<p> This research study examined the academic impact of extracurricular activities on middle school students. This study investigated a possible relationship between the amount of hours that students spent participating in extracurricular activities and their academic achievement, as well as the amount of hours that students spent participating in in-school extracurricular activities and their academic achievement. This study used a combination of quantitative and qualitative data to reach its results. The quantitative data ultimately did not show a statistically significant correlation between the hours that students spent in extracurricular activities in general or in in-school activities and academic achievement. However, there was an upward trend in the data for hours that students spent in extracurricular activities in general and their academic achievement. The qualitative component drew upon the prior research on traits that contribute to the success of middle school students academically, and found a pattern consistent with the evidence of these traits through the results of a survey and interviews. Therefore, the qualitative component showed that through connecting these answers to and relying on the prior research, middle school students most likely benefitted academically from being involved in extracurricular activities, especially in-school activities that met these needs. The researcher also reflected on the study and made several recommendations for future research on the topic, ranging from survey and sampling augmentations to suggestions of sub-topics worthy of further exploration.</p>

<p> In this qualitative case study, I investigated eighth-grade honors students&rsquo; and their language arts teacher&rsquo;s perceptions of the support provided in writing groups, the climate in writing groups, and student and teacher support that enhanced students&rsquo; motivation to write in writing groups. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)</p>

<p> This dissertation is a mixed-methods study that critically looked at peer-reviewed articles and empirical research findings about goal setting for middle school students and the possible effects that goal setting had on achievement. This project synthesized the information from articles about goal setting in general and, more specifically, the student-informed goal-setting processes. The study spawned from the literature review and critically assessed one teacher&rsquo;s use of the informed goal setting process to affect the achievement of her Midwestern middle school students. Students in the treatment group completed pre and post-questionnaires that assessed their understanding of goal setting and achievement. The researcher used students&rsquo; assessment data reports to instruct and coach students on their use of data to establish SMART goals for fall conferences, during the winter and spring R-CBM and MAZE testing, and quantitatively compared the treatment groups&rsquo; data to that of a peer-like control group. The researcher analyzed focus group responses for perception trends about the goal setting process. The results of the qualitative information and quantitative data indicated an attitudinal and behavioral shift in the use of the SMART goal setting process; however, the researcher found no statistically significant difference between the treatment and control groups. Goal setting did not have adverse effects on either student performance or behavior; so, with proper feedback, conferencing, and follow-through, goal setting should continue to be part of routine habit-building instruction. Further study is needed to determine the effect that the &lsquo;informed&rsquo; aspect had on student attitudes and achievement and to explore parental influences on goal setting and attainment.</p>

<p>Starting with the Ancient Greeks, Pilgrims, Puritans and Quakers and now all school districts across the United States of America are faced with continually increasing challenges of developing students who are well-rounded human beings capable of making moral and ethical decisions in an ever-increasing immoral and unethical world (Lickona, 1996; Riley, 2001). The purpose of this program evaluation is to examine how association between student-to-student and student-to-teacher, which includes fighting and bullying, disrespect and insubordination, have been affected from the inception of a school-wide character education program to a national character education program recognition. A Pearson&rsquo;s Chi-square test of association was utilized because it is one of the most commonly used statistical approaches to repeated measures designs. </p><p> The scope of the program evaluation involved a cohort of students in a junior high school is St. Louis County from the inception of a character education program to the National School of Character recognition three years later. Discipline referrals were collected involving aggression, including fighting and bullying, disrespect and insubordination to determine the effect the character education program was having on student-to-student and student-to-teacher relationships. The result of the findings is there was no significant association between these reported behaviors, indicating the variables are independent of each other. </p><p> This program study indicates there is no significant limitation in the relationship involving discipline referrals from the inception of the character education to the national recognition. This leads to a conclusion that the national recognition may be less concerned about reduction in discipline referrals, and may put more weight on practice, procedures and policy. </p>

<p> The overarching goal of this study was to obtain the perceptions of 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th grade English Language Arts teachers of their students&rsquo; reading skills, specifically comprehension and fluency, and those students&rsquo; readiness for high school English. The study proposed a comprehensive conceptual model of effective strategies reading teachers use and what prepared middle school students have in order to matriculate into high school. This research advanced the discussion of basic skills students need to matriculate into high school ELA and what hinders their matriculation. A mixed methods study with a threefold purpose was conducted. First, the study explored and described the perceptions of teachers of middle school students&rsquo; reading skills specifically those skills associated with comprehension and fluency. Second, it explored and discussed if middle school students exhibited sufficient basic skills associated with comprehension and fluency in ELA to matriculate into high school courses and succeed. Third, the study explored and described teachers&rsquo; perceptions of essential skills needed to transfer into high school ELA. Student readiness was explored in six focus groups with 25 teacher participants and three district supervisor interviews. Teachers and supervisors provided data on student readiness and skill deficiencies and proficiencies in comprehension and fluency. Data collection methods included teacher survey and district supervisor and teacher interviews. Findings indicated that student readiness for high school ELA is average; students&rsquo; basic skills in comprehension and fluency is also average; and students&rsquo; are lacking in basic skills needed to succeed in high school ELA courses. Narrative and descriptive statistics detailed students&rsquo; preparation, students&rsquo; reading skills, and students&rsquo; comprehension and fluency.</p>

<p> This qualitative single case study examined the connections between social-emotional learning and academic achievement in adolescents. Questions that formed the foundation for research include the background of how one middle school developed social and emotional practices for their student population, the ways in which those practices are implemented and sustained in the school community, how social-emotional learning practices interface with academics, and approaches which can be shared with other school sites. Qualitative research methods included formal and informal participant interviews, site and field observations, and the collection of artifacts and documents such as test scores and student work. Data was coded and analyzed by themes: 1) Building Relationships and Developing Trust; 2) Learning Engagement and Achievement; 3) Teaching Accountability and Responsibility; 4) Collaboration; 5) Resolving Conflicts; and 6) Budgets, Curriculum and Standards, and Teacher Demands. Data show convincing connections between creating caring school communities and the academic, social, and emotional development of adolescents.</p>

As the number of immigrants and refugees grows in the US, the linguistic and cultural diversity that comprises the middle grades classroom continues to increase. Given the need for resources and specific attention to linguistic and cultural strategies for these populations, this three year ethnographic study examined the schooling experiences of young adolescent immigrant and refugee students in a small town located in a rural state. Historically a homogeneous area, this community recently became a multilingual/multicultural setting. I documented the schooling experiences of my participants utilizing ethnographic methods including participant observation, interviews, and document analysis. My data describe how immigrant and refugee students internalized middle grades organizational structures such as teaming and multiage grouping. The findings suggest much variability among the students’ experiences, ranging from little or no academic, emotional, and/or social support to such high levels of support that students felt ostracized and disempowered. The implications for researchers center on expanding the current research in middle grades best practice to include a new set of voices, while practical implications focus on creating a safe environment where immigrants can express themselves and feel comfortable asking for the level of support they need.

<p> The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of classroom-assigned tasks and responsibilities in middle school classrooms. This mixed methods research study focused on perceptions held by students and educational professionals, both classroom teachers and administrators, of the classroom-assigned tasks and responsibilities program in relation to overall classroom environment, overall school environment, and students&rsquo; sense of connectedness to the school. Quantitative data consisted of secondary data obtained from a survey taken by students exposed to the program and students not exposed to the program. Student survey results were compared to determine if a difference of perceptions existed between the two groups. Qualitative data were collected from educational professionals via electronic surveys and face-to-face interviews. Participant responses were documented and analyzed. The quantitative data showed no significant impact of the classroom-assigned tasks and responsibilities program related to students&rsquo; perceptions; however, the qualitative data pertaining to educators&rsquo; perceptions of the classroom-assigned tasks and responsibilities program demonstrated a multitude of positive effects of the program. According to the qualitative data, students exposed to the program exhibited a multitude of positive changes, whereas students not exposed to the program did not exude beneficial changes. The researcher concluded that although the quantitative data could not support the effectiveness of the classroom-assigned tasks and responsibilities program, the qualitative data provided enough evidence to support the validity of the program. </p>

<p> Every year millions of students drop out of school. Research indicates that student engagement is a major indicator of whether a student will or will not complete high school (Jackson, 2015). A student&rsquo;s decision to drop out is not an instantaneous event, but one that occurs because of a developmental process of withdrawal (Finn, 1989). Student engagement is a student&rsquo;s feelings of connectedness, belongingness, and valuing of school, developed early in a student&rsquo;s academic career (Voelkl, 1997). Increased student engagement offers students a chance to increase their achievement in school. One measure of student engagement is increased participation in school (Finn, 1989). Staff members who take the time to build relationships foster a greater sense of connectedness to the school for the student. A greater sense of connectedness may increase the levels of participation in the school thus resulting in greater achievement. The current study found that the engagement levels of at-risk middle school students in grades six through eight with and without disabilities increased after a staff-led mentoring program. The current study used the Identification with School Questionnaire (Voelkl, 1996) to measure student engagement. In addition, the current study analyzed the staff-mentor perceptions of the mentoring program and found that the staff-mentors valued the relationships with the students, that they wanted to meet periodically to collaborate on ways to better reach the students, and that most of the staff contacted parents as a natural part of the mentoring process. </p><p>

<p> Although some middle school teachers integrate social media platforms into instruction, they generally use traditional and teacher-centered strategies rather than those that are innovative and student-centered. A gap exists in the literature on how teachers could use social media tools such as Edmodo to engage middle school students for innovative online collaboration. This qualitative case study explored the factors that contributed to the acceptance and use of Edmodo by middle school teachers in a Mid-Atlantic urban school district. Specifically, the research explored how teachers leveraged Edmodo to initiate and sustain networked collaboration with their students. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 model, sociocultural development theory, and connectivism supported the conceptual framework. A criterion selection process was used to select 6 middle school teachers as participants. Data sources included 6 semi structured interviews, a focus group of 3 educational technology leaders, and school district documents. Data were analyzed using a priori codes based on the literature review and conceptual framework. Themes that emerged from the analysis included the following: acceptance and use of Edmodo as a communication platform, increased support of students&rsquo; organizational needs, enhancement of professional practice, initiation of networked collaboration, barriers and challenges in networked collaboration, and sustained networked collaboration. This research may contribute to positive social change by informing educational leaders and teachers on how to best leverage social media tools such as Edmodo in the middle school classroom to actively engage students in online collaboration, fostering a more student-centered learning environment.</p><p>