant relationships existed between low-income black…