scholarly journals Teenagers’ Public Library Needs are Difficult to Determine

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 108
Author(s):  
Jason Martin
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
School Students ◽  
The Public ◽  
Level Of Satisfaction ◽  
Stratified Sample

Abstract Objective – To discover the attitudes of twelve to fifteen year-olds toward the public library. Design – Mixed methodology consisting of a survey and focus groups. Setting – An Eastern Canadian regional municipality. Subjects – Twelve to fifteen year-old middle school students. Methods – Using a disproportionate stratified sample and multistage clustering, the author mailed 900 surveys to middle school students; 249 surveys were completed and usable. Those students who completed the survey and who also indicated they would be willing to participate in a focus group were randomly selected to participate in nine focus groups with between 7 to 12 students in each group. Main Results – Discrepancies exist between the teens’ level of satisfaction with the library indicated on the survey (high) and expressed in the focus groups (low). Teens seldom use the public library due to: their non-existent relationship with library staff, although teens who were “active readers” used the library more; lack of appealing programs and program promotion; no teen-focused website; poor teen facilities within the library; and an overall failure of the public libraries to include teenagers. Conclusion – Public libraries need to be more responsive to teen needs to attract teens to use the library. To uncover these needs, libraries should use mixed methods of discovery.

Exploring Middle School Students’ Perspectives on Utilizing Serious Games for Cancer Prevention Education: A Focus Group Study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olufunmilola Abraham ◽  
Lisa Szela ◽  
Mahnoor Khan ◽  
Amrita Geddam
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Cancer Prevention ◽  
Serious Games ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Cancer Education ◽  
School Students ◽  
Prevention Education

BACKGROUND Cancer in the United States is a leading cause of mortality. Educating adolescents about cancer risks can improve awareness and introduce healthy lifestyle habits. Public health efforts have made significant progress in easing the burden of cancer through the promotion of early screening and healthy lifestyle advocacy. However, there are limited interventions that educate the adolescent population about cancer prevention. Previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of serious games (SGs) to teach adolescents about healthy lifestyle choices, but limited research has examined the utility of using SGs to educate youth specifically on cancer prevention. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate middle school students’ preferences for the use of SGs for cancer prevention education. The study also characterized the students’ perceptions of desired game design features for a cancer prevention SG. METHODS Focus groups were conducted to allow adolescents to review a game playbook and discuss gaming behaviors and preferences for a SG for cancer education. The game playbook was developed based on Cancer, Clear & Simple, a curriculum intended to educate individuals about cancer, prevention, self-care, screening, and detection. In the game, the player learns that they have cancer and is given the opportunity to go back in time to reduce their cancer risk. A focus group discussion guide was developed and consisted of questions about aspects of the playbook and participants’ gaming experience. Adolescents were eligible to participate if they were ages 12 to 14 years, could speak and understand English, and had parents who could read English or Spanish. Each focus group consisted of five to ten adolescents. Focus groups were audio-recorded and professionally transcribed, then content and thematically analyzed by two study team members. Intercoder reliability (kappa coefficient) among the coders was reported as 0.97. Prevalent codes were identified and categorized into themes and subthemes. RESULTS A total of 18 focus groups were conducted with 139 participants from a Wisconsin middle school. Five major themes were identified: educational video games, game content, purpose of game, video gaming experience, and trends in the gaming community. Participants preferred customizable characters and realistic storylines that allowed players to make choices that affect the characters’ outcomes. Middle school students also preferred SGs over other educational methods such as lectures, books, videos, and websites. Participants designed SGs to be available across multiple platforms and suggested the use of SGs for cancer education in their school. CONCLUSIONS SGs can be a useful tool to educate adolescents about cancer prevention and risk factors. A cancer education SG should aim to teach adolescents about cancer and cancer prevention while incorporating design preferences of youth in creating the educational intervention. CLINICALTRIAL Not applicable

Factual accuracy and the cultural context of science in popular media: Perspectives of media makers, middle school students, and university students on an entertainment television program

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 596-611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan Szu ◽  
Jonathan Osborne ◽  
Alexis D. Patterson
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
University Students ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Popular Media ◽  
Science Content ◽  
School Students ◽  
The Public ◽  
Entertainment Television ◽  
Scientific Facts

Popular media influences ideas about science constructed by the public. To sway media productions, public policy organizations have increasingly promoted use of science consultants. This study contributes to understanding the connection from science consultants to popular media to public outcomes. A science-based television series was examined for intended messages of the creator and consulting scientist, and received messages among middle school and non-science university students. The results suggest the consulting scientist missed an opportunity to influence the portrayal of the cultural contexts of science and that middle school students may be reading these aspects uncritically—a deficiency educators could potentially address. In contrast, all groups discussed the science content and practices of the show, indicating that scientific facts were salient to both media makers and audiences. This suggests popular media may influence the public knowledge of science, supporting concerns of scientists about the accuracy of fictional television and film.

scholarly journals Ortaokul Öğrencilerinin Epistemolojik İnançlarının Keşfedilmesinde Öğrenci Merkezli Bir Yaklaşım: Çiz-Yaz-Anlat Tekniği / A Student-Centered Approach to Explore Middle School Students’ Epistemological Beliefs: Draw-Write-Tell Technique

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Servet Üztemur ◽  
Erkan Dinç
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Epistemological Beliefs ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
School Students ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Research Students

<p><strong>Abstract </strong></p><p>The purpose of this research is to explore the epistemological beliefs of middle school students by means of draw-write-tell technique which is formed from three phases. Designed as a qualitative phenomenological research, this study employs 96 students (51 female, 45 male) selected by convenience sampling technique. The participants were attending various grade levels of a state secondary school in Yunusemre district of Manisa province in 2017-2018 academic year. In the first stage of the research, students were asked to pencil draw five things reminding or representing them the word “knowledge”. In the second stage, each student was asked to select one drawing amongst five, which best meets the concept of “knowledge” according to her/his personal opinion and which is identified with “knowledge” the most and write down why she/he chose this one. In the third stage, a total of 12 different focus group interviews were conducted with 53 volunteering students amongst the ones having participated in the earlier research stages. The data obtained from the first stage was thematically analyzed, while the remaining data was analyzed phenomenologically. Research findings show that most of the students see the authorities and the objects out there as sources of knowledge. In the processes of knowledge acquisition, they also perceive themselves as passive recipients of any given knowledge. It is observed that it is possible to measure the epistemological beliefs of the students for the source of knowledge through the drawings and the accuracy and justification of knowledge through the written materials and focus group interviews. Research results show that draw-write-tell technique is a new approach useful and practical in measuring the epistemological beliefs of middle school students.</p><p><strong>Öz</strong></p><p>Bu araştırmanın amacı ortaokul öğrencilerinin epistemolojik inançlarını üç aşamadan oluşan çiz-yaz-anlat tekniğiyle keşfetmektir. Nitel araştırma temelinde fenomenoloji modeline göre desenlenen araştırmanın çalışma grubunu 2017-2018 öğretim yılında Manisa ili Yunusemre ilçesindeki bir devlet ortaokulunun kolay ulaşılabilir durum örneklemesi yöntemiyle her sınıf seviyesinden seçilmiş 96 öğrenci (51 kız, 45 erkek) oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmanın birinci aşamasında öğrencilere bilgi deyince akıllarına gelen beş farklı çizim (karakalem) yapmaları istenmiştir. İkinci aşamada öğrencilere bu beş çizim içerisinden kişisel görüşlerine göre bilgi kavramını en çok karşılayan ve bilgi ile en çok özdeşleşen bir tanesini seçip bu çizimi niçin seçtiklerini yazmaları istenmiştir. Üçüncü aşamada katılımcılar içerisinden gönüllülük esasına göre belirlenen 53 öğrenciyle toplam 12 odak grup görüşmesi yapılarak öğrencilerin yazdıkları metinleri daha ayrıntılı bir şekilde ifade etmeleri sağlanmıştır. Birinci aşamadan elde edilen veriler içerik olarak; ikinci ve üçüncü aşamada elde edilen veriler ise fenomenolojik olarak analiz edilmiştir. Araştırma bulguları; öğrencilerin büyük bir kısmının uzmanlar ve dış dünyadaki nesneleri bilginin kaynağı olarak gördüklerini ve bilgi edinme sürecinde kendilerini birer pasif bilgi alıcısı olarak algıladıklarını göstermiştir. Çizimler aracılığıyla öğrencilerin bilginin kaynağına yönelik; yazılı metinler ve odak grup görüşmeleriyle de bilginin kesinliği ve doğrulanması boyutuna yönelik epistemolojik inançlarının tespit edilebildiği görülmüştür. Araştırma sonuçları; yeni bir yaklaşım olan çiz-yaz-anlat tekniğinin ortaokul öğrencilerinin epistemolojik inançlarının ölçülmesinde faydalı ve kullanışlı olduğunu göstermiştir.</p>

scholarly journals Stepwise Development of BullyDown, a Text Messaging-Based Bullying Prevention Program for Middle School Students (Preprint)

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele L Ybarra ◽  
Tonya L Prescott ◽  
Dorothy L Espelage
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Prevention Program ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Prevention Programs ◽  
Bullying Prevention ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
School Students ◽  
Beta Test

BACKGROUND Bullying is a significant public health issue among middle school-aged youth. Current prevention programs have only a moderate impact. Cell phone text messaging technology (mHealth) can potentially overcome existing challenges, particularly those that are structural (e.g., limited time that teachers can devote to non-educational topics). To date, the description of the development of empirically-based mHealth-delivered bullying prevention programs are lacking in the literature. OBJECTIVE To describe the development of BullyDown, a text messaging-based bullying prevention program for middle school students, guided by the Social-Emotional Learning model. METHODS We implemented five activities over a 12-month period: (1) national focus groups (n = 37 youth) to gather acceptability of program components; (2) development of content; (3) a national Content Advisory Team (n = 9 youth) to confirm content tone; and (4) an internal team test of software functionality followed by a beta test (n = 22 youth) to confirm the enrollment protocol and the feasibility and acceptability of the program. RESULTS The focus group recruitment experience suggests that Facebook advertising was less efficient than using a recruitment firm. Sixth grade youth had difficulty engaging in the bulletin board-style focus groups, suggesting that participants may need to be in at least 7th grade to have the writing skills for this research activity. Feedback from the Content Advisory Team suggests a preference for 2-4 brief text messages per day. Beta test findings suggest that BullyDown is both feasible and acceptable: 100% of youth completed the follow-up survey, 86% of whom liked the program. CONCLUSIONS Text messaging appears to be a feasible and acceptable delivery method for bullying prevention programming delivered to middle school students.

Presenting Toxicology to the Public: The Middle School

1994 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 314-320
Author(s):  
Michael J. Derelanko
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Dose Response ◽  
Toxicity Testing ◽  
Animal Research ◽  
School Students ◽  
The Public ◽  
Basic Concepts

Toxicologists are being called upon to educate the public about the value of toxicity testing and the important role animals play in this regard. This article discusses the importance of toxicologists educating students in the middle school about the science of toxicology and suggests various ways to convey basic concepts of toxicity, dose response, and animal research to students in these grades. The methods described in this article have been developed and used successfully by the author in making presentations to middle school students.

Mathematical Lens: The Moving Ladder

2009 ◽  
Vol 102 (7) ◽  
pp. 492-496
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Public Art ◽  
Pythagorean Theorem ◽  
Large Collection ◽  
School Students ◽  
The Public

For many years, Ron Lancaster's middle school students have interacted with the public art shown in photographs 1 and 2 during a math trail. Selections from the Synopsis of Categories (1992), by Micah Lexier, consists of a large collection of aluminum ladders fixed to the walls of Metro Hall, a building in downtown Toronto. Hundreds of words appear on the rungs of the ladders (see photographs 3 and 4). While standing in front of these ladders, students were asked to think about question 1. After discussing this question, students used metersticks and the Pythagorean theorem to try to resolve it.

scholarly journals Attitudes and Perceptions of Middle School Students Toward Competitive Activities in Physical Education

2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eve Bernstein ◽  
Sharon R. Phillips ◽  
Stephen Silverman
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Physical Education ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Motor Skills ◽  
School Students ◽  
Skill Levels ◽  
Attitudes And Perceptions ◽  
Competitive Activities

The attitudes and perceptions of middle school students toward competitive activities in physical education were examined. Ten boys and 14 girls volunteered (11-high-skilled, 11 moderate-skilled, and 2 low skilled students) in 6th and 7th grade from a total of 6 schools, all offering competitive activities. Data collection was conducted over several months and included focus groups consisting of students of mixed skill levels, observations of competitive class activities, and informal interviews with teachers. The three major themes that emerged were, having fun in competitive activities, not all students were attaining motor skills necessary to participate in activities due to a lack of time to engage in appropriate practice, and the structure of competitive activities affects student experience

scholarly journals Social and emotional education with Australian Year 7 and 8 middle school students: A pilot study

2016 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 362-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Midford ◽  
Helen Cahill ◽  
Gretchen Geng ◽  
Bernard Leckning ◽  
Gary Robinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
School Students ◽  
Emotional Skills ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Social And Emotional Skills ◽  
Emotional Education

Objective: This pilot study sought to better understand what can be achieved by an evidence-based classroom social and emotional education programme. Design and Methods: A 10-lesson, classroom-based programme that taught about emotional literacy, personal strengths, coping and problem-solving strategies, stress management, emotional regulation and support seeking was provided to 56 students in Years 7 (13 years) and 8 (14 years) in an Australian middle school. Teachers were trained to deliver the programme, with participatory modelling of each activity. Before and after delivery of the programme, students were surveyed for their social and emotional wellbeing using the Kessler 10 (K10) instrument for non-specific psychological distress; the ‘Internal Assets’, ‘School Resources’ and ‘Cooperation and Communication’ questions from the Resilience and Youth Development Module (RYDM) of the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS); and questions developed for this study on class connectedness and social and emotional skills. Subsequent to programme completion, focus groups were conducted with teachers and participating students to gauge programme fidelity, utility and engagement. Results: There was an improvement in psychological distress that approached significance ( t = 2, df = 42, p = .053), although the symptomatic score remained in the range indicative of medium-level distress. Cooperation and communication improved significantly ( t = −2.34, df = 42, p = .024) as did class connectedness ( t = −2.46, df = 43, p = .018). There was no change in individual resilience factors, school protective factors, or social and emotional skills. The focus groups were generally positive about the programme, but indicated fidelity was compromised, mainly because the lesson periods were too short. Conclusion: While this small-scale pilot study has a number of limitations, it does indicate the need to improve the psychological wellbeing of middle school students. The findings also provide evidence that brief social and emotional education programmes can have some positive effects.

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