Group Of Eighth Grade Students Research Articles

Enhancing Process Skills and Learning Outcomes: A Comparative Study of the Treffinger Learning Model

The Treffinger Model is an instructional approach developed with the primary goal of stimulating creativity and building process skills skills in students. This study aims to assess the extent to which the Treffinger Model enhances process skills abilities and student learning outcomes in addressing complex geographical challenges. A quantitative approach, specifically quasi-experimental design, was adopted to compare the effectiveness of the Treffinger Model with conventional teaching methods. The research involved two groups of eighth-grade students, with one group taught using the Treffinger Model and the other group through conventional methods. Data were collected for process skills and learning outcomes through pre-test and post-test assessments. The findings of this research indicate that the Treffinger Model has a significant positive impact on students' process skills and learning outcomes. The analysis of process skills reveals that students exposed to the Treffinger Model demonstrated improved abilities in observation, communication, grouping, measurement, drawing conclusions, and prediction. Additionally, the analysis of learning outcomes reveals that students taught with the Treffinger Model achieved higher average scores compared to those taught using conventional methods. The novelty of this research lies in its exploration of innovative pedagogical approaches and their impact on students' process skills abilities to comprehend and analyze geographical concepts more deeply. The benefit to the advancement of knowledge is the potential to increase students' interest and produce a generation of individuals who are more aware and knowledgeable about geographical issues.

Pack a Truck: Decontextualizing and Contextualizing a Task

We describe how a group of eighth-grade students reasoned abstractly and quantitatively after the teacher fostered their engagement by using moves such as inviting students to draw and revoicing talk in a real-world context task.

“UM PASSEIO DE BALÃO”:

O presente trabalho é fruto de uma pesquisa de doutorado em Geografia desenvolvida na Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), que objetivou entender como crianças e adolescentes compreendem espaços que eles não vivenciam. Neste escrito, apresenta-se uma prática pedagógica referente à escrita de uma correspondência, em que o estudante necessita se deslocar mentalmente para se imaginar vivendo o cotidiano de uma determinada realidade apontada pelo professor. A atividade foi desenvolvida com um grupo de alunos de oitavo ano do Ensino Fundamental de uma escola pública da região metropolitana de Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul - Brasil, na qual demonstraram, em suas representações, alguns países situados em diferentes continentes do planeta Terra. Palavras-chave Geografia, Ensino de Geografia, Espaço geográfico, Representações, Educação Básica

Project HOPE: Sociopolitical Development and SCCT Beliefs of Latinx and White Rural Middle School Students

This quasi-experimental investigation tested whether adding a sociopolitical development (SPD) component to a social cognitive career theory–based (SCCT) career intervention program, Project health-care opportunities, preparation, and exploration (HOPE), was more effective than an SCCT-only intervention among a group of eighth-grade students ( n = 94). Results of the study indicated both intervention conditions were associated with increases in health-care career (HC) and math/science (MS) interests among the participants. Results also demonstrated that gains in HC interests (HCIs) were associated with intervention conditions: students in the SCCT + SPD condition only reported statistically significant gains in HCIs. The study found no statistically significant interaction effects between ethnicity and condition on any of the outcome variables. Results suggest limited support for the effectiveness of SPD-infused SCCT interventions and that more research is needed to better understand how rural students can benefit from SCCT/SPD-based career interventions.

Verification and modification of Fautley’s model for analysis of lower secondary school students’ group composing processes

ABSRACTThe purpose of this study was to apply Fautley’s model– [Faultley, Martin. 2005. “A New Model of the Group Composing Process of Lower Secondary School Students.” Music Education Research 7 (1): 39–57. doi:10.1080/14613800500042109]of the group composing process to the analysis of a collaborative composing project in a lower secondary school (ages 11–14) orchestra setting. Students were placed into groups of six for a three-session composing project. Participants selected for observation, coding, and analysis included two groups of seventh grade students (N = 12) and one group of eighth grade students (N = 6). The process of establishing interobserver reliability with Fautley’s model led to several challenges, resulting in proposed modifications to the model. A modified model is presented, along with reliability data, a coding procedure, and descriptive data collected using the new model.

The Effects of Multimedia Content Design Modalities on Students’ Motivation and Achievement in History

ABSTRACTThis study examined the effects of different multimedia design modalities on middle-school students’ motivation and achievement in history and also sought to determine whether an interaction effect on achievement occurs between students’ prior knowledge and the different multimedia design modalities. Two groups of eighth-grade students enrolled in a rural middle school in a southern state created multimedia artifacts using two design modalities: video content design and visual content design. Each group consisted of 21 students ranging in age from 13 to 14. Both groups completed a history lesson on state governors and created video content or visual content, respectively. The results showed that students earned significantly higher achievement test scores when they were involved in the visual content design modality. However, no differences were found in each of the four motivation sub-measures. Furthermore, there was no interaction effect between students’ prior knowledge levels and the different content design modalities.

The association between acanthosis nigricans and dysglycemia in an ethnically diverse group of eighth grade students

The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of acanthosis nigricans (AN) and to quantify its association with dysglycemia in an ethnically diverse group of eighth grade students. Data were collected in 2003 from a cross-sectional study of students from 12 middle schools in three U.S. states. Sex, race/ethnicity and pubertal status were self-reported. Anthropometric measures were recorded. Trained staff identified the presence and severity of AN by inspection of the back of the neck. Fasting and 2hr blood samples were analyzed for impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and high-risk glycated hemoglobin (A1C), respectively defined as ≥100 mg/dl, ≥140 mg/dl, and ≥ 5.7-6.4%. Overall, 25.0%, 58.2%, and 16.8% were Black, Hispanic and White, respectively. AN was present among 406 /1438 (28.2%) of students: 39% among Black, 30% among Hispanic, and 5.4% among White. IGT and highArisk A1C were present among 2.1%, and 12.4%, respectively. In multivariate logistic modeling after adjusting for gender, family history of diabetes, BMI percentile and pubertal staging, the presence (vs. absence) of AN was associated with a 59% increased likelihood of highArisk A1C: (P = 0.04), twice the likelihood of IGT (P=0.06), and 47% greater likelihood of IGT/IFG combined (P<0.0001). Adjustment for insulin attenuated the ORs by 25-70%. In a racially/ethnically diverse sample of U.S. adolescents, AN was common, occurring in 28% of the sample. AN was associated with a 50-100% increased likelihood of dysglycemia even after consideration of established diabetes risk factors.

Modified Multiple-Choice Items for Alternate Assessments: Reliability, Difficulty, and Differential Boost

Federal policy on alternate assessment based on modified academic achievement standards (AA-MAS) inspired this research. Specifically, an experimental study was conducted to determine whether tests composed of modified items would have the same level of reliability as tests composed of original items, and whether these modified items helped reduce the performance gap between AA-MAS eligible and ineligible students. Three groups of eighth-grade students (N = 755) defined by eligibility and disability status took original and modified versions of reading and mathematics tests. In a third condition, the students were provided limited reading support along with the modified items. Changes in reliability across groups and conditions for both the reading and mathematics tests were determined to be minimal. Mean item difficulties within the Rasch model were shown to decrease more for students who would be eligible for the AA-MAS than for non-eligible groups, revealing evidence of differential boost. Exploratory analyses indicated that shortening the question stem may be a highly effective modification, and that adding graphics to reading items may be a poor modification.

Effects of Using Modified Items to Test Students with Persistent Academic Difficulties

This study investigated the effects of using modified items in achievement tests to enhance accessibility. An experiment determined whether tests composed of modified items would reduce the performance gap between students eligible for an alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS) and students not eligible, and the impact on student proficiency levels. Three groups of eighth-grade students ( N = 755) from four states took original and modified versions of reading and mathematics tests. Findings indicate modified item conditions were significantly easier for all students and modifications would result in more AA-MAS eligible students meeting proficiency status. Study limitations and follow-up research on item modifications and the performance of students with disabilities are discussed.

When collaborative is not collaborative: Supporting student learning through self-surveillance

Collaborative learning has been widely endorsed in education. This qualitative research examines instances of collaborative learning during mathematics that were seen to be predominantly non-collaborative despite the pedagogical efforts and intentions of the teacher and the task. In an effort to disrupt the non-collaborative learning, small groups of eighth grade students engaged in self-surveillance where they viewed video data of their group's collaborations and then reflected collectively on their observations. A key finding from this research is that self-surveillance disrupted students’ normalized patterns of collaborative learning creating greater opportunities for individual student learning and participation. Implications for student learning and pedagogy will be discussed.

Authoring “Race”: Writing Truth and Fiction after School

This article examines the process a diverse group of eighth grade students go through when charged with writing about the ways in which race might matter at their desegregated school. Students' articulations are bounded by a school culture of silence around race. The regulatory aspect of this school culture was enacted when students first make racism visible through exaggerated writing in a fictional play about school life, only to later censor themselves in an effort to more accurately portray the implicit nature of racialized relations at the school. As the students talked and wrote about their understandings of race and racism at their school, we listened carefully to what they said and also to their silences, paying attention to the erasures. The article concludes that such findings invite us to think about the value of alternative spaces for students to talk and write as well as a consideration of how the school sphere itself might be made more accepting of diverse perspectives on race outside of the dominant colorblind discourse. In addition, we suggest the power of fiction for eliciting conversation among youth.

Effects and Perceived Consequences of Using Read-Aloud and Teacher-Recommended Testing Accommodations on a Reading Achievement Test

This investigation examined the effects and consequences of using testing accommodations, including reading aloud test content, with a group of eighth-grade students (N = 79) on a standardized reading test. Research questions pertaining to the effects of accommodations on reading test scores and consequences of testing on teacher and student attitudes were addressed using a repeated measures experimental design and postassessment questionnaires. Results demonstrated that individualized packages of accommodations with or without a read-aloud accommodation had minimal benefit for groups of students with and without disabilities and did not differentially benefit one group of students over another. Accommodations did, however, positively affect many individuals' test scores within groups of students with and without disabilities. Furthermore, teachers and students expressed mixed feelings about accommodations and testing in general. Overall, this study added evidence to support the popular view that reading aloud a reading test may have an invalidating effect on test scores. Implications of these findings on testing accommodation practices and future research are discussed, with particular attention to validity issues when using a read-aloud accommodation.

“Scary Thing, Being An Eighth Grader”: Exploring Gender and Sexuality in a Middle School U.S. History Unit

The study reported here provides an example of the complex interface among historical study, current issues, and adolescents' complex social worlds. The authors investigated the ways in which a group of eighth grade students conceptualize the significance of gender in the context of a study of antebellum U.S. history. Fifty students participated in a set of inquiries into women's involvement in nineteenth-century U.S. reform movements, industrialization, and culture contact and conflict on the shifting frontier. Classroom interactions, museum-like displays, presentations, and interviews contrast students' public constructions and private responses to issues of gender and sexuality in the context of historical study. Among other findings, students identified women's experiences as historically significant, recognized, analyzed, and expressed interest in the variety of perspectives represented by women they studied, and worried about “reverse sexism”– studying women at the expense of men. In addition, students' historical inquiries generated discussion about current issues of gender and sexuality, both inside and outside the classroom. In discussing the contrasts between the classroom culture and the encircling “homophobic hallways,” the authors suggest the importance of establishing environments where 1) gender is not an “add-on” or “extra” but fundamental point of analysis, and 2) adolescents build a vocabulary for discussing human rights issues and engage in critiquing current practices in regard to gender and sexuality.

The relation between students’ motivational beliefs and their use of motivational regulation strategies

The goal of this study was to investigate the relation between a set of pre-decisional beliefs including students’ task value, self-efficacy, and learning and performance goal orientations and five post-decisional, implementation strategies students use to regulate their effort and persistence for the academic tasks assigned for a specific class. A group of eighth grade students (N=114) completed a self-report survey that assessed these four motivational beliefs and the frequency that they used five motivational regulation strategies including self-consequating, environmental control, interest enhancement, and mastery and performance self-talk. Results from a series of multiple regressions indicated that the motivational beliefs, as a group, could be used to explain students’ reported use of each of the regulatory strategies examined. Further, results indicated that task value, learning goal orientation, and performance goal orientation individually explained three or more of the regulatory strategies, whereas self-efficacy was not related significantly to any of the five regulatory strategies studied. Findings are presented and interpreted in light of their significance for models specifying both motivational and volitional aspects of self-regulation.

A Culture of Experimentation: The Change Process at a Middle School

This case study explores the change process at a middle school that made significant changes in the delivery of instruction and programs over a five year period. During this time the school became involved with school reform organizations and developed ongoing outdoor educational experiences for sixth and eighth grade students. The author discovered a culture of experimentation that was primarily responsible for facilitating these changes. Characterized by (a) support for experimentation, (b) shared beliefs, and (c) a feeling of ownership, this culture developed through a unique blend of teacher impetus, leadership from the principal and others, professional development, outside support and funding. These people and resources provided support and encouraged risk-taking among faculty. The author suggests that the development of this “culture of experimentation,” considered in the light of current literature on school change, offers a number of lessons for middle level educators interested in innovation and change.“I have a dream,” said Donna Popper1 to her principal Sara Wilson. An eighth grade math teacher, Donna's dream was to do something other than another “meaningless field trip.” She had decided that the annual eighth grade trip to Vanceton, the state capital, had very little educational value, and this year she wanted to do something “to make a real difference in the students.” She wanted them to go on an Outward Bound trip. Donna had heard about OB working with students from a staff development workshop she had attended and decided that it was an opportunity that their students needed. Sara was open to the idea and gave Donna the support to try and pull it off. Donna brought the idea to the other teachers on her eighth-grade team, and they agreed to the trip on the condition that all eighth grade students would get the opportunity to go. She then called South Western Outward Bound (SWOB), found out the cost, and set out to raise the $30,000 needed. The money was raised, and the first group of eighth-grade students and teachers from Hilton Middle School went on an Outward Bound trip.

The art of checking: A case study of students' erroneous checking behavior in introductory algebra

This article reports the results of a study in which a group of eighth-grade students was presented with a set of linear equation-solving and checking tasks. A few weeks later some selected students were interviewed in detail on the checking behavior manifested in their notes on the previously presented paper-and-pencil task. In the same interview session a metacognition task was presented. The results obtained show that the students made errors during the process of checking their answers. From the interviews it is further possible to determine two categories of erroneous checking behavior, namely: (a) a pattern of structural erroneous behavior and (b) a pattern of executional erroneous behavior. Moreover, this work demonstrates the relation between the quality of solving and checking behavior on the one hand and the quality of metacognitive skill on the other.

Using the PRECEDE model to determine junior high school students' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about AIDS.

The effectiveness of a one-period school-based AIDS education program on an adolescent population of seventh and eighth grade students (N = 585) was determined. An instrument based on the PRECEDE model was used to assess program effectiveness. Three-way analysis of variance indicated significant differences (p v .01) between pretest to posttest scores for knowledge, attitude, and beliefs for those who received the program versus those who did not by grade and gender of students. The intervention group scored significantly higher than the comparison group on knowledge gain for both seventh and eighth grade students and for males and females. On attitude items, a significant increase occurred from pretest to posttest for eighth grade students who received the program, but not for seventh grade students. The experimental group of eighth grade students scored higher on the attitudes component than the comparison of eighth grade students on the posttest. When attitudes were examined by gender for females in the educational intervention, an increase occurred in attitude scores from pretest to posttest. While belief scores increased significantly from pretest to posttest for the experimental seventh and eighth grade students, significant increases occurred only for experimental group females. Findings support the contention that a one-class period AIDS education program can affect more than just knowledge since attitudes and beliefs also were partially affected.

Development and Evaluation of a Sexuality Education Curriculum for Young Adolescents

AbstractThe Youth and Sexuality Modules were developed and field tested to provide a sex education curriculum for young adolescents. The evaluation of the curriculum included a study of the changes in knowledge and attitudes in three groups of eighth-grade students (total, 114 students) over two semesters: one group had no pretest and two posttests; one had a pretest and two posttests; and one had two pretests and a posttest. The results showed a statistically significant increase in knowledge as a result of the instruction (p = < .01), but no changes in attitude. No significant correlations were found between knowledge scores and attitude scores or between change in attitude. The results of the study provide evidence for the effectiveness of the curriculum in influencing the understanding of knowledge concerning sexuality and provides additional data to suggest that school based sex education has some realistic limitations in accomplishing frequently stated goals.