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2011

Middle school

Articles 1 - 15 of 15

Full-Text Articles in Education

Identifying Struggling Readers In Middle School With Orf, Maze And Prior Year Assessment Data, Jennifer R. Allison, Evelyn S. Johnson Dec 2011

Identifying Struggling Readers In Middle School With Orf, Maze And Prior Year Assessment Data, Jennifer R. Allison, Evelyn S. Johnson

Early and Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a framework with the primary purpose of early identification and prevention of learning problems. Screening procedures identify students in need of targeted intervention, but current screening research is limited to the elementary grades. This study explored the use of screening measures: prior year assessment data, oral reading fluency (ORF), and maze, to predict performance on Georgia’s Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT-8) for 236 eighth grade students from one district in Georgia. Logistic regression analyses compared the accuracy of the predictor variables. Overall classification accuracy was 96.6% for ORF and maze and 97.1% for CRCT-7; however, this …


Leading Schools To Increased Reading Achievement: An Investigation Into Effective Reading Instruction, Patricia Anne Alford Dec 2011

Leading Schools To Increased Reading Achievement: An Investigation Into Effective Reading Instruction, Patricia Anne Alford

Dissertations

This study investigated the effectiveness of two models of middle school reading instruction as measured by mean scores of middle school students on a state criterion-referenced test. Two cohorts of students were repeatedly compared over a three year period: students who received reading instruction as a core content class (Intervention A) and students who received reading instruction through content-area courses of math, social studies, science, and language arts (Intervention B). The independent variable was the reading program implemented and the dependent variables were the scale scores on the Reading portion of the CRCT test. A mixed model analysis of variance …


Middle School Students’ Perceptions Of Coeducational And Same-Sex Physical Education, Scott M. Ronspies Oct 2011

Middle School Students’ Perceptions Of Coeducational And Same-Sex Physical Education, Scott M. Ronspies

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

The prevalence of obesity and sedentary behaviors among children and adolescents is increasing at an alarming rate. The obesity epidemic is reaching proportions never seen across our nation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine middle school students’ perceptions of coeducational and same-sex physical education classes. The study consisted of 3 girls and 3 boys 12-13 years old. One-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant to gain an understanding of their perceptions of physical education (P.E.) classes that were coeducational and same-sex in nature. The results indicated that middle school students shared a variety of perceptions concerning …


Middle School Students’ Perceptions Of Coeducational And Same-Sex Physical Education, Scott M. Ronspies Oct 2011

Middle School Students’ Perceptions Of Coeducational And Same-Sex Physical Education, Scott M. Ronspies

Scott M. Ronspies

The prevalence of obesity and sedentary behaviors among children and adolescents is increasing at an alarming rate. The obesity epidemic is reaching proportions never seen across our nation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine middle school students’ perceptions of coeducational and same-sex physical education classes. The study consisted of 3 girls and 3 boys 12-13 years old. One-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant to gain an understanding of their perceptions of physical education (P.E.) classes that were coeducational and same-sex in nature. The results indicated that middle school students shared a variety of perceptions concerning …


Middle School Students’ Perceptions Of Coeducational And Same-Sex Physical Education, Scott Ronspies Oct 2011

Middle School Students’ Perceptions Of Coeducational And Same-Sex Physical Education, Scott Ronspies

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

The prevalence of obesity and sedentary behaviors among children and adolescents is increasing at an alarming rate. The obesity epidemic is reaching proportions never seen across our nation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine middle school students’ perceptions of coeducational and same-sex physical education classes. The study consisted of 3 girls and 3 boys 12-13 years old. One-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant to gain an understanding of their perceptions of physical education (P.E.) classes that were coeducational and same-sex in nature. The results indicated that middle school students shared a variety of perceptions concerning …


Creating Communities: Working With Refugee Students In Classrooms, Kevin C. Roxas Oct 2011

Creating Communities: Working With Refugee Students In Classrooms, Kevin C. Roxas

Democracy and Education

This article critically examines the reality of building community in public schools and specifically identifies the obstacles faced by teachers who try to create community with refugee students. The research in the article focuses on Ms. Patricia Engler, a teacher in a newcomer center for refugee students located in an urban setting. Engler created and fostered a sense of community for middle-school students in her classroom who often felt disconnected to their fellow students, their school, and the neighborhoods in which they lived, and was able to focus on work that she intuitively felt was right for her students based …


Students' Perceptions Of Read 180 At The Middle School Level, Erica L. Johnson Aug 2011

Students' Perceptions Of Read 180 At The Middle School Level, Erica L. Johnson

Theses and Graduate Projects

Read 180 is an intensive intervention program designed for middle level elementary up through high school. This is a program that teaches students through a combination of instructional, modeled, and independent reading components. The Read 180 class period is 90 minutes long and begins with 20 minutes of whole-group literacy instruction in which the teacher and students engage in shared reading, read aloud, or do direct instruction skills lessons. Next, students are split into three groups and each group participates in three 20-minute rotations. During each rotation the teacher works with one small group of students in the Small group …


The Effects Of Concrete-Representational-Abstract Sequenced Instruction On Struggling Learners Acquisition, Retention, And Self-Efficacy Of Fractions, Elizabeth Hughes Aug 2011

The Effects Of Concrete-Representational-Abstract Sequenced Instruction On Struggling Learners Acquisition, Retention, And Self-Efficacy Of Fractions, Elizabeth Hughes

All Dissertations

A growing body of research supports instructional strategies, such as concrete-representational-abstract (CRA) sequence, to teach mathematics to students at risk of failure, including those with disabilities. This study extends the current body of CRA research by analyzing the effects of CRA sequence of instruction on student achievement, and retention, and self-efficacy of performance on computations of fractions. Thirty-five students participated in this study. A series of repeated measures ANOVAs were performed to assess main effects and interaction effects for performance and self-efficacy of students in a control group who received traditional fractions instruction and a treatment group who received CRA …


Lost In Transition : A Grade Nine Transition Program Using Articulation Activities., Denise Allen May 2011

Lost In Transition : A Grade Nine Transition Program Using Articulation Activities., Denise Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a set of structured articulation activities on the transition of students from grade eight to grade nine. Data were collected by retrieval from the state data collection system. This study was time-interrupted series with a treatment (implementation) group and two comparison groups analyzed using the MANCOVA approach. The study relied on the literature review of three vital concepts: organizational learning; high reliability organizations; and effective schools. Descriptive data were gathered through the state-wide Infinite Campus program. The study is quasi-experimental design with a quantitative analysis. The outcome data were …


Middle School Students' Perceptions Of The Gender And Ethnic Gap In Achievement, Marian Elizabeth Hendrickson May 2011

Middle School Students' Perceptions Of The Gender And Ethnic Gap In Achievement, Marian Elizabeth Hendrickson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study used a mix-method approach to determine achievement gap in gender and ethnicity. Quantitative data was collected from the 2008-2009 Arkansas state Benchmark exam to investigate the extent of the gap in the school. Qualitative data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with 13 students. The students were asked to explain their perceptions of the gender and ethnicity gap in the school. The use of two methods for this study enabled the researcher to better understand the actual achievement gap that appeared at the school and compare this information to the information provided by the participants. The Quantitative data gathered …


School Administrator And Parent Perceptions Of School, Family, And Community Partnerships In Middle School: A Mixed Methods Study, Jackie Leblanc Apr 2011

School Administrator And Parent Perceptions Of School, Family, And Community Partnerships In Middle School: A Mixed Methods Study, Jackie Leblanc

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to identify, analyze, and compare the perceptions of parents and school administrators in regard to school-family partnerships in three middle schools in the State of Louisiana. The study investigated the similarities and dissimilarities between parent and school administrator perceptions, probed to determine underlying factors that may lead to apparent discrepancies, and solicited recommendations for improvements from parents and administrators. The study was based on Epstein's Six Types of Involvement framework which cites six specific areas of parental-school-community partnerships and explains how each component affects the educational process of students (Epstein, 1995; Epstein, et al., …


Teaching Through Mathematics Problems: Re-Designed For A Focus On Mathematics, Immaculate Kizito Namukasa, Elena Polotskaia Jan 2011

Teaching Through Mathematics Problems: Re-Designed For A Focus On Mathematics, Immaculate Kizito Namukasa, Elena Polotskaia

Education Publications

Recent research on problem solving explores its potential as a pedagogical practice. This emphasis rejuvenates the interest in problem solving as a learning activity. This paper presents the practice of using a selected problem together with its variants in a single lesson. The practice was implemented in middle school classroom settings with gifted students and with mixed ability students as well as in teacher education classrooms. Experiences from practice are used to illustrate that the use of a set of closely related problems is likely to make students more eager to share their solutions, to generate several solution strategies, and …


A Mixed Methods Inquiry Into The Relationship Between Belongingness And Achievement Of Middle School Transfer Students, Tamala Renee Maddox Jan 2011

A Mixed Methods Inquiry Into The Relationship Between Belongingness And Achievement Of Middle School Transfer Students, Tamala Renee Maddox

All ETDs from UAB

A MIXED METHODS INQUIRY INTO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BELONGINGNESS AND ACHIEVEMENT OF MIDDLE SCHOOL TRANSFER STUDENTS TAMALA R. MADDOX EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP ABSTRACT Student achievement is closely monitored and is believed to reflect how well a school is serving its student population therefore; it is incumbent upon schools to investigate a means of improving student achievement. As the number of students transferring to suburban school settings continues to increase, it has become increasingly important to determine how to assist these students in successfully transitioning into their new school environment. This study explored how sense of belonging affects achievement motiva-tion and academic …


Exploring Parental Involvement Strategies Utilized By Middle School Interdisciplinary Teams, Christopher Clayton Robbins Jan 2011

Exploring Parental Involvement Strategies Utilized By Middle School Interdisciplinary Teams, Christopher Clayton Robbins

All ETDs from UAB

Adolescents present a unique collection of characteristics and challenges for which middle school interdisciplinary teams were designed to address. Current research focuses on teacher-specific strategies which can be utilized in order to increase parental involvement. However, there is little literature addressing how an interdisciplinary team approach to involving parents alters the face of parent-teacher communication. The central research question for this study was, "What are the strategies utilized by interdisciplinary middle school teams to effectively involve the parents of their students in the educational process?" The researcher utilized a multiple-case study approach with three central Alabama middle school interdisciplinary teams: …


The Relationship Between Music And Visual Arts Formal Study And Academic Achievement On The Eighth-Grade Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (Leap) Test, Richard Allen Baker Jr. Jan 2011

The Relationship Between Music And Visual Arts Formal Study And Academic Achievement On The Eighth-Grade Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (Leap) Test, Richard Allen Baker Jr.

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the policy implications allowing administrators to exempt a student from required arts instruction if the student obtained unsatisfactory scores on the high-stake state mandated tests in English and mathematics. This study examined English language arts and math test scores for 37,222 eighth grade students enrolled in music and/or visual arts classes and those students not enrolled in arts courses. There were more than 12,000 students who were eligible, but not enrolled in arts courses. Methodology consisted of comparing the mean scores of students receiving music and visual arts instruction with the mean …