Hierarchical linear modeling is used to assess individual student, family, and school predictors of aggression in 111,662 students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. Nine measures of problem-solving strategies, quality of family and peer interaction, and perceptions of school climate are analyzed at the individual student level. Eight measures…

This practicum was designed to improve the self-esteem and self-confidence of black, largely lower-class sixth-graders at a middle school in a predominantly white, middle-class neighborhood. Students were exposed to multicultural resources, including works of literature by and about African-Americans. A cultural awareness workshop for teachers was…

This paper describes an agenda for expanding interest and motivation among sixth-grade foreign language students in a middle-class suburban community located in northeastern Illinois. The problem was originally noted by the teaching staff/researchers who found students unable to focus and maintain attention during class. Administration of surveys…

This study explored the relationship of parents' educational expectations to the academic achievement of inner-city children at risk of school failure. A group of 745 sixth-grade African American children, who had complete information on parent variables and child outcome measures, were selected from a larger data set from the Chicago Longitudinal…

These lessons on Mexico have been taught in an integrated fashion within a sixth grade language arts and social studies classroom. Lessons are intended to be easy to pick up and use by any teacher. The material includes: (1) Rationale; (2) "Lesson 1 - I'll Bet You Can Map the Western Hemisphere in a Minute!"; (3) "Lesson 2 -…

Although inquiries into social status have enjoyed increasing popularity in the literature, peer nomination techniques reveal little about the determinants of social preference. This study examined the relationship between two sociometric measures in predicting five categories of social status: (1) Popular; (2) Neglected; (3) Rejected; (4)…

This study investigates whether color and background information in motion visuals have different effects on memory and comprehension of students in various grade levels. A three-by-three factorial pretest-posttest design was used, comparing levels of visual complexity and grade levels. The instructional content was a 12-minute computer animation…

This study examined the effects of early educational experiences on a group of inner-city children as they approached the transition to junior high school. Data on 249 sixth graders enrolled in 67 schools in a large urban school district were used in the study. The sample, about 62 percent of which was female, was 96 percent African American; 76…

This paper reports on the development of a school-based Afrocentric intervention for middle school male adolescents who are at risk for academic failure or underachievement. The intervention combined the principles of the rites of passage movement within African American communities and current thinking on the process of second culture acquisition…

This research hypothesized that preformal-operational children (before age 11) can improve their ability to write persuasive essays at an age earlier than Jean Piaget's developmental stage model would predict. A Vygotskian social interactionist approach, which claims that adult intervention can help children achieve what may have seemed beyond…

This activity guide, developed to provide environmental education through a series of hands-on activities geared to Raven Rock State Park in North Carolina, is targeted for grades 5, 6, and 7 and meets curriculum objectives of the standard course of study established by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Three types of activities…

Using primary sources, this unit explores the founding of the 12th and most successful of the English colonies in North America, Pennsylvania. Established by the Quaker civil libertarian William Penn, Pennsylvania was intended to demonstrate that a society founded on mutual respect, tolerance, and individual responsibility could flourish. The…

This unit is one of a series that presents specific moments in history from which students focus on the meanings of landmark events. To explore the African past it is necessary to examine African civilization before colonization and to expose students to the richness that this past reflects. This unit provides students with a taste of the African…

This paper examines theories of human development within the context of the models presented by the schools of cognitive learning, behavioralism, psychoanalysis, and humanistic views of growth. Stress is placed on the stages of human development that provides a means of better meeting the needs of students ages 10-14 in the middle school milieu.…

This curriculum guide was developed to provide environmental education through a series of hands-on activities for the classroom and the outdoor setting of Mount Mitchell State Park, North Carolina. This activity packet, designed for grades 4 through 6, meets established curriculum objectives of the North Carolina Department of Public…