Middle School Pupils Research Articles

School health services in the Southern District of Israel—between privatization and nationalization

BackgroundFor decades, Israel’s economic policy has favored either outsourcing or privatization of public services, including healthcare, generating an ongoing and prolonged debate of this approach. In 1997 school health services (SHS) for elementary and middle school pupils was outsourced to a sub-contractor firm, reducing budget, but also standards, for nurses and physicians. Consequently, the service has dwindled and was focused more and more on vaccinations. Between 2007 and 2012, under full private contractor delivery, SHS quality diminished substantially, leading to a significant decline in vaccination coverage in the Southern District. In 2012, a decision was made to return SHS to state control.MethodsThis study analyzes the delivery parameters of SHS between the period when the service was operated by a private contractor from 2011to 2/2012, and the subsequent provision of the service directly by Ministry of Health (MoH) between 3/2012 and 2013. We compared the rates of vaccination coverage, screening tests and health education programs.ResultsA statistically significant increase in SHS delivery for vaccinations and screening was observed in the Southern District of MoH after the transfer of service from contractor. The increase was variable in different population subgroups, and especially notable in the Bedouin schools of the District, where the MMRV vaccination rose from 19.3% to 96.8%. However, a substantial and significant reduction in health education activities was also noted, overall from 24.9% to 5.0%.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that substantial benefits can be derived from direct provision of SHS by MoH and its regional offices, especially in the areas of reduced accessibility and lower socio-economic status. The case study of SHS in the Southern District of Israel can serve as an important example highlighting the impacts of privatization vs nationalization, with potential implications in other fields. These insights should be integral to future discussions of healthcare service provision.

Factors Associated with School Engagement Changes During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Finnish Middle School Students

Abstract: Introduction: “School engagement” refers to the feelings and thoughts pupils have for school, which, according to theory, can be divided into behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement. Previously identified factors predicting school engagement are teacher-student relationship, individual characteristics, emotional stability, and gender. Aim: The current study addresses changes in behavioral, cognitive, and emotional school engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. It analyzes the effect of previously identified risk factors on self-reported change in school engagement among middle-school students in Finland. Methods: We collected the data in the spring of 2021. Participants were 1,788 Finnish middle-school pupils (age range 12–17) who responded to an online survey during the school day. Results: After we controlled for multiple tests, the results revealed a few significant factors associated with negative changes in school engagement. However, prior anxiety, depression, or externalizing behavior were related to negative changes. Discussion: Pupils with previous risk factors for low engagement or different kinds of struggles in school were more likely to react negatively to the changes brought forth by the pandemic on several engagement outcomes compared to students with few or no risk factors. In the future, should disruptions of normal school routines be necessary, special attention should be given to planning proper support for at-risk students.

Relationship between Anxiety, Attitude, Test Motivation, and Exam Success Regarding Exam Question Type: An Investigation of Middle School Learners

The present study examined the relationship between anxiety about exam question types and students’ attitudes, test motivation, and exam success. The sample was 121 middle school pupils in Sakarya, Turkey, aged 11 to 15 years. Data obtained from scales on attitude, anxiety, and test motivation were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients and regression analyses. The findings indicate that anxiety about exam question type was significantly negatively related to attitude, test motivation, and exam success. Moreover, attitudes about question type were significantly positively related to test motivation and exam success, and test motivation was also significantly positively related to exam success. Regression analysis results showed that students' anxiety about exam question types was predicted by their attitudes and exam success but was not predicted by test motivation.

Peer feedback and learning: a case study with 8th-grade Portuguese students

ABSTRACT This research explores the contributions of peer feedback to student learning, in the context of peer assessment. The study involved a class of 20 Portuguese middle school pupils and used document analysis, interviews, and a questionnaire to collect data. Peer feedback was identified as the key factor driving improvements in pupil performance, due mainly to its key role in identifying improvement points, but also because it is viewed as more open and understandable. Lower performance pupils seemed to benefit more from peer feedback, while high-achieving pupils demonstrated a more autonomous improvement through independent work and feedback exchange, fostering analytical skills, critical thinking, and autonomy. All pupils, however, exhibited improved feedback provision, indicating the overall development of analytical skills. Oral peer feedback was viewed positively by pupils, facilitating understanding, despite concerns about potentially harming peers’ work. Peer assessment emerges as a catalyst for personal development and autonomy, impacting self-regulation, motivation, responsibility, and resilience.

Optimizing Communication on HPV Vaccination to Parents of 11- to 14-Year-Old Adolescents in France: A Discrete Choice Experiment.

With the aim to optimize communication during HPV vaccination campaigns in France, we elicited parental preferences around HPV vaccination. We conducted a single-profile discrete choice experiment (DCE) among parents of 11- to 14-year-old middle-school pupils, who completed an anonymous, self-administered, internet-based questionnaire during 2020-2021. The DCE comprised five attributes (vaccine-preventable disease, justification of optimal age, information on safety, indirect protection and coverage) of vaccination against an unnamed disease that were presented to respondents in ten choice tasks, or scenarios. We use fixed effect logit models to estimate attribute weights on theoretical vaccine acceptance, and random effect linear regression to estimate attribute coefficients on vaccine eagerness (decision and decision certainty). We estimated marginal effects of attributes on expected vaccine acceptance. Vaccination scenarios were accepted by 55.6-89.2% of the 1291 participants. The largest marginal effects on expected vaccine acceptance in the full sample arose from prevention of cancer versus genital warts (+11.3 percentage points); from a "severe side effect suspicion that was not scientifically confirmed" versus a statement about "more benefits than risks" (+8.9 percentage points), and information on 80% vaccine coverage in neighbouring countries versus on "insufficient coverage" (+4.2 percentage points). Explaining the early age of vaccination by sexual debut had a strong negative impact among French monolingual parents with lower education level (vs age-independent, OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.27-0.86), but not other socio-economic groups. After removing low-quality responses (unvaried certainty and short questionnaire completion), among serial non-demanders with children not vaccinated against HPV, only disease elimination impacted vaccine eagerness positively (coefficient 0.54, 0.06-1.02). Using DCEs to elicit parents' preferences around communication messages, notably on cancer prevention, vaccine coverage and information about vaccine safety, could help to optimize HPV vaccination promotion efforts.

Prevalence and quality of life of 11-15-year-old adolescent young carers in France: a school-based study.

Our study aimed to establish the prevalence of adolescent young carers (AYCs) among 11-15-year-old French adolescents and explore the impacts of caring on these youths through a comprehensive evaluation of their quality of life. A total of 1983 middle school pupils (mean age = 12.89; 56.23% females) completed self-reported questionnaires evaluating their sociodemographic characteristics, illness/disability in their family, caring activities (MACA-YC18), quality of life (KIDSCREEN-52), perceived health, and academic performance. Descriptive analyses, Chi-square tests of independence, Student's t-tests, and analysis of variance and of covariance were conducted. The results showed that 12.25% of middle school pupils were AYCs. They were mostly females, coming from disadvantaged economic backgrounds. The ill/disabled relative was typically a parent, and 23.87% of respondents reported having more than one ill/disabled relative. The AYCs more often declared an illness or a disability and reported lower quality of life scores than their peers in several dimensions: Physical Well-Being, Psychological Well-Being, Moods and Emotions, Self-Perception, Autonomy, Relations with Parents and Home Life, Financial Resources, School Environment, Social Acceptance. No differences were identified in the Social Support and Peers dimension. Given the high prevalence of AYCs in middle schools and the impact of the situation on their lives, special support should be provided for AYCs, and professionals at school should be trained to better identify and assist AYCs.

Group play and its impact on improving some executive functions for middle school pupils in the physical education lesson

The goal of the research is to:- Identifying the level of executive functions for middle school students aged 13-14 years by studying physical education- Knowing about group play and its impact on improving some executive functions for middle school students aged 13-14 years by studying physical educationAs for the research hypotheses, they were:- There are statistically significant differences in the level of executive functions of the experimental and control groups and in favor of the post-test of the experimental group.- There are statistically significant differences of group play and its effect on improving some executive functions in the post test and for the benefit of the experimental group.As for the research community, it consists of students of the first intermediate stage, aged (13-14), and their total is (310) pupils. As for the research sample, it included 20 pupils, who were divided into two experimental groups10 pupils and a control group 10pupils from the Taliaa Intermediate School for Boys.The most important conclusions that were reached are:1- Group play has a direct effect on the development of executive functions for students for the experimental group at the expense of the control group.2- The group games showed improvement in the functions of (planning, Inhibition, shifting) for pupils in the physical education lesson3- Group games have an effect on spreading the spirit of competition and increasing motivation among students.Accordingly, I recommend several recommendations:1- The necessity of adopting group games in the physical education lesson2- Emphasis on the interest in studying physical education through the use of group sports activities to encourage and motivate students to actively participate in sports performance3- Paying attention to executive capabilities and functions and working to find the means and programs to develop them because they are considered the basis for excellence in sports performance in addition to scientific and academic success

THE IMPACT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ON MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

The purpose of this research is to look into how middle school students' engagement is affected by information technology. The study will investigate how students' motivation, participation, and engagement levels are impacted by the use of technology in the classroom. This article will investigate the relationship between information technology and student involvement in middle school settings by doing a thorough literature review. Information technology has a variety of effects on middle school pupils' engagement. Research has demonstrated that integrating technology, especially in STEM education, can boost students' enthusiasm and interest in these subjects (Mohr-Schroeder et al., 2014). Furthermore, Yang et al.'s research from 2021 emphasizes the importance of supportive connections in raising student engagement by highlighting the favorable correlation between teacher support, emotional engagement, and academic success. Liu et al. (2023) discovered a favorable association among computer selfefficacy, learning engagement, and teacher support, highlighting the significance of teacher participation in promoting student engagement with technology in learning environments. All of these studies point to the possibility that using information technology to improve academic achievements and student engagement in middle school can be accomplished in concert with teacher support. Furthermore, Theoretical frameworks and innovations in school reform have an impact on students' participation in learning activities (Marks, 2000). Through the interaction of technological acceptability and learning motivation, teacher support has a strong correlation with students' engagement in their studies (Fu-hai et al., 2022). Students are much more interested and successful when technology is included into science classes in middle schools (Alghamdi, 2020). By using interactive technology to provide an inviting classroom and increase student engagement, teachers are crucial (Ibarra & Lu, 2021).

The Impact of Physical Exercises on the Psychomotor Capacities of Middle School Pupils

The research aims to identify the adolescents’ avoidance causes from physical education lessons and to determine the means of improving students' satisfaction with physical education. The present research is of ascertaining – ameliorative type, carried out on a sample of 15 teachers and 180 pupils from secondary classes in the Secondary School "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" and the Secondary School no 10 Bacau, Romania, between March 1, 2022 and June 10, 2022. The methods used in the research included: the analysis of the specialized literature, the diagnosis questionnaire, and the mathematical-statistical method. The main conclusions refer to the identification of the passionate fields and the preferences for the sport of the pupils, the argumentation of the need to introduce in the physical education and sports classes competitive sports games, which, besides the training of some motor qualities, ensure an extremely complex set of psychic sentimental, emotional, volitional and cognitive nature acquisitions.

The Influence of Suzhi Education on Middle School Students’ Interest in Learning and Learning Initiative - Under Chinese Education Mode (Private School and Public School)

In the more than 30 years of the educational history of China, there have been three phases of quality education development, with China presently in the third stage. Quality education is in the process of being formed gradually and vigorously promoted. This paper focuses on how middle school pupils' development of learning interest and autonomy is impacted by high-quality instruction. This survey's primary goal is to investigate how Wenzhou Experimental Middle School successfully implements quality education, and it has received a very positive response. The researcher selects a private middle school in Dalian Royal Middle School, which has pretty evident educational quality, for study and comparison to raise the accuracy and decrease the constraints of the survey. It is appropriate for Wenzhou Experimental Middle School to completely implement the idea of quality education and make the development of students' abilities and learning autonomy the first teaching aim, according to an analysis of pertinent reports and survey results. This strategy does, however, come with a lot of restrictions and guidelines from different angles.

How can ice-breaking's "friends here, enemies there" increase the interest and enthusiasm of high school students for learning?

Managing learning classes creatively is one aspect of being a professional educator. The teacher must adapt to the learning objectives, materials, and students' personalities in preparing and planning for learning. Even though preparations have been carried out optimally, it does not rule out the possibility that learning has not performed optimally due to certain factors. To prevent students' enthusiasm for learning from waning, instructors can use ice-breaking activities to combat boredom during classroom instruction. This study aims to investigate ice-breaking techniques' impact on middle school pupils' academic motivation. This investigation employs a descriptive methodology with a qualitative approach. The research objects were eleventh-grade students and their instructors, who served as the research subjects. The research was conducted through observation, interviews, and documentation of secondary school instructors and students who were the subjects of the study. The study results indicate that the ice-breaking technique can increase students' interest in learning, particularly in challenging subjects. In addition, this method can strengthen the relationship between students and instructors. This research has intriguing aspects, including how and what this article discusses.

School belongingness, peer relations, and insomnia as predictors of middle school pupils’ problematic online gaming

The focus of this study was to determine the level of problematic online gaming among middle school pupils as related to age, gender, school type, and peer relationships as well as school belongingness and insomnia. A total of 291 middle school pupils constituted the study’s samples, 147 of whom were boys and 144 of whom were girls. One of the study’s purposeful sampling methods, non-random sample methods, was used. In the study, one of the non-random sampling methods purposeful sampling methods was utilised. The dependent variable was problematic online gaming, while the independent variables included the search for peer relationships, school belongingness, and insomnia. Problematic online gaming is the dependent variable, whereas peer relationships, school belongingness, and insomnia are the variables that are independent. To find out if the independent factors predicted the dependent variable, multiple regression analysis was utilised. The regression study revealed that insomnia, school belongingness, peer relationship, age, type of school, and age factors accounted for 30% of the problematic online gaming variable.

An Investigation of the Connections between Junior High School Students' Self-Efficacy, Motivation, and Anxiety in Learning English

This paper examines the relationship among junior high school students' self-efficacy, learning motivation, and learning anxiety using a quantitative analytic research methodology. The results of the study indicate an immediate relationship between junior middle school pupils in China's self-efficacy, learning motivation, and anxiety about learning English; self-efficacy also acts as a moderator for the impact of English learning anxiety on learning motivation. This study is conducive to understanding the impact of learning anxiety on learning motivation and the mechanism of action in the English subject, and it has an illuminating impact on foreign language education and instruction.

Reducing the Risk of Teen Pregnancy among Middle School Pupils through Experiential Learning Intervention by Midwifery Students

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of an experiential learning intervention among middle school teens by midwifery students to reduce the risk of teen pregnancy. Methods: This research was a controlled pre-and post-test design study aimed to evaluate the impact of experiential learning intervention “Smart Teens Program” among middle school students. The data on knowledge, attitude, and subjective norms were collected during a pre-test and posttest (six weeks for intervention), in a control group (n=70) and an intervention group (n=68). The data were collected from self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using STATA (version 12.0). Results: The results showed a significant impact of the intervention “Smart Teen Program” by midwifery students, where there was a significant increase in the knowledge, attitude, and subjective norms in reducing the risk factors of teen pregnancy (p-value = 0.00). The control group who was not given any treatment showed a decreased value. Conclusions: Interventions through experiential learning by midwifery students were able to improve efforts to prevent teen pregnancy. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol. 22 No. 04 October’23 Page : 797-803

Homophilic social networks and school adjustment among primary school pupils: Results and implications from a Zimbabwean study

Social network patterns were explored among Zimbabwean rural school pupils to determine their peer preferences and statuses. Participants were 173 school pupils attending grades 4–6 in a rural school in Zimbabwe (76 boys; 97 girls; age range 9 years to 12 years). The pupils completed a peer social statuses nomination measure, and a subsample of them participated in a brief interview to elaborate on their nominations. In addition, documents held by the school were analysed for context. Descriptive analysis of the data yielded four peer social statuses of popular (40%), accepted (30%), rejected (10%), and neglected (20%). Reasons for popularity included being good-mannered and possessing good socialising habits, as well as being outstanding in class. Boys who held positions of authority like class monitor and shared readily were popular. Girls’ social statuses were explained by good socialising habits and sharing available resources with others. Boys’ key popularity attributes were mathematical skills, as they would help the less able in class. Popular girls were also good at mathematics and socialising. The findings validate the view that social networking is significant to the prediction of social well-being among middle primary school pupils, and important for the children’s school engagement, or overall school adjustment.

Study on the prevalence of myopia and its associated factors in China: a systemic review.

Myopia is becoming more common, a significant public health issue everywhere, including in China. There needs to be a comprehensive analysis of the evidence about the extent of myopia in Chinese schoolchildren, despite earlier studies showing a growing frequency in China. Therefore, the frequency of myopia in Chinese schoolchildren is examined in this study with supporting data and a meta-analysis. The 2022 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards were used for this research. From January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2022, five computerized bibliographic databases, including PUBMED, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, and China Index Medicus, were reviewed and aimed at investigating myopia's prevalence in China. The studies' methodological quality was evaluated. Myopia is defined as a refractive error. Data were collected according to gender, age, and refraction method. The prevalence was calculated through a meta-analysis. Data from 11 quality-assessed studies, with a total of 1,013,206 adolescents, were included. Hanting District children had an overall myopia prevalence of 45.47%, but Changyi children had a myopia prevalence of 82.37%. In general, 48.56, 47.30, and 31.62% of elementary, middle, and higher school pupils had mild myopia, compared to 1.12, 8.89, and 20.12% who had high myopia. Children aged 7-9 years old experienced the largest overall increase in the prevalence of myopia. For girls and boys, the prevalence of higher myopia was 7.59% and 6.43% (p<0.001). Yet, the spherical equivalent (SE) dropped as students' ages and grades rose. Myopia prevalence rises as students age and grade. The recent findings revealed that myopia predominated among schoolchildren in Weifang. It steadily grew through age, in addition to it being more common in Changyi neighborhoods. Females had a greater frequency of myopia than males.

“Bacteria are not viruses; viruses are more malicious” - young pupils’ understanding of bacteria and viruses in the aftermath of COVID-19

ABSTRACT Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted immensely on individuals and societies around the world. This study aimed at delineating Swedish middle school (10–12-year-old) pupils’ understanding of bacteria and viruses, thereby illustrating the influence of the pandemic at schools and in society. Data was collected by semi-structured, individual interviews and by asking pupils to draw images. Thematic coding of interview transcripts and content analysis of pupils’ annotated drawings were used. The morphology of microorganisms from the drawings was often ‘corona-like’, with a round shape and with protruding parts. Viruses were commonly considered larger than bacteria, but sometimes also similar in size. Interrelationships between bacteria and viruses were expressed with a superior microorganism. Pupils drew microorganisms as cell-like and never portrayed them as animals or with anthropomorphic features. Viruses were considered to cause a more severe disease than bacteria. Pupils seldomly tethered a specific virus to a specific infectious disease, and often named both (virus and disease) ‘corona’. However, when they did make a connection, viruses were considered to cause flu and COVID-19, bacteria to cause cold and plague. In general, these results indicate that viruses received a more pronounced position amongst microorganisms in the minds of pupils in the aftermath of COVID-19.

Vitamin content in the diet among 14- to 15-year-old teenagers depending on the BMI value.

In a period of intensive growth and development, both a deficiency and an excess of nutrients may have negative consequences on health. In the case of vitamins, an ongoing deficiency can result which have a direct effect on public health. The research included all third-year middle school pupils. With the assistance of the person conducting the research, a questionnaire was completed about consumption of food products consumed every day for a period of 7 days. Energy and nutrient requirements were defined individually for each child in terms of RDA. The daily intake of group B vitamins was exceeded both in the boys' group and the girls' group. The daily intake of vitamin C and folates was higher in the boys' group than in the girls' group, but did not meet the required daily intake in any of the groups studied. In all boys' groups, the intake of vitamin D covered less than 30% of the required daily amount. It has been shown that there is a statistically significant influence of the intake of vitamins on body mass. In the girls' group, the most common statistically significant differences were between the group of underweight girls and the groups of girls with correct body weight and overweight girls. Insufficient intake of vitamins is observed most often in underweight adolescents. The incorrect amount of vitamins in the diet requires the implementation of action to improve the dietary preferences of adolescents.

Development of Puzzle Learning Media in Vocabulary Teaching Based on Quantum Learning

Students consider Arabic vocabulary challenging to understand, as with Ciomas Islamic Middle School pupils. Students need help understanding Arabic vocabulary because the educational method needs to be more appropriate for learning. This research aims to 1) know how vocabulary is taught in the seventh grade. 2) to know the puzzle, a teaching aid is developed in vocabulary based on Quantum Learning. 3) to know the effectiveness of developing the puzzle educational tool in teaching vocabulary based on Quantum Learning. 4) to know the advantages and disadvantages of developing the educational puzzle based on Quantum Learning teaching vocabulary. The method used for research and development with puzzle educational tools uses Borg and Gall’s development theory in seven steps. The results of expert evaluation of the medium, where experts assess the educational medium in terms of material quality and material with a value of a factor of 1, which, if described, has very high validity. The average value of the pre-test is 61%, and the average value of the post-test is 81.4%, with the significance value of the data being 0.00.

The Reality of Middle School (Intermediate) Female Students in Saudi Arabia and the Practice of 21st-Century Skills: Teachers’ Perspective

The skills that were considered necessary for success in the 21st century included the ability to improve social and intellectual abilities such as communication, cooperation, critical thinking, and problem-solving, as well as creativity and innovation. It also contains methods of working, interacting, cooperating, and working in teams so that they can encourage and support skills relevant to the 21st century, such as literacy, information technology, and digital networks. Thus, this study aims to know the reality of middle school (intermediate) pupils in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia about putting the skills of the 21st century into practice. The researcher employed the descriptive survey approach in her work, and the study tool (questionnaire) was used on a random sample composed of middle school (intermediate) teachers (female) in the Al-Qassim region. The following are some of the major results of the study: The use of technology by the middle school (intermediate) female students efficiently and effectively garnered a high response rate from the study participants. However, the intermediate students’ skills in information, media and technology culture, health and safety skills, and self-leadership put into practice earned an average response rate from the study participants. There were statistically significant differences in the study, which favored higher education qualifications and the attendance of training courses relevant to the “skills of the 21st century,” with no statistically significant differences for the more years of experience. The study advised that material and moral motivation tactics should be utilized as it is of essential relevance and required for the leaders of schools to urge them on new leadership practices.