Meaningful participation in science and engineering practices requires that students make their thinking visible to others and build on one another's ideas. But sharing ideas with others in small groups and classrooms carries social risk, particularly for students from nondominant groups and communities. In this paper, we explore how students'…

The most famous equation in physics, E = mc[superscript 2], is rarely introduced in middle school physics curricula. Recent research has shown that teaching Einsteinian concepts at the middle school level is feasible and beneficial. This paper analyses an Einsteinian energy teaching module for Year 8 students (13-14 years old), which encompasses…

This study examined the unique and interactive role of students' quality of motivation, as defined in self-determination theory, and their mindsets about intelligence, as conceptualized in Dweck's framework, in predicting a variety of learning outcomes (engagement, learning strategies, persistence, procrastination, and test anxiety) and…

In an increasingly diverse nation, calls for education that is culturally relevant have become salient, and student perceptions of school-based ethnic-racial socialization (ERS) provide insight toward how cultural messages are being interpreted by students. The current study sought to investigate how a sample of racially diverse middle school…

Formative Assessment (FA) is a promising teaching practice for supporting students' learning at school. However, implementing FA into teaching (mathematics) is challenging, effects of implementation of FA vary between empirical studies. Therefore, recent studies additionally consider instructional quality of teaching when analyzing effects of FA…

How does the representation of boy and girl exemplars in curricular materials affect students' learning? We tested two competing hypotheses about the impact of gender exemplar on learning: First, in line with Social Learning Theory, children might exhibit a same-gender bias such that they prefer to learn from exemplars that match their gender…

Research has shown that students with disabilities are more likely to maintain a lower social participation status than their peers. One aspect of social participation is the social relationships between these students and their peers. This study examined the friendship and hang out networks of students with and without disabilities in a highly…

This study explored the relationship between K-8 teachers' current usage and engagement of curriculum and instructional practices, assessment practices, and feedback practices through the implementation of standards-based grading practices. The theoretical works of Bobbitt (1924), Bloom (1956), and Sadler (1989) framed this study. A digital survey…

Increased datafication of schooling, a common trend in Australia, the UK, Canada, and the USA, involves the use of standardized testing and its associated systems and practices to achieve high-stakes goals. The purpose of this study, set in an urban, low-income, predominately Black neighborhood in the southeast USA, was to better understand the…

The purpose of this article is to describe and explain a mentoring initiative for supporting and retaining middle school teachers. First, we examine the persistent problem of teacher retention in U.S. schools, particularly in middle schools. Then, we describe a mentoring initiative--a community practice mentoring model that is well-suited for…

This large-scale study characterizes the algebraic learning of a cohort of nearly 800 French students during the last year of middle school (9th grade, 14-15 years old) and examines their evolution in relation to the composition of the classes to which the students belong. Based on the Anthropological Theory of the Didactic (ATD), the study is…

This multiple case study describes error-reaction patterns (ERPs) in middle school science lessons. Twenty-seven science teachers' reactions to student errors were explored in terms of four aspects of classroom discourse: talk move, discursive purpose, communicative approach, and patterns of interaction. Two hundred ninety-six error-reaction…

Foster students are considered the most educationally vulnerable students. Of the over 400,000 foster youth, approximately 270,000 are school-aged. Foster youth are reported to have higher likelihood of adverse childhood experiences, development of psychopathology, higher drop out rates, increased medication prescriptions, chronic absenteeism,…

The purpose of this quantitative retrospective study was to understand the impact of prior exposure to sexual health education on middle and high school students' sexual health knowledge, self-efficacy, and intentions. The study analyzed a secondary dataset that included pre- and posttest results collected for program evaluation purposes by a…

Mathematical performance plays a vital role in students' academic development. Studies have shown that some basic cognitive processes, including inductive reasoning, are critical for the development of mathematical performance. However, little empirical evidence has been accumulated regarding the association between inductive reasoning and…