After third grade, students' motivation and enjoyment of writing begins to wane, and this trend continues through most of their education. Middle grade students especially need high-quality writing instruction; however, many teachers report feeling inadequately prepared to teach writing. To combat these issues, teacher preparation programs should…

While incorporating digital technologies into the classroom has offered new ways of teaching and learning into educational processes, it is essential to take a look at how the digital shift impacts teachers, school administration, and curriculum development. "Academic Knowledge Construction and Multimodal Curriculum Development" presents…

Investigates students' causal beliefs about the relationship between variables in an electric experiment and the degree to which their tendency to make either idea-based or evidence-based statements depends on a prior belief about the causal efficacy of that variable. Reports that 34% of responses were idea-based despite the presentation of…

At a Maryland middle school, teachers and students were asked how teachers routinely give medium-term and long-term assignments. Results showed that students, teachers, and parents would benefit from clearly written performance standards. The school's science fair assignment sheet specifies student and parent responsibilities, project completion…

Inspired by Miep Gies's selfless hiding of Anne Frank, a class of urban middle schoolers came up with definitions and characteristics of "ordinary," nonglitzy heroes. One student suggested that the school create its own ordinary hero hall of fame; students then researched possible nominees and held an induction ceremony for those…

Describes teachable moments and how students' questions, enthusiasm, and motivation lead them through full-steam reading voyages of discovery. (SR)

Development of positive self-concept is critical at the middle level, a time when students are gaining basic skills and knowledge, establishing patterns of interacting with people and ideas, and setting personal life goals. A survey of students at a North Dakota middle school found that girls' self-concept was much lower than boys'.…

Recent literature on motivation has documented that perceptions of self-competence and motivational orientations for learning are interrelated. This study focuses specifically on childrens perceptions of their scholastic abilities, how these perceptions develop and how they relate to intrinsic motivation for learning. The rationale for this study…

Investigates the working knowledge of intermediate and middle school students about potential strategies for alleviating bullying. Students discussed the prevalence of bullying in their school, methods for dealing with bullying and future coping strategies. While respondents struggled to articulate strategies for coping with bullying, most…

The language-related attitudes and beliefs that young students bring into the classroom carry serious implications for their successful second-language acquisition and intercultural communication. This article illustrates the predominance of student misconceptions and cultural stereotypes in one setting. Students' expectations and their beliefs…

This study examined the responses of 3,915 Oshkosh, Wisconsin students (in grades 5 through 12) to the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) standard form of common questions for school-based interventions. Also, a pilot questionnaire of knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes concerning and predicting tobacco use was administered. NCI findings indicated an…

To determine effects of uniforms on school climate, students in two Charleston (South Carolina) County middle schools were surveyed in Spring 1966, using NASSP's Comprehensive Assessment of School Environments (CASE) School Climate Survey. Students in the uniform school rated climate as more positive in 9 out of 10 subscales. School uniforms are…

Describes the organizational framework and implementation of a literature-based reading program with basal themes for a combination of students in grades five and six. Discusses students' attitudes towards the program, which were very positive. (SR)

Expeditionary Learning, a curriculum inspired by the founders of Outward Bound, challenges teachers to get students to investigate real-life issues and, in the process, develop solid academic skills. The curriculum, adopted by 38 schools in 12 states, is credited with "significant increases" in students' standardized test scores. (MLF)

Interviews with over 100 middle-school youngsters reveals these adolescents' rich, multidimensional understanding of caring. However, classroom observations showed that most teacher/student interactions were neutral. Students defined caring teacher behaviors as helping with schoolwork, valuing individuality, showing respect, being tolerant,…