Middle School Classes Research Articles

Difficulties of Online Physical Education Classes in Middle and High School and an Efficient Operation Plan to Address Them.

This study examined the difficulties of running online physical education classes in the context of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and used the findings to develop an efficient operation plan to address these difficulties. Six middle and high school physical education teachers participated; three were experts in online physical education and active in the Korea Council School Physical Education Promotion, and three were recommended teachers making efforts to improve the online classes offered by the Korea Ministry of Education. A qualitative case study method employing phenomenological procedures to collect and analyze the data was used. The difficulties of operating middle and high school online physical education classes for the first time included (1) the monotony of the classes within their limited environmental conditions and limited educational content that did not adequately convey the value of physical education, (2) trial-and-error methods applied nationwide, resulting from a lack of expertise in operating online physical education classes, and (3) very limited evaluation guidelines proposed by the Korea Ministry of Education, which made systematic evaluation with online methods impossible. To address the identified problems and facilitate the efficient operation of online physical education classes, changes in strategic learning methods are needed to understand online physical education characteristics and thereby better communicate the value of physical education. It is also necessary to cultivate teaching expertise through sharing online physical education classes, where collaboration among physical education teachers is central. In addition, evaluation processes should be less formal to encourage active student participation.

Reproductive Health Literacy and Fertility Awareness Among Polish Female Students.

The falling fertility indicators and high prevalence of infertility in Poland make it important for people of reproductive age to have good knowledge of their own fertility in order to be able to take care of their reproductive health. This paper examines reproductive health literacy and fertility awareness among Polish female students. It can help identify gaps in reproductive health education in Poland. The study group included 456 women aged 18–29, who were students of 6 public universities located in Poznan, Poland. The method used was a survey using a self-developed questionnaire assessing the students' knowledge of female and male fertility-related physiology and fertility patterns. The respondents' knowledge was assessed on the basis of the percentage of correct answers. Regression analysis and univariate analysis of variance were used to explore relationships between the students' knowledge and their age, year of study, university and source(s) of information. The average score of correct answers was 55.8%. Older students and medical university students were the most knowledgeable. 93.4% of the respondents correctly identified the optimum age for a woman to have the first child from the point of view of achieving pregnancy fast. Over 90% of the respondents knew such fertility-compromising risks as smoking, diseases and psychological distress. There was much poorer awareness of the adverse effect of unbalanced diet, irregular sleep, and long-lasting physical effort. 47.1% of the students reported gaining information from a number of sources, but as many as 28.3% said their only source was primary or middle school classes. Reproductive health knowledge among the young female students is incomplete, especially as regards lifestyle-related risks. They should be encouraged to supplement it by consulting reliable sources such as health professionals. It is advisable to ensure that the curricula of medical university students provide thorough knowledge in this area, and to arrange suitable electives for students from other universities. As primary and secondary school classes remain an important source of information, quality teaching at these levels should be offered with a focus on making the knowledge as practical and operational as possible. Relevant graduate, postgraduate and in-service courses should be available to professionals responsible for spreading reproductive health knowledge.

ON DEMAND: Investigator: Facilitating Inquiry-based Teaching and Learning of Critical Thinking Skills (5 mins)

With support from the NSF’s “Improving Undergraduate STEM Education” program, we developed an artificial intelligence based cognitive assistant, called sInvestigator (science Investigator) that helps students develop critical thinking skills for addressing scientific problems, through an easy to employ inquiry-based approach. The instructor formulates an inquiry and the students hypothesize possible answers. Then they use sInvestigator to determine the hypothesized answer that is best supported by evidence. They form teams, each team developing an evidence-based argumentation for assessing the probability of their selected hypothesized answer. Using sInvestigator, they decompose their hypothesis into simpler and simpler hypotheses, until the top hypothesis is reduced to very simple (elementary) hypotheses, each showing clearly what evidence may favor or disfavor it. This guides the students to search for this evidence on the Internet, and assess its relevance and credibility by using fuzzy qualifiers, such as “likely” or “almost certain”. Based on these student assessments, sInvestigator determines the probabilities of the elementary hypotheses, and combines them to obtain the probability of the hypothesized answer. The students may be asked to perform deeper credibility analyses of the Internet articles found, by assessing lower-level credentials, such as author’s competence, conflicts of interest, and publication reputation. They may also be asked to justify their assessments. Once an analysis is complete, sInvestigator generates an analysis report that is finalized by the students and debated in class. sInvestigator was experimentally used in several GMU undergraduate science classes. Case studies for middle school and high school science classes have also been developed.

The Effect of Guided Discovery Learning Model on the Science Process Skills of Students in State VII Bangil Middle School Class VII on Environmental Pollution Materials

This study aims to determine the effect of Guided discovery learning models on the science process skills of students in SMP Negeri 3 Bangil class VII on the material of environmental pollution. This type of research is quasi experimental, with non equivalent design pre-test and post-test control group. The sampling technique used purposive sampling obtained 2 classes, namely class VII G as a control class and class VII H as an experimental class. The instrument of this research is a test of science process skills in environmental pollutants with data collection techniques using the test method, namely pre-test and post-test. Data analysis techniques were carried out using the t-test. The results showed that the Guided discovery learning model had a significant effect on the science process skills of students in SMP Negeri 3 Bangil class VII on the material of environmental pollution.

Narrative and the Politics of Identity: Patterns of the Spread and Acceptance of Radicalism and Terrorism in Indonesia

This study aims to examine Islamic narratives heard at mosques and in study groups in the greater metropolitan area of Jakarta, Indonesia. The article asks if youth and leaders of youth organizations in Jakarta are receptive to radical/terrorist discourse or if they deliberate and weigh what certain narratives mean. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 24 subjects. These included Rohani Islamic group leaders who hold extracurricular study groups after middle and high school classes, as well as Islamic Mission organizations or Lembaga Da’wah Kampus (LDK—literally translates as Campus Mission Organization; they are some senior students and may invite Islamic scholars or themselves teach Islam and preach to students who are willing to learn Islam specially only at the university as an extracurricular activity; in this article, we translate it as Islamic Mission organization.). which exist on Jakarta’s university campuses where radical narratives are discussed. Other organizations and their leaders were also included. Questions posed to members of these organizations by the authors of this article asked if they accepted, rejected, or negotiated certain ideas regarded as radical by the Indonesian government. Respondents were asked if they believed violent acts against non-reform Muslims and non-Muslims were justified. Respondents were also asked if the Indonesian constitution, Pancasila, should continue its secular democratic legal format, or if it should be replaced by sharia law. Ultimately, most informants took more moderate stances, somewhere in between pure secularism and pure radical terrorism. In this way, this study disproves scholars such as Martin van Bruinessen (2013) who claim that Indonesian Islam is becoming more conservative, and others such as Harsono who claim Indonesian Islam is becoming more violent. While violence was condoned by some respondents, this article reveals that a majority of respondents rejected the view that sharia law should prevail. Ultimately most respondents in this study decided a balanced viewpoint was the best. Thus, this article reveals the degree of moderation of most Jakarta residents, and the nuance and depth of consideration that devout individuals give to a range of contemporary ideas as they negotiate their stance on religion, the state, and their local identities.

Systematic CHAAOS: Teaching Vocabulary in English/Language Arts Special Education Classes in Middle School

In this multi-year study, we taught English/Language Arts teachers of students with learning disabilities in middle school to incorporate 15 min of daily vocabulary activities with students in their intact special education English/Language Arts classes. During Year 1, teachers taught 48 words to their sixth grade students, who learned and retained the words significantly better than the students in business-as-usual (BAU) control classes. In the current study, we report the second year results, as the sixth grade students entered seventh grade. Students (n = 42) in treatment classes again learned 48 new vocabulary words significantly better than similar students in BAU (n = 21) special education classes. In seventh grade, students also outperformed BAU students on maintenance of these age-appropriate words (p < .001) and on a standardized measure of vocabulary (p = .04).

Who participates in which type of teacher professional development? Identifying and describing clusters of teachers

ABSTRACT Teacher professional development (TPD) courses can support teachers in building up pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and in improving the quality of teaching. Therefore, having teachers participate in TPD is of special interest for educational policy. Unfortunately, knowledge about the relation between teachers’ PCK and teachers’ attendance in TPD is unclear. That’s why the current study empirically contrasts teachers (N = 67, German middle-school classes) which do and do not take part in TPD courses exemplarily dealing with formative assessment (FA) in mathematics. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to identify four clusters of teachers (based on prior personal characteristics concerning formative assessment). Describing these clusters, it can be stated that there exists a cluster of teachers with critical values on all personal characteristics. These teachers mainly do not take part in TPD dealing with FA although they have little PCK concerning FA. Implications for further research and TPD are discussed.

“We Know What We Like to Do:” Effects of Purposefully Negotiating the Curriculum on the Girls in One Middle School Class and Their Teacher

Purpose: In this paper, we describe the study of one teacher as she attempted to purposefully negotiate the curriculum (e.g., goals, content, tasks, and evaluation) with one of her middle school classes. We used key concepts, constructs, and ideas from hegemonic masculinity and feminist theory to guide us in this endeavor. Method: We used seven qualitative techniques to gather data during an 18-lesson unit taught by the teacher Joanne to 37 girls. We employed standard interpretive methods during the analysis. Findings and Conclusions: Both high-skilled and low-skilled passive girls became more motivated to take part in physical education, although low-skilled girls generally had less voice in the negotiation process than their high-skilled peers. Key reasons for Joanne’s success were her skill, the support provided by the school’s leadership team, and the fact that the unit took place within a single-sex class. Conversely, the unit was constrained by Joanne’s and the girls’ socialization and Joanne’s focus on state and local standards.

Let Teens Sleep In

Last month, I wrote about the different ways that self-control strategies can help all of us, especially the teenagers in our lives, sleep better. I hope these tips have helped you make progress on your own New Year's resolutions. But self-control isn't the only way to fight temptation. Sometimes, the smartest solution is for other people to solve our problems for us. In particular, one policy change could radically increase the amount of time teenagers sleep: delay the start time of classes to an hour that more closely fits their biological clocks. A recent Rand report concluded that starting both middle and high school classes no earlier than 8:30 a.m. would translate into $8.6 billion in economic gains within two years of the change. How so? Adequate sleep can improve academic achievement, which correlates with higher income in adulthood. And more well-rested teenagers get into fewer car accidents. Like so many common sense policies, delaying start times for high school students has met with resistance. One issue is budget: for many districts, it's necessary to stagger bus schedules to save money. True, but why not flip-flop times so that elementary school students—who are natural morning larks—are picked up earlier, making it possible for middle and high school students—who are natural night owls—to go later? “Well, I don't love the idea of my 11-year-old waiting for the bus in the dark,” one mom told me. Her district had just announced precisely the sort of transportation schedule I'm describing.

The Effects of Adding a Variation to Teacher-Created Videos on Korean Middle School Students’ Flipped Vocabulary Learning

This study investigates whether the presence of the teacher’s face in flipped vocabulary learning videos affects Korean middle students’ vocabulary learning outcomes and their perceptions of flipped vocabulary learning. Fifty-four second graders from three intact classes of a public middle school were divided into three groups: (1) the TP group (the video in which the teacher’s face and voice was present), (2) the TA group (the video where the teacher’s face was absent), and (3) the F2F offline group (the face-to-face offline lecture group). The results showed that TP group (the students who were in the flipped group watching a video in which the teacher’s face was present) outperformed the students in the other two groups (TA group and F2F group). In addition, the students in the lecture groups (F2F group) outperformed those who learned in a flipped method through a video in which the teacher’s face was absent (TA group).

Examining the Generalization of a Combined Independent and Interdependent Group Contingency for Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Using an ABAB withdrawal design, the study evaluated the direct and generalized effects of a combined independent and interdependent group contingency on the engagement and disruptive behavior of two groups of students enrolled in an alternative school serving students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Class 1 included seven middle school students and Class 2 included eight high school students. For both classes, systematic direct observation behavior data were collected both in the targeted class period and a second class period identified by teachers as also having high rates of inappropriate behavior. Following baseline, the group contingency was introduced in the targeted period only and then withdrawn before being re-introduced. Visual analysis indicates that implementation of the group contingency led to improvements in classroom behavior in the targeted class period for both groups of students. Also, improvements in student behavior were observed in secondary settings that shared common environmental variables that may have promoted generalization. Discussion focuses on implications for practice and future research examining methods for promoting generalization of behavior change.

O SUJEITO LEITOR, ESSE ENIGMA

A partir da contribuição teórica de Michel Picard (1986) e Vincent Jouve (1992), pretendemos analisar os diários de leitura de três turmas de sétimo ano de uma escola federal de educação básica, nos quais os estudantes registraram sua recepção das obras Édipo, o maldito (reconto de Marie-Thérèse Davidson) e O cão dos Baskervilles (de Conan Doyle). Nosso objetivo é encontrar pistas sobre a formação do leitor literário na escola, tendo como premissa o papel da subjetividade no processo de elaboração semântica que ocorre durante a leitura, o qual exige permanente ação (meta) cognitiva e afetiva. Do leitor implícito, inscrito na obra e assimilado pelo leitor especialista, chegamos ao leitor implicado, cuja contribuição pessoal afeta o texto, ao mesmo tempo em que é afetado por ele.

Sprego: case study on the effectiveness of teaching spreadsheet management with schema construction

In the modern, information driven society managing and handling data is unavoidable. The most common form of data handling is to organize data into tables and complete operations on them in spreadsheets. Sprego (Spreadsheet Lego) is a programming-oriented methodology focusing on schemata construction and authentic problem-solving working with only a limited number of general-purpose functions. In our current study the goal is to present Sprego as an alternative method for spreadsheeting, and to measure its effectiveness in education compared to the traditional surface approach methods. We also aim to highlight the advantages of teaching datamanagement, spreadsheeting, and introduction to programming by applying an algorithmic and schemata centric method in a user-friendly interface. The teaching and testing were carried out in three classes of a local middle and high school with two experimental and one control groups. Based on our results, it is found that the Sprego methodology is significantly more effective than the traditional surface approach methods. Furthermore, it is also proved, in accordance with similar studies in sciences, that students, who had studied traditional spreadsheet management in advance to this experience, have difficulties switching to Sprego. Although these students alternate between the two approaches, our measurements clearly prove that the traditional approach is pushed into the background, as students prefer to solve problems using Sprego. Our findings also imply that traditional methods do not develop long-lasting knowledge which students could rely on, and have a negative effect on their development, while Sprego seems much more reliable.

"Piovono idee!" diventa progetto continuità

Piovono idee! (Cloudy with a Chance of ideas!) is the participative scientific dissemination initiative of the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia on environmental education designed specifically for the last two primary school classes (ISCDE 1) and the first middle school class (ISCDE 2), so it was chosen by the “Don Milani” (ex ISA1) comprehensive institute of La Spezia as continuity project between the two different school orders for the school year 2017/2018. The aim was to promote scientific culture in Primary and Middle Schools emphasizing the importance of Science in everyday life in order to favor sustainable development of Society. To knowledge the mechanisms that regulate the environment is increasingly important and the educational dialogue between School and Research endorses reflection starting from the sharing of personal experiences on the flood phenomena that often affect the area of la Spezia with a participatory experimental approach. Piovono idee! is an interactive learning experience on hydrogeological risk and climate change. The active path is rich of experiments, educational-scientific laboratories and interactive exhibits to better understand the geological phenomena through manipulation. The team role-playing games reinforce and stimulate emotional intelligence instilling correct behaviour and best practices. Visitors spontaneously ask questions in the area of experience, and find answers in the area of knowledge, learn the key concepts through learning by doing activities and conclude with role playing to reflect on the sustainability of their daily behavior (area of action). The exploration of Geosciences becomes a mean of raising pupils’ awareness of environmental problems by understanding natural phenomena. They learn that, through active and responsible citizenship actions, coexistence with natural hazards is possible. We can all do something to prevent catastrophes if we respect Nature and our territory.

La práctica pedagógica en la fase antes de la lectura en clases de comprensión de textos en enseñanza media

Este trabajo analizó la fase antes de la lectura en clases de enseñanza media para identificar prácticas docentes vinculadas con la enseñanza de la comprensión de textos y promoción de estrategias metacognitivas. Se seleccionaron 30 clases del sistema de evaluación del desempeño docente 2009 y 2013, las que fueron estudiadas utilizando un sistema de análisis del discurso considerando el tipo de tarea incluida, el patrón comunicativo y las elaboraciones públicas construidas. Los resultados arrojaron patrones afines con la secuencialidad en las tareas, tipos de patrones comunicativos y elaboraciones públicas en cada tarea que contribuirí­an al modelaje de las estrategias cognitivas, detectándose solo diferencias en los contenidos de las tareas de planificación, en tanto los patrones restantes se mantuvieron similares.&#x0D;

‘It’s nice to have choices:' influence of purposefully negotiating the curriculum on the students in one mixed-gender middle school class and their teacher

ABSTRACT A growing body of research has suggested that teachers who give their students the opportunity to voice their opinions by purposefully negotiating the curriculum can improve engagement and realize a number of important affective goals. In this paper, we describe the study of one teacher, Jennifer, as she attempted to purposefully negotiate the curriculum with one middle school mixed-gender class. The goals of the study were to describe (a) the process of negotiation in terms of teacher and student thoughts, actions, and interactions and (b) the influence of negotiating the curriculum on the students and Jennifer. Constructs and concepts from feminist theory and hegemonic masculinity guided our work. We employed seven qualitative techniques to collect data during an 18-lesson unit taught by Jennifer to a class consisting of 45 boys and girls. We used standard interpretive methods to reduce the data to meaningful categories. Findings revealed the unit to be largely successful. As a result of the negotiation process, most of the students were empowered and able to think constructively about their own physical education. Less physically able boys and girls became reconnected with the physical education curriculum and many of the more able boys became reconnected with their less able peers. Relations between boys and girls also appeared to improve. Ironically, Jennifer did not recognize the extent of her success. Her own focus on state standards, skilled performance, and participation in health-enhancing physical activity blinded her, somewhat, to the fact that she was actually realizing all kinds of other affective goals in terms of enhancing students’ self-confidence, cooperation, and enthusiasm for the subject matter.

Farklı Yaşlardaki Gençlerin Benmerkezlilik Eğilimleri ve Akılcı Olmayan İnançlarının Karşılaştırılması

The main aim of this research is to determine whether the irrational beliefs of individuals at different developmental stages and the gender of adolescents vary according to age and gender. 747 students attending various classes of middle school, high school and university participated in the research. Participants were divided into three groups according to their developmental periods: puberty (12-15), adolescence (16-18) and emerging adulthood (19-24). Egocentrism Scales (New Personal Fable / New Imaginary Audience) and Irrational Beliefs Scales-Adults Form were used as data collection tools in the study. As a result of the analyzes made, it was determined that the personal fable was significantly different according to age and gender, and that the personal fable was highest in adolescence. It was determined that this feature was reduced in the adulthood. It was found that the scores of irrational beliefs differed significantly by gender but differed significantly by age. It was determined that the irrational belief scores of the participants in the adulthood were significantly higher than the participants in the adolescence period. It was determined that the irrational beliefs of the adolescents and the thoughts of the imaginary audience and personal fables showed a positive relationship. In addition to these, as the idea of the imaginary audience increased, the level of adolescent minds being engaged in the idea of personal myth increased and the positive relationship was found between these two types of adolescent self-centering.

Towards a holistic approach to sustainability in the Argentine Patagonia

PurposeSustainability involves a strong interrelationship of ecological, cultural, technological, scientific, economic and social aspects and deserves to undertake a holistic treatment. Abundant evidence has being collected related to the several risks and conflicts derived from unsustainable oil exploitation and fossil fuel energy sources. In the past few years, several environmentally friendly technologies are being developed for oil exploitation in the Argentine Patagonia. The purpose of this paper is to examine them under a holistic prospect to provide an overall outlook for a wide audience and making it attractive for teaching sustainability in higher education.Design/methodology/approachThe environmentally friendly technologies chosen to be examined are Green Chemistry, cleaner production processes and alternative energy sources. Vaca Muerta, located at Neuquén Basin in Argentine Patagonia, is one of the world’s major deposits of tight oil and shale gas. Fracking technology, required for this exploitation, is controversial; it poses critical issues concerning ecological risks such as oil leakage and serious soil damage.FindingsResearch results on the germination of a native gramineae in polluted soils are described in this paper under several conditions and show its potential for the phytoremediation of damages aroused from unsustainable oil exploitation. In addition, student’s feedback regarding fracking was examined by a questionnaire presenting different and contradictory perspectives with open and Likert-type items. This study complements previous observation on the open acceptance of the Green Chemistry fundamentals as the contribution of the scientific-technological knowledge to the sustainable development and higher education approaches from Argentina.Research limitations/implicationsA clear result of these experiences is that the immediate impact is stronger that that noted when just scientific and technological aspects are taught; teachers expressed they would try to repeat these exercises in their classes in middle and high schools. This feeling of fear is important for people to understand the severity of climate change, though it is also essential to help people move past fear, to use the urgency of the problem to motivate action. Results of this research suggest that the best way to understand climate risks is interactive learning.Originality/valueThis study describes related scientific, technological and societal research in the fields of soil remediation and sustainable production that are key values in higher education, as scientific and societal communities play an essential role. From a holistic approach to a complex problem, this paper describes research on different aspects that converge into the viewing of the radical change in the society’s behavior that is urgently required for a sustainable development in harmony with the planet. In spite of their importance, there are few publications with an interdisciplinary overview about sustainable development in Latin America. The value and originality of this work is that it focuses on the need of teaching sustainability in different areas of higher education with a holistic prospect.

A MOTIVAÇÃO E O ENGAJAMENTO DE ALUNOS EM UMA ATIVIDADE NA ABORDAGEM DO ENSINO DE CIÊNCIAS POR INVESTIGAÇÃO

Neste trabalho investigamos a motivação e o engajamento de estudantes do sexto (6o) ano de duas escolas públicas (Urbana e Rural) durante uma atividade na abordagem do Ensino por Investigação. Na coleta de dados utilizamos vídeogravações e materiais produzidos pelos alunos. Para análise e organização de dados, escolhemos a análise de conteúdo e categorizações utilizando referenciais teóricos para os níveis do engajamento (comportamental, emocional e cognitivo) e os fatores do engajamento (vigor, dedicação, absorção). Nossos resultados demonstram que as atividades na abordagem do Ensino de Ciências por Investigação são potencialmente capazes de motivar para promover nos alunos diferentes níveis e fatores de engajamento.

Developing Assessment Instrument on Writing on Descriptive Paragraph Based on Picture of Junior High School Students

This research is motivated by the absence of writing assessment instruments on descriptive material based on picture, especially students of class VIII. The writing assessment instruments on paragraph descriptive material based on the picture used are still holistic. This study aims to develop Writing assessment instruments on Descriptive Material Based on Middle School Class VIII Students. The method used is instrument development research with 9 development steps. Content validation by experts was analyzed using the Aiken formula, the reliability of the experts was analyzed using Two way ANOVA and analyzed using the Hoyt formula. The construct validity was analyzed using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) analysis. The results of the development research show that the validity of writing appraisal content instruments on descriptive material based on picture specially students of class VIII through Expert Judgment produces a reliability coefficient of&gt; 0.3, meaning that it can be said that writing appraisal on descriptive material has high validity. Also, the reliability results of the instrument using interrater with the Hoyt formula showed that 0.89. Analysis of the data in the field trials can be seen in the KMO which shows a KMO value&gt; 0.5 which means that the instrument indicators can be further analyzed. In writing assessment produces component factors that are formed and can represent all indicators. The factors are the main ideas, organization, and mechanic. While the reliability obtained a coefficient&gt; 0.5 which means that the writing assessment has good reliability. Based on the results of the study, it is recommended that all lecturers, teachers and other educators use valid and reliable instruments. Thank you to all the teams especially the lecturers who have given good direction and participation so that this journal can give best contributes in theory and practice.