This booklet reviews research on the middle school environment, the characteristics of the middle school student, and the factors involved in teaching effectively at the middle school level, and then proposes a method that middle school teachers can use for analyzing their own classroom behavior and their instructional options. The booklet's first…

Middle level schools have special needs because of the characteristics of the age group served. Staff development is crucial for middle schools. Its purposes and major planning components are presented in this paper. Most mid-level educators were prepared for elementary or high school teaching and have a limited knowledge of early adolescent…

This is a resource directory for professionals who work with young adolescents (10- to 15-year-olds). It is a multidisciplinary list of organizations, publications, and readings to help professionals in their research and practice. Although the directory is not meant to be all-inclusive, an attempt has been made to include the major networks,…

This experiment explored how incorporating the importance of task strategy use and positive achievement beliefs into cognitive modeling affected self-efficacy and skill acquisition. Students deficient in division skills received cognitive modeling of division solution strategies and practice opportunities. For one group of students the cognitive…

This formative evaluation of the Atlantic Street Center's Pre-Teen Bridge Program (P-T Bridge) focused on the academic support and prosocial skill development components of the program. The academic component included one-on-one tutoring, and the prosocial skill component included activities and materials designed to improve social and…

"Skills for Adolescence" is a drug prevention program designed specifically for young adolescents (ages 10 to 14) which features a course for grades 6-8 that can be offered in conjunction with classes in language arts, social studies, health, and related content areas, providing opportunities for students to use the skills of reading, writing,…

This teacher guide illustrates how guidance may be integrated into classroom instruction in grades four through six and highlights ways in which teachers can build a fully integrated guidance process in their classrooms. Section A explains the purpose of the manual as helping teachers to focus on the guidance process as it relates to five guidance…

The relationship between altruistic behavior and popularity found in young children becomes much less defined with older children. In a paired-comparison procedure, 144 children from two elementary schools ranked the relative attractiveness as a potential friend of four fictional children described as altruistic, prosocial-aggressive, good at…

The study examined the perceptions of two gifted samples (n=54) and a nongifted control group (n=130) of preadolescent boys (ages 12-13) regarding their school and peer experiences, intrafamily roles, discipline and identification models, and career choices. Results of a 62-item questionnaire indicated that the group identified as having…

This paper reviews the literature concerning attitudes of fifth and sixth grade students to provide background information for instructional designers and scriptwriters from the Skills Essential to Learning Project, which develops television/film series and related print materials for different grade levels to enhance the teaching of thinking…

Ratings of the physical attractiveness of 11-to-12-year-old children were obtained, and the association between physical attractiveness and teachers' judgements of these children were examined. Teachers revealed a systematic tendency to rate girls higher than boys, and significant sex differences were observed in teachers' ratings of…

Examined the influence of age, social class, and maternal employment on changes in nutrition knowledge and dietary quality following a nutrition education program for 10- to 13-year-olds. Results indicated that nutrition knowledge but not dietary quality were increased by the program. (JAC)

Using Tennessee Self Concept, the follow-up study evaluated 33 Navajo eighth graders who were part of a seventh grade daily prescriptive intervention program and were part of a previous study of 222 Navajo fifth graders given tests assessing their strength and needs so that an appropriate curriculum could be adopted. (NEC)

Describes differences in preferred modes of group interaction between 743 students from grades four to eight and from four relatively distinct social environments: rural Maine, suburban New Hampshire, urban Columbus, Ohio, and inner city Cincinnati, Ohio. Rural and inner city groups prefer similar modes as do urban and suburban groups. (Author/NEC)

Service learning has been proposed as one strategy to empower youth, engage students, and provide real-life applications for classroom learning. One model of service learning, "The Helper Model," which was designed specifically for use with middle school students, is presented here. Data to test the model were collected from over 500…