In tracing two Chinese rural middle school classes for 3 years, this study found the positive impact of adopting the algorithm-based mobile short video platform Douyin on rural adolescents' intrinsic motivation. The application's broad adoption has reshaped the social processes supporting adolescent users' intrinsic motivation and spontaneous…

This study examines the relationship between eighth-grade students' science achievement scores and their home backgrounds (educational resources and parental level of education) in three participating African countries: Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa using the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) data of 2019.…

This article examines the ways in which four focal English Learners (ELs) in an eighth-grade sheltered science classroom used visual and written resources in a unit on watersheds. The students first recorded their observations about stream tables through open-ended drawing and writing. Their own ideas were evident in these responses, but…

Despite the increasing interest in data science education in the world, its teaching is not included in the curricula (junior secondary) and there is little information about it. Google Trends is discussed as a tool and database in school data science. Also, in different subjects, students were able to create and interpret graphs using this tool.…

This paper is a lesson study of the instruction of China's Natural Resources (the third unit of eighth-grade geography), and its objective is to examine the efficacy of inquiry-based learning in geography education. In the experimental lesson, we reorganized the teaching content by integrating the learning materials from the four sections of…

COVID-19 has permeated news since December 2019 and has impacted all areas of life. Despite widespread coverage of COVID-related risks, there is limited understanding of adolescent resilience in Global South contexts (e.g., Africa) and against the backdrop of COVID-19. We, therefore, conducted a qualitative secondary analysis of 79 documents…

Absenteeism and students' attitudes toward science have an impact on the exam results among eighth-grade students in Malaysia and Singapore. This study employed weighted least squares and quantile regression techniques on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2019 data to analyze the net effect of these two factors in…

Background: Mental disorders most likely manifest during adolescence, providing opportunities for schools and professionals to implement standardized mental health literacy (MHL) interventions to support improvement of mental health outcomes. Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of an MHL intervention (the Guide) on knowledge, stigma,…

In this paper, we discuss the design and development of an eBook titled "Building Democracy for All: Interactive Explorations of Government and Civic Life," which serves as an open educational resource for the eighth-grade Massachusetts social studies curriculum standards. This design case offers an example of an interactive,…

Productive struggle is a process in which students expend effort to grapple with perplexing problems and make sense of something that is not immediately apparent and beyond their current level of understanding and capacity. The experience encourages students to reflect on and restructure their existing knowledge toward a new understanding of…

Open educational resources (OER) constitute a curriculum innovation that is considered revolutionary and has the potential to change the landscape of curriculum at all levels and content areas. OER have gained attention and widespread acceptance by educators and policy makers since 2002. The promise of OER is that they provide cost savings,…

A qualitative study was conducted in a secondary school to evaluate student learning processes and outcomes by examining their inquiry questions, journals, and maker artifacts in a curriculum-based maker learning environment supported by the Guided Inquiry Design (GID). Thirteen 8th-grade students in a suburban middle school in the southwest of…

The problem for this study was that an average of 60% of eighth-grade English Language Learners (ELL) in one Virginia county were not meeting reading proficiency based on Virginia Standards of Learning. A basic qualitative design was used to explore teachers' perspectives on their successes, challenges, and the resources they need to teach…

Since the last curriculum reform in 2011, all Estonian lower-secondary students have to conduct a year-long creative work. Unfortunately, in many cases, it is implemented as an individual written report that has little to do with improving learners' digital competence or Computational Thinking skills. In the new national curriculum (to be in force…

The purpose of this study was to investigate a model of implementing restorative justice practices through understanding our current systems, structures, and resources that positively promote student engagement while mitigating challenging behaviors in middle school classrooms. Cycle 1 data were collected from administrators, support staff, and…