A case study of the experiences of a Native American teacher (Joseph) during his first year of teaching examined the transition from the idealistic world of college to the stark realities of actual teaching. Data were gathered through bimonthly semistructured interviews, classroom observations, and telephone communication. Joseph picked a…

This bulletin demonstrates that Berkeley, California's educational problem is and has been that of meeting the varied needs of a population such as may be found in any typical American city. The varied population needs, together with the rapid growth, have brought many difficult problems to Berkeley, just has they have to other cities. Based on…

Junior high school students involved in a reading/current events program developed by Visual Education Consultants got higher scores on a current affairs test, reported increases in reading newspapers, listened to more news on radio and television, and read more about national and world news. (RL)

The construct validities of the Self Description Questionnaire I, the Perceived Social Competence Scale, and the Multidimensional Measure of Children's Perceptions of Control were assessed, using 508 seventh through ninth graders in Sydney (Australia). Factor analysis, multitrait-multimethod analyses, and patterns of correlations with additional…

The relationships among drug use, health beliefs, peer use, sex, and religion were examined using data collected from 265 seventh graders in rural northern Michigan and northeastern Wisconsin in January and February of 1984. Positive relationships were found between drug use and peer use and health beliefs. (TJH)

Discusses the development of a project-based approach to history instruction as a result of student dissatisfaction with a more traditional curriculum. Maintains that interested and motivated students take more responsibility for their learning. Presents project descriptions and provides recommendations for implementing the approach. (CFR)

Describes a Food-Choice Unit that includes the following activities: drawing circle graphs, graphing dietary content, understanding heart attacks, reducing dietary fat, charting fat content of restaurant foods, and calculating percent of fat. Includes extension activities. (CSCO)

Describes the participation of four middle school students at the World Youth Conference on Human Rights. Discusses interdisciplinary efforts at a private school to celebrate the founding of the United Nations. Outlines student volunteer activities for both local and international causes. (CFR)

Describes a study that investigated the effects of three levels of personalization--individualized, group, and nonpersonalized--on the achievement of seventh-grade Hispanic students on printed mathematics word problems. Previous research is reviewed, criterion measures are described, and student attitudes are discussed. (30 references) (LRW)

Assesses the creative writing of 23 black seventh graders enrolled in a weekend science enrichment program to determine their thematic choice, self-expression, career interest, racial/gender identity, and evidence of parental influence and expectations. Analysis revealed few examples of racial or gender issues, but many expressed keen interest in…

This study examined cross-sectional correlates of smoking during early and late adolescence to compare patterns of prediction of smoking at both stages. Intention to smoke was the strongest predictor of smoking during both stages, particularly in late adolescence, as well as being the strongest predictor of changes in smoking. (SM)

A descriptive study examined the degree to which middle level teachers in grades 6-8 in three states accept the tenets of the middle school philosophy. The guiding questions were: (1) Does a cross difference in variables exist among teachers from different organizational settings or grade configurations in respect to the teacher's acceptance of…

Objective: This article reports findings of three studies addressing convergent validity and test-retest reliability of the Youth Rating Scale of the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale-Second Edition (BERS-2). Method: Pearson product-moment correlations were used in all three studies, the first two addressing convergent validity and the third…

In response to indicators that a decline in interest in mathematics occurs among girls--particularly those from low-income and minority groups--during middle school, the GO-GIRL (Gaining Options: Girls Investigate Real Life) program was designed to help potentially talented at-risk girls. The program aimed to build mathematical confidence, skills,…

This activity unit tells the story of Prince Rama from the Hindu legend, "Ramayana." The story is retold in language appropriate to grades 5-7. Accompanying activities include: (1) "Reviewing Familiar Myths"; (2) "Developing Skills Through Literature", which includes activities on character and symbolism, values and…