Research

Parents’ Relationships and Involvement: Effects on Students’ School Engagement and Performance

This study focused on parents’ relationships and involvement in their children’s lives and the effects on the students’ school engagement and school performance. The study used the Wave I data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). The data on seventh and eighth grade students’ school and family experiences were analyzed using

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Reading Girls: Living Literate and Powerful Lives

In this qualitative study, the authors merge two bodies of previously separated scholarship: (1) a socio-cultural understanding of adolescent girls in light of the shifting meaning of ideal girlhood, and (2) the participation and success of adolescent girls in school-based literacy activities. They apply these fields of inquiry to explore the following questions: (1) What

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The Influence of Computer-Assisted Instruction on Eighth Grade Mathematics Achievement

The issue of lower than expected mathematics achievement is a concern to education leaders and policymakers at all levels of the U.S. PK–12 education system. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental study was to determine if there was a measurable difference in achievement on the mathematics section of the state test for students (n = 121)

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Preservice Teachers Are Creating a College Culture for At-Risk Middle School Students

This mid-point report from a seven-year study about building a college culture investigates how a multifaceted approach including mentoring, technology, campus visits, parent involvement, and tutoring impacts at-risk middle school students’ college aspirations and eventual success gaining college acceptance. Based on NAEP report data, many young adolescents may not be adequately prepared for postsecondary education

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Developing the Internet-Savviness (IS) Scale: Investigating the Relationships Between Internet Use and Academically Talented Middle School Youth

This study investigated the development and validation of a 32-item scale that measures Internet-Savviness (IS). Relationships between this multidimensional construct and other primary variables of interest including age, gender, Internet access, Internet location, and Internet activities were explored. The sample population consisted of 241 academically talented middle school youth ages 8–14 years old. The IS scale

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Inclusion and Problem-Based Learning: Roles of Students in a Mixed-Ability Group

The literature on the use of problem-based learning in K–12 settings has traditionally focused on gifted and average students. However, mainstreaming is placing increasing numbers of students with special needs in general education classrooms. This case study examined how members of a small group in a mainstreamed seventh grade science class interacted with and supported

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