Middle Level Students Research Articles

Table Talk: Conversational Interviews with Middle-Level Students Focused on Attitudes about Reading

Table Talk: Conversational Interviews with Middle-Level Students Focused on Attitudes about Reading

The Effectiveness of the Geospatial Curriculum Approach on Urban Middle-Level Students’ Climate Change Understandings

Climate change science is a challenging topic for student learning. This quantitative study examined the effectiveness of a geospatial curriculum approach to promote climate change science understandings in an urban school district with eighth-grade students and investigated whether teacher- and student-level factors accounted for students’ climate change knowledge achievement. The participants included 12 science teachers and 956 eighth-grade students. Data included a pre- and posttest climate change assessment measures for both teachers and students and a teacher measure of Geospatial Science-Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge. Paired-sample t tests revealed statistically significant gains from pretest to posttest on their climate change knowledge (p < .001; effect sizes being large on multiple-choice items and medium on the open-ended response assessment). Both ordinary least squares (OLS) multiple regression and 2-level hierarchical linear modeling found that students’ initial climate change knowledge and gender were significant predictors for students’ posttest scores, p < .05. Students’ pretest scores were the strongest significant predictor of the posttest scores, p < .001. Neither the teachers’ climate change knowledge nor their Geospatial Science-Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge had significant association with the students’ posttest scores. Teaching years was a significant predictor for students’ posttest scores in OLS regression (p < .001). The findings provide support that a geospatial curriculum approach is an effective science curriculum approach for learners in urban middle-level education.

과학자의 실험 목적에 대한 초등학생의 인식

본 연구는 초등학생을 대상으로 과학자의 실험 목적에 대한 응답을 통하여 인식의 정도를 확인 하고자 한 것이다. 이러한 연구 목적을 달성하기 위하여 경기도 G시 한 초등학교의 초등학생 193명(남학생 96명, 여학생97명)을 대상으로 설문 조사를 실시하였다. 초등학생들의 응답을 성별, 학업성취도별, 과학관련 직업 희망여부별로 그 경향성을 나누어 살펴보았다. 학습자 특성이 과학자의 실험 목적에 대한 인식과 어떠한 상관이 있는지에 대한 분석을 통하여 다음과 같은 결과를 얻었다. 첫째, 학생들은 과학자의 실험 목적에 대하여 '새로운 사실을 발견하기 위해서'라는 내적가치 중 인지적 영역과 관련된 항목에 34.2%, '생활을 편리하게 하기 위해서'라는 외적 가치의 사회적 영역에 대한 항목에 26.9%의 응답을 보였다. 이는 대부분의 학생들이 과학자들의 실험 목적을 사실의 획득이나 사회적으로 도움이 되기 위해서라고 인식하고 있음을 알 수 있다. 둘째, 응답의 분포를 성별로 살펴보면, 여학생이 사회적 유용성 영역에 관한 인식이 높았으며 남학생이 논리 객관적 요소에 관한 인식이 높게 나타났다. 셋째, 응답의 분포를 학업성취도별로 살펴보면, 과학자의 실험 목적에 대하여 상위권 학생이 사회적 유용성 영역에 관한 인식이 높았으며, 중 하위권 학생들은 인지적 영역에 관한 인식이 높게 나타났다. 넷째, 과학관련 직업을 희망하는 학생과 그렇지 않은 학생을 대상으로 한 과학실험의 목적에 대한 인식을 살펴보면 과학 관련 직업을 희망하는 학생의 인식이 더욱 다양하며, 그렇지 않은 학생은 인지적 영역에 대한 응답이 더욱 높은 것으로 나타났다. This study investigated the elementary school students' perception of the "purpose of scientists' experiments" and discovered what roles teachers can take to provide guidance. The study subjects were 193 elementary school students (96 boys and 97 girls) in a school located in Gyeonggi-do. The responses were analyzed through categorization based on their gender, science test score at school, and understanding of the purposes of scientific experiments based on students' choice of science-related future careers. The results of this study were as follows. In relation to the purpose of science experiments, the elementary school students considered intrinsic values of doing experiments more valuable than their extrinsic values. Next, 34.2% of the students answered that scientists do science experiment 'to find a new fact' and 26.9% of the students answered 'to make life convenient.' The results showed that girls responded 'social usefulness' more frequently than boys. Considering the achievement levels, it was found that high level students replied 'to make life convenient' more frequently than middle and low level students on why scientists do science experiments. Students who want to have a science-related career had varied ideas about it.

EDUCATING THE YOUNG FOR ETHICAL CITIZENSHIP

The exclusive emphasis on academic excellence in our schools today does not necessarily translate into excellence of character or lend our students an ethical disposition. Thus, I include ethics instruction to young people who will one day become the citizens and leaders of tomorrow. Because ethics invokes questions that consider morals, values, and principles, and because it seeks to consider and respect alternate perspectives, I believe that ethics knowledge is essential to maintaining a civilized society. This essay will share some of the philosophy and methods that I have used successfully with middle-level students (grades 5-8) to help them reflect upon what it means to be ethical human beings and good citizens—in addition to supporting their efforts to achieve academic excellence.

Developing Energy Literacy in US Middle-Level Students Using the Geospatial Curriculum Approach

This quantitative study examined the effectiveness of a geospatial curriculum approach to promote energy literacy in an urban school district and examined factors that may account for energy content knowledge achievement. An energy literacy measure was administered to 1,044 eighth-grade students (ages 13–15) in an urban school district in Pennsylvania, USA. One group of students received instruction with a geospatial curriculum approach (geospatial technologies (GT)) and another group of students received ‘business as usual’ (BAU) curriculum instruction. For the GT students, findings revealed statistically significant gains from pretest to posttest (p < 0.001) on knowledge of energy resource acquisition, energy generation, storage and transport, and energy consumption and conservation. The GT students had year-end energy content knowledge scores significantly higher than those who learned with the BAU curriculum (p < 0.001; effect size being large). A multiple regression found that prior energy content knowledge was the only significant predictor to the year-end energy content knowledge achievement for the GT students (p < 0.001). The findings support that the implementation of a geospatial curriculum approach that employs learning activities that focus on the spatial nature of energy resources can improve the energy literacy of urban middle-level education students.

Engaging Middle-Grade Students to Learn in a Caring Community

Middle-level students have unique emotional and academic needs. As a result, it is important for middle-level educators to realize these needs when creating a caring and engaging classroom climate that results in successful student achievement. This article describes the Caring Community Teaching Model (CCTM), which is a synthesis of affective teaching as well as learning practices tailored to meet the unique needs of middle-grade students. The CCTM is designed as a program with a two-function approach to enhance student engagement: (1) caring relationships and (2) instructional strategies. The authors describe the theoretical framework that underpins the CCTM as well as the emerging literature that creates its needs. Additionally, the CCTM is highlighted through the lens of a case example in which the authors provide concrete examples of CCTM being used in a middle-level classroom.

Atividades com Comunicação &amp; Educação Ano XVII – n. 2

Ruth Ribas Itacarambi proposes activities to be developed in classroom with elementary, middle level and higher education students, by using this issue’s article.

Teaching Middle Level Students to Generalize: From Implicit to Explicit

This study took a broad view of generalization, exploring how classroom instruction within opportunities of implicit generalization may be related to students’ abilities to generalize. From an integrated perspective of generalization and problem solving, we investigated twelve lessons of two middle level teachers based on three pattern-based problems. We found teachers’ limited awareness and knowledge of problem situations, especially problem structures, were obstacles hindering their ability to support students’ understanding of implicit generalization. Teachers tended to focus on particular "results" for individual cases rather than the "process" of obtaining those results, resulting in missed opportunities to develop students’ sense of general patterns. Without attention to implicit generalization, explicit generalization rarely took place in a meaningful way during problem solving.

수학 영재의 창의적 문제해결 모델(MG-CPS)을 일반학생의 수학 학습에 적용한 사례연구

This research is a case study of the changes of students's problem solving ability and affective characteristics when we apply to general students MG-CPS model which is creative problem solving model for gifted students. MG-CPS model which was developed by Kim and Lee(2008) is a problem solving model with 7-steps. For this study, we selected 7 first grade students from girl's high school in Seoul. They consisted of three high level students, two middle level students, and two low level students and then we applied MG-CPS model to these 7 students for 5 weeks. From the study results, we found that most students's describing ability in problem understanding and problem solving process were improved. Also we observed that high level students had improvements in overall problem solving ability, middle level students in problem understanding ability and guideline planning ability, and that low level students had improvements in the problem understanding ability. In affective characteristics, there were no significant changes in high and middle level classes but in low level class students showed some progress in all 6 factors of affective characteristics. In particular, we knew that the cause of such positive changes comes from the effects of information collection step and presenting step of MG-CPS model.

Relationship between 5th Grade Students’ Attitudes towards Science and Technology Course and Misconceptions

The purpose of this study is to determine the attitudes of the 5th grade students towards Science and Technology course, their level of misconceptions on the subject of “Heat and Temperature”, and the connection between the attitudes and misconceptions in terms of several variables. The tools used for data collection were “Attitude towards Science and Technology Course Scale” and “Concept Test”. According to the results, attitudes of unsuccessful students are higher than attitudes of middle level and successful students. It is found that misconceptions of students who take extra courses are lower than those who learn only in lessons.

Aboriginal Students’ Perspectives on the Factors Influencing High School Completion

The Canadian education system is failing its Aboriginal students as evidenced by the significant proportion not completing high school. The Aboriginal population has experienced a significantly greater proportion of people living in poverty and higher rates of unemployment than has the non-Aboriginal population. These factors can be linked to the Aboriginal population's lower educational attainment. The research questions in this phenomenological study explored the influences that encourage Aboriginal middle-level students to remain engaged in school, thus promoting the likelihood of their completing high school. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 10 Aboriginal adolescents identified as being at risk of dropping out before completing high school. Data were analyzed using semiotic phenomenology, including description, reduction, and interpretation. Study findings identified the importance of schools providing linkages to students’ Aboriginal heritages and relationship building between teachers and students. This study adds the students’ perspective to the existing body of knowledge related to Aboriginal student school engagement. Positive social change can be effected when classrooms model cultural inclusion, meaningful learning opportunities are provided for all students, and Aboriginal learners perceive they belong, resulting in a greater proportion of Aboriginal people living enriched, satisfying lives. Such activities also can lead to higher graduation rates.

News and Notes from the Middle Level Section—Student Writing and the Writing Students Do

News and Notes from the Middle Level Section—Student Writing and the Writing Students Do

Make Learning Matter for the Multitasking Generation

Teachers must implement strategies to help teens slow down and think critically.Technological advances have created amazing opportunities for people throughout the world to access and share information (Friedman, 2005). These opportunities have perhaps helped to create a of young adolescents who want to make the most of each minute of the day, seizing opportunities to seek information and communicate at the same time. We now have middle level students who talk on the phone, text friends, play games, download music, watch videos, and write papers for school-and many of these students believe they are adept at doing all of these things at the same time, or multitasking.Meet GenM, or the multitasking generation (Wallis, Cole, Steptoe, & Dale, 2006, p. 48). Now more than ever, students are electronically in; and some students are (or perhaps want to be) tuned during their middle level classes. As research on this phenomenon begins to emerge, it is clear that educators must consider the implications of these GenM practices for their classrooms and help their students slow down and think critically about the things they read and write.This article focuses on current literature related to multitasking, including information on the characteristics of GenM learners. Pedagogical considerations for reading and writing instruction the middle level classroom are explored, and suggestions are offered for translating traditional instructional methodologies into more multimedia-rich learning experiences for students. These strategies challenge students to learn when to slow down and critically examine the text or task at hand.Today's teensResearchers have begun to explore the nature of and its effects. GenM students are generally in and tech savvy. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 82% of students are online by the seventh grade (Lenart, Madden, & Hitlin, 2005). Additionally, students spend 6.5 hours per day using electronic media but condense 8.5 hours of activity into that time by (Wallis et al., 2006, p. 51). Foehr (2006) drew the following conclusions about multitasking:* Most young people multitask at least some of the time, but others do not do it at all.* Many young people use media while doing homework, especially if they are on the computer.* Computer activities (instant messaging, computer games, perusing websites) are the most multitasked activities, while watching television and other media are the least multitasked activities.* Girls are more likely to multitask than boys.Although multitaskers appear to save time, researchers note that can lead to a decline quality of work.Decades of research (not to mention common sense) indicate the quality of one's output and depth of thought deteriorates as one attends to ever more tasks. ... There's substantial literature on how the brain handles multitasking. And, basically, it doesn't. (Wallis et al., 2006, p. 51)Instead, the brain practices rapid toggling which it switches gears with each new activity, sequencing events order of importance instead of processing them simultaneously.The impact of on teenagers is not clear. Russell Poldrack, associate professor of psychology at the University of California Los Angeles, noted, Given that kids have grown up always doing this, it may turn out that they are more skilled at it. We just don't know yet (Aratani, 2007a, para. 17).Teenagers may be more skilled at because they practice it so often. David Meyer, director of the University of Michigan's Brain, Cognition, and Action Laboratory, suggests today's teens are trying toDo lots of because they think it's cool and less boring ... they have lots of gadgets that help them be more successful at this. ... The belief is that they're getting good at this and that they're much better than the older at it and that there's no cost to their efficiency. …

Writing Matters to Urban Middle Level Students

(2012). Writing Matters to Urban Middle Level Students. Middle School Journal: Vol. 43, Differentiating Instruction for Diverse Learners, pp. 40-48.

Actively Engaging Middle Level Students with Photo Journals

A photo journal project engages reluctant learners. Making a photo journal in class has been awesome! I often find school to be the most boring place on the planet, like uber-boring. Yea[sic], I admit that I usually sit in classes doodling or staring at my watch. Not this time! This project was actually meaningful and fun! Doing this project made me want to come to school. I enjoyed more about my peers and myself. I also appreciated the opportunity to get creative and use technology. Seriously, this has been an awesome experience. I already started making another photo journal at home ... this journal is about the environment and the photo journal I made in class has inspired some of my friends to make their own. -Cynthia, 11-year-old gifted student I never fit [in] at school. Students talk smack about me. Teachers don't seem [to] really care. Making [a] photo journal has been an amazing [experience]. This [was] fun and exciting! This project transformed [my] relationship[s]. I talk more [to] my classmates now, and they talk [more] to me. This project show[ed] me that I have [a] teacher who cares about me and want[s] me to learn. She value[s] my voice. ... This project has been the best thing I [have] ever done in school. -Armando, 12-year-old English language learner After we finished making our photo books in language arts, I's wishing we could make photo journals in all our classes at school, for real. This was interesting. This was real. Why don't more teachers have us do things like this project instead of them boring worksheets or, ugh, that stupid testing prep whatever? So sick of that junk! Making a photo journal is cool. I's proud of my journal. I's real-real proud of what I made. This be the first assignment that didn't end up in the trash. I brought it back from school and shared it with my ma. She cried. ... Now I be showing it to everyone I know. ... I always thought I's suck at writing, but now I think, I think I's wanna be a writer when I'm grown. Maybe a photographer too. -Tyronne, 13-year-old student Cynthia, Armando, and Tyronne (all names are pseudonyms) were reluctant young adolescent learners; or at least they appeared to be reluctant learners until a middle level language arts teacher implemented a photo journal project in their class. This article reports findings from a qualitative study of the implementation of a photo journal project and demonstrates how photo journals motivated and engaged middle level students in learning, particularly reluctant learners from traditionally marginalized social groups. It also shows how a teacher built community in her classroom by implementing this strategy. Reluctant learners A reluctant learner lacks motivation to learn or appears disengaged academically, and he or she may often display silence, indolence, or inappropriate behavior (Crozier, 2009; Stipek, 2002). Reluctance in can come from a variety of sources and may only apply to one subject area, teacher, topic, or task or, as in the cases of Cynthia, Armando, and Tyronne, may apply to schooling in general. Students from traditionally marginalized groups (e.g., racial minorities, English language learners) often experience a disconnect between their personal experiences and the curriculum and instructional methods in traditional public schools (Gay, 2000; Kozol, 2005; Spring, 2006; Tyack, 2005); and their responses to these disconnects are often identified as reluctance toward learning. Although the causes, manifestations, and implications of reluctance toward may vary, teachers must find ways to motivate and engage reluctant learners and provide them challenging, exploratory, integrative, and relevant curriculum, and engage them in active, purposeful learning through multiple and teaching approaches (National Middle School Association [NMSA], 2010, pp. 16, 17, 22). Furthermore, teachers must create meaningful and stimulating environments in which students are actively involved in the process (NMSA, 2010; Stipek, 2002). …

Future Directions: A Call for Actions

The first part of this article is a discussion of the present contexts in which middle level teachers, students, and researchers learn and teach; it’s a rather dismal portrait constrained by legislation and policies. The second part, in which hope begins to present itself, introduces readers to some middle level students, their teacher, and a researcher who are working to (re)claim the reading and writing voices of the students. The final section is an introduction to five potential actions that could include the voices and actions of middle level students, their teachers, researchers, and others concerned with a progressive education agenda.

Computers and Traditional Teaching Practices: Factors influencing middle level students’ science achievement and attitudes about science

The purpose of this study was to examine the association of middle school student science achievement and attitudes toward science with student-reported frequency of using computers to learn science and other classroom practices. Baseline comparison data were collected on the frequency of student-centred teaching practices (e.g. the use of group experiments during science class) and traditional teaching practices (e.g. having students copy notes during science class) to learn science. The student sample was composed of 294 seventh-grade students enrolled in middle school science. Multiple regression was used to investigate the association of attitudes toward science, student-centred teaching practices, computer usage, and traditional teaching practices with science achievement. Both attitudes toward science and student-centred teaching practices were positively associated with science achievement, and student-centred teaching practice was positively associated with attitude toward science. Computer usage was found to have a negative association with student achievement, which was moderated by traditional teaching practices.

Atividades com Comunicação &amp; Educação – Ano XV – n. 3

Ruth Ribas Itacarambi proposes pedagogic projects to be developed in classroom with elementary, middle level and higher education students, by using this issue’s articles.

Content Area Readers: Helping Middle-Level Students Become Word Aware (and Enjoy It!)

For many years, practitioners have heard that middle level teachers are teachers of reading. As the standards movement gains strength, it is even more crucial that teachers explicitly teach key vocabulary that makes their students “insiders” when it comes to understanding the content areas. This article reminds the reader of the principles for vocabulary development, followed by “high utility” strategies that works well for early adolescents. Middle level students are ripe for word work with a proper balance of choice and challenge.

Native American History in a Box: A New Approach to Teaching Native American Cultures

This article describes the Native American History in a Box curriculum which is designed to introduce elementary and middle-level students to Native American cultures. The curriculum consists of a five day unit addressing the following concepts pertaining to Native American Nations: settlements, tools, sustenance, pottery, and contact with Europeans. In addition, the development of the curriculum, the daily lessons, and the activities are discussed. Each daily lesson includes step-by-step instructions and the required materials. Finally, the authors discuss some of the pragmatic issues that influenced the development and implementation of the curriculum.