Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Parental Stress Coping And Middle-School Students’ Grades And Behavioral Conduct, Stephanie Buckner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAccording to Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, factors such as parental stress influence family functioning and affect children’s adaptive development. This quantitative study was conducted to better understand the association of parental stress coping skills with two dependent measures: the grades and behavioral conduct of middle-school students. Sixty-six parent/guardians completed the Coping Skills Assessment 2nd Revision (COSA R2), an assessment of parental stress coping skills and a brief questionnaire to collect data on their middle-school-aged children’s grades and conduct, along with demographic variables of race/ethnicity, age, family income level, number of children in the household, and partner status. No significant difference …

Alcohol Use Subgroups Among Rural Middle School Students: The Impact Of Community Violence Exposure, Courtney B. Dunn

Theses and Dissertations

A substantial portion of early adolescents initiate alcohol use. This represents a significant public health concern due to its association with a variety of adverse consequences. Although person-centered analytic approaches such as latent class analysis have been used to describe heterogeneity in adolescents’ alcohol use, most prior studies have focused on high school or older samples. This may obscure patterns of alcohol use that emerge during early adolescence. The current study identified and described subgroups of adolescents based on their alcohol use in a racially diverse sample of rural middle school students. Because research and theory indicate that exposure to …

The Contribution Of African American Parents’ Stem Racial Socialization And Support To Adolescent Academic Outcomes, Rachel J. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Historically, African Americans have experienced various inequalities in education that have long contributed to overall educational attainment gaps within the African American community (St. Mary, Calhoun, Tejada, & Jenson, 2018). Thus, African American parents are tasked with instilling messages of racial pride into their children and providing educational support that serve as protective factors against racial discrimination in education (Koch, Lundh, & Harris, 2019). Theoretical frameworks provide a basis of understanding how parent socialization contributes to African American educational outcomes, specifically noting the role of parents’ beliefs and values in dictating mechanisms of value transfer (e.g., buying toys or learning …

The Promise Of Character Education In Middle School: A Meta-Analysis, Calvary R. Diggs, Patrick Akos

Middle Grades Review

Early adolescence is a developmental stage characterized by changes in reasoning, social cognition, and desire for autonomy in youth aged 11-14 (or grades 6-8). This period is also associated with heightened impulsivity and risk-taking that has been linked to school-related challenges such as antisocial behaviors and declining grades. Character education, a particular brand of social-emotional practice, has been promulgated as a developmentally responsive program that can promote prosocial behavior and academic success by building upon existing developmental strengths. However, research findings to date are primarily informed by elementary school program outcomes. Due to this limitation, a meta-analytic review of recent …

Sources Of Self-Efficacy Information For Writing: A Qualitative Inquiry, Mary E. Holmes

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study explored the sources of information that inform students’ self-efficacy beliefs in the area of writing. A qualitative phenomenological case study approach was use to capture the experiences of gifted middle school students.

Writing is a critical skill for success in school and beyond, and many students in the United States are not able to adequately write extended texts (Bruning & Horn, 2000; National Center for Education Statistics, 2012). Understanding students’ motivation for engaging with writing might provide insight into how to better support students’ experience with writing in school. Self-efficacy is a key construct within motivation, and it …

Child And Family Predictors Of Bullying In Middle School Students, Rene Michele Nota

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the shared variables that contribute to direct and indirect aggression, specifically bullying and to explore the role of family context, and adolescent personality characteristics on predicting bullying behavior. The theoretical framework of this study was based on evidence that no specific element can describe why some individuals are at risk for behaving aggressively and other are more resilient. The study included 259 middle schools students in grades six through eight. The students were enrolled at a single middle school located in a suburban area. The largest group of students was African American, …

A Longitudinal Study Of School Connectedness And Academic Outcomes Across Sixth Grade, Kate Niehaus, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Christopher R. Rakes

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The current longitudinal study examines the extent to which school connectedness (i.e., students' perceptions of school support and the number of adults with whom they have a positive relationship) is associated with academic outcomes across sixth grade for students from high poverty neighborhoods. Data were collected from 330 sixth-grade students attending two middle schools in a large public school district. Specifically, students completed a survey to assess their perceived connection to the school environment, and academic information regarding students' grades, attendance, and discipline referrals was obtained from school records. Results fromlatent growth curve modeling showed that, on average, students' perceptions …

A Theater-Based Approach To Primary Prevention Of Sexual Behavior For Early Adolescents, Lisa D. Lieberman, Cydelle Berlin, Lori-Ann Palen, Olivia Silber Ashley

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Early adolescence is a crucial period for preventing teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. This study evaluated STAR LO, a theater-based intervention designed to affect antecedents of sexual activity among urban early adolescents (N = 1,143). Public elementary/middle schools received the intervention or served as a wait-listed comparison group in a quasi-experimental study. Students completed pretest and posttest questionnaires. Multivariate regression models were used to examine treatment effects. Comparison students showed significantly greater increases in sexual intentions and decreases in pro-abstinence attitudes and intended age of first sex than treatment group adolescents. Comparison girls showed significantly greater increases in …