scholarly journals Listening to Their Voices: Middle Schoolers’ Perspectives of Life in Middle School

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Anne Steinberg ◽  
Erica McCray
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Students ◽  
Caring Teachers ◽  
Middle Schoolers ◽  
Basic Qualitative Study ◽  
School Learning ◽  
Real World Problems

This article examines middle schoolers’ perspectives on their lives in middle school. Fifteen middle school students from three middle schools in the Southeast region of the United States participated in a basic qualitative study using focus groups at their schools where they were asked the central question, “If you could change one thing at your middle school, what would it be?” Findings show that students’ desire caring teachers, students want active classrooms, and students’ technology use impacts attitudes towards learning. Implications are that middle-school learning can increase relevance by teachers demonstrating care for students as individuals; structuring opportunities for students to interact with them and each other around real-world problems; and incorporating technology into learning in ways adolescents already use it.

scholarly journals Witnessing Cyberbullying and Internalizing Symptoms among Middle School Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 957-966 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana M. Doumas ◽  
Aida Midgett
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Internalizing Symptoms ◽  
Somatic Symptoms ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Bullying ◽  
School Students ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Cyberbullying Victimization ◽  
The Impact

Cyberbullying is a significant problem among school-aged youth. Cyberbullying peaks in middle school with 33% of middle school students reporting cyberbullying victimization and more than 50% reporting witnessing cyberbullying as bystanders. Although the association between cyberbullying victimization and internalizing symptoms is well documented, there is limited research examining the impact of witnessing cyberbullying on bystanders. To assess differences in internalizing symptoms between cyberbullying bystanders and non-bystanders, a school-based cross-sectional study was conducted among middle school students (6th–8th grade) in the United States (N = 130; 57.4% female; 42.6% male). Questionnaire data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of co-variance (MANCOVA) with three outcome variables (depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms) and the between-subject factor bystander status (bystander, non-bystander). We controlled for witnessing school bullying to examine the unique effect of witnessing cyberbullying on internalizing symptoms. Results of the MANCOVA indicated a significant effect for cyberbullying bystander status (p < 0.04). Post hoc analyses demonstrated that bystanders reported significantly higher levels of depression (p < 0.05), anxiety (p < 0.02), and somatic symptoms (p < 0.01) than non-bystanders. Findings suggest that programs to support students who witness cyberbullying are needed to reduce the mental health risks associated with being a cyberbullying bystander.

The Intersection of Perceptions and Experiences of Bullying by Race and Ethnicity among Middle School Students in the United States

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (10) ◽  
pp. 807-822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadine M. Connell ◽  
Sarah El Sayed ◽  
Jennifer M. Reingle Gonzalez ◽  
Natalie M. Schell-Busey
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Students

Individual Differences in Middle School and College Students’ Texting

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 1215-1219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradford L. Schroeder ◽  
Daphne E. Whitmer ◽  
Shannon K. T. Bailey ◽  
Valerie K. Sims
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Middle School ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Developmental Psychology ◽  
School Students ◽  
Middle Schoolers ◽  
The Social ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
Insight Into

The present study surveyed a sample of middle school students on their technology habits, with a primary focus on texting behaviors. A secondary sample of college students was surveyed as a comparison group to examine individual differences in texting behaviors. Results indicate that college students text more frequently than middle schoolers; however, college students’ texting behaviors decrease in frequency as they get older, whereas middle schoolers’ texting behaviors increase in frequency. Females also generally reported texting more frequently than males. Extraversion was found to be predictive of texting in the middle school sample, but both Extraversion and Neuroticism were found to be predictive of texting in the college sample. Results are discussed in the context of previous research and with respect to human factors and developmental psychology, such that the study of technology use could offer insight into the social development of adolescents and young adults.

scholarly journals Discovering Voices: College Students and Middle Schoolers Explore Identities, Differences, and Connections through the Structure of a Poem

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Cook-Sather ◽  
Anne Kenealy ◽  
Maurice Rippel ◽  
Julia Beyer
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
School Teacher ◽  
Middle School Teacher ◽  
School Students ◽  
Middle Schoolers ◽  
College Professor ◽  
College Undergraduate

Co-authored by a college professor, a middle-school teacher, a college undergraduate, and a 7th grader, this article focuses on college and middle-school students’ experiences of discovering their own and others’ voices. The discovery unfolds through composing and reflecting on poems in the form of Jacqueline Woodson’s “it’ll be scary sometimes,” which focuses on the experience of being different. The students’ dis-covering of voices deepens their own and their teachers’ education and creates spaces, structures, and processes that affirm students’ diverse histories and identities. Honoring differences and finding connections in these ways contribute to greater equity and inclusiveness.

scholarly journals Learning from Historical Documents: A Federal Genealogical Resources Workshop for Middle Schoolers

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Shalyn Rodriguez
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Family History ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
School Level ◽  
Historical Documents ◽  
School Students ◽  
School Project ◽  
Middle Schoolers ◽  
Account Information

Much of what makes up family history is first account information from family members. However, the federal government produces a plethora of genealogical documents that can be accessed on a number of government sources to help with researching family history. The tricky part can be finding government sources that are accessible at a middle school level. For this assignment, a workshop will be provided to teach middle school students how to find and utilize government resources while researching their family history for a school project.

Classroom Instruction Differences by Level of Technology Use in Middle School Mathematics

1996 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hersholt C. Waxman ◽  
Shwu-Yong L. Huang
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Classroom Instruction ◽  
Classroom Interaction ◽  
The United States ◽  
Organizational Setting ◽  
School Students ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
South Central ◽  
Whole Class

This study examined whether 1) classroom interaction, 2) selection of activities, 3) instructional activities, 4) organizational setting of the classroom, and 4) student on-task and off-task behaviors in the classroom significantly differs according to the degree of implementation of technology in mathematics classrooms. The subjects in the present study were 2,189 middle school students who were randomly chosen from a multi-ethnic school district located within a major metropolitan city in the south central region of the United States. The results indicate that there are significant differences in classroom instruction by the amount of technology used. Instruction in classroom settings where technology was not often used tended to be whole-class approaches where students generally listened or watched the teacher. Instruction in classroom settings where technology was moderately used had much less whole-class instruction and much more independent work. These findings are quite similar to previous research that supports the notion that technology use may change teaching from the traditional teacher-centered model to a more student-centered instructional approach. Another important finding from the present study is that students in classrooms where technology was moderately used were also found to be on task significantly more than students from the other two groups.

Gender, technology use and ownership, and media-based multitasking among middle school students

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 99-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelia R. Cotten ◽  
Daniel B. Shank ◽  
William A. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
School Students

scholarly journals Development of an Online Graph-Oriented Collaborative Argumentation Tool for Middle School Students: A Faculty Expert's Perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-178
Author(s):  
Pi-Sui Hsu ◽  
Silvia Ginting ◽  
Margot Van Dyke
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Development Process ◽  
The United States ◽  
Professional Staff ◽  
School Students ◽  
Usability Tests ◽  
Digital Convergence ◽  
Collaborative Argumentation ◽  
Student Team

The objective of this design case was to describe the development of an online graph-oriented tool to support the representation of collaborative argumentation for middle school students from a faculty expert’s perspective and discuss the processes that were instrumental in developing the tool. Supported by the professional staff in the Digital Convergence Lab (DCL) at Northern Illinois University, a student team was involved in the development process of such a tool. Based on the design document from the design team, the development team developed a prototype and the faculty expert conducted a series of usability tests with 119 middle school students in the United States. Overall, the results of the usability testing suggested that the prototype is targeted at supporting the representation of scientific argumentation. The student participants also provided suggestions for further improvement of the prototype.

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