The purpose of this study was to learn about the underlying factors that might help to explain differences in performance and engagement among middle school girls in mathematics. The study employed a qualitative approach to observe and listen directly to the voices of middle school girls and their parents and math teacher as they reflected on their experiences and thoughts about the girls‟ performance in and long-term goals related to mathematics. My goal was to hear what forces were working in and around the girls that might lead them to engagement or disengagement with mathematics. Through the use of journals, interviews, and classroom observations, I collected data on six adolescent girls attending a middle school in a small New England city. The data collected were viewed through several lenses including the triads created by parent-student-teacher and the triads of “high-performing” and “low-performing” girls. Six themes emerged: factoring in the algebra class; finding seats; relating to the teacher; social networking and engagement; untangling performance and engagement; and structuring class. These themes helped to explain some of the differences between the girls‟ performance in and engagement with mathematics. In addition, they suggested that the concept of engagement was contextual and somewhat elusive. The study raised questions about where engagement was taking place (in school or out, in math or another class), whether it was a solitary endeavor or a social creation, and the complex relationship between engagement and performance. Further longitudinal work with girls and young women as they progress through school will be important to the understanding of how, why and when girls engage or disengage from the study of mathematics.

This study examined the perceptions of gifted middle school students who attended one of two middle school gifted service options as they transitioned into high school. Gifted middle school students from either a center-based gifted service option or a school-based gifted service option from middle schools in a suburban district in Central Virginia participated in the study. Participants who had completed three consecutive years within the gifted service option were purposively selected for the study. Students completed a pre-transition survey at the end of their eighth grade year and a post-transition survey early in their ninth grade year. The survey asked students to identify their high school program choice and provide a reason for their choice in order to establish high school program choice trends among the different gifted service options. The surveys also assessed the differences in the students’ perceptions of the transition from middle school into the chosen high school as it pertains to academic, organizational, and social constructs of the high school program. Students from the center-based gifted program were more likely to choose to attend one of the regional Governor’s schools, and chose to do so because of personal interest and the perception of academic rigor. The students from the school-based gifted service options were more likely to choose to attend one of the district’s specialty centers, and chose to do so because of personal interest and parental encouragement. Prior to transitioning into high school, both the center-based gifted and the school based gifted students had high perceptions of the grades they earned. However, after transitioning into high school, only the center-based gifted students continued to have a high perception of grades earned. Prior to the transition into high school the center-based gifted students had higher perceptions of the academic, organizational, and social constructs. Differences were not found among the post-transition perceptions of the academic, organizational, and social constructs between the two gifted middle school groups; however, the extremely small sample size of the post-transition survey may have impacted these results.

As mathematical modeling gains popularity in K-12 classrooms, it is important to define what this entails for both students and teachers. The following study reviews various definitions of mathematical modeling and how these definitions are relevant for middle grades (5-9) teachers. Following a professional development workshop on mathematical modeling, four middle school teachers expressed their views about teaching mathematics through modeling tasks. This study documents the teachers' perceptions of what it means to model with mathematics, which tasks are most appropriate for their students, and why this is important in each of their classrooms. Although the teachers varied in their views depending on the context and circumstances surrounding each modeling task, they agreed that mathematical modeling helps students build critical thinking skills and provides an opportunity to align mathematics concepts with engaging, realistic phenomena.

Thesis advisor: Robert J. Starratt / Often educational researchers believe that the way to get teacher groups to improve their own teaching is to have them work in groups, share common assessments, look at the results, and choose the approach of the teacher who achieved the most success. Teachers, however, often resist this approach to identifying a "best practice" because it creates a competitive climate in which one teacher will be identified as the best. Conversations about teaching, when they do occur, thus often remain superficial. Teachers most often say to each other that they respect each other's approach; when they do disagree, they focus briefly on ideological differences and then move on to another topic before identifying the specific instructional techniques that work. This dynamic persists in all schools, but particularly in high performing schools in which most students are succeeding, teachers choose to avoid these difficult conversations and thus avoid close examination of their practices. This study examines a leadership project that strove to draw teachers into fruitful conversations about best practice by diminishing competitiveness within the group. Rather than asking them to compare student performance on common assessments, and identify the teacher whose students did the best, the Principal/Researcher focused teachers on the goal of establishing a common approach to teaching certain math topics. In order to find this common approach, teachers had to examine their practices very closely, adopting some new ones but keeping the ones that worked. Rather than the work of one teacher, the "best practice" that the group members chose was a synthesis of strong teaching methods from all members of the group. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Administration and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Robert J. Starrratt / Academic cheating undermines teachers' ability to assess student learning and disadvantages honest students. Today's students increasingly express both an acceptance of cheating and a conviction that cheating is the only way to succeed. Academic dishonesty reflects a larger educational problem in which students fail to value school work. Research on cheating suggests that cheating is more prevalent in older grades but neither the cheating behaviors of middle school students nor the development of cheating habits is well understood. Using goal orientation and neutralization theories, this study examined the conditions under which typical eighth graders perceive cheating as acceptable though not right. A cross-case study method compared student views with those of their teachers. Data included focus groups, interviews, classroom observations, and artifacts. Findings indicate that characteristics of assignments, student-teacher relationships, classroom orientation, and student accountability are central to reducing cheating. Results suggest implications for teaching practice and administration in fostering academic honesty. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Administration and Higher Education.

This mixed methods study was designed to compare the effect of using an inquiry teaching methodology and a more traditional teaching methodology on the learning gains of students who were taught a five-week conceptual change unit on density.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to examine differences between school configuration and students' academic and behavioral outcomes. The participants were eighth grade students in K-8 schools who were matched with eighth grade students in 6-8 middle schools on factors including percentage of students receiving free or reduced lunch, percentage of students receiving services for special education and English language learners, average years of teacher experience, and percentage of boys and girls in each school. Eighth grade student's standardized math and reading achievement data were collected at the school level for a 3-year period. Additionally, school-level data on suspensions and expulsions over the same 3-year period were also collected. The data were analyzed using arc-sine transformation, means, standard deviation, and a repeated-measure analysis of variance. No statistical interactions were observed between time and school type for any of the research questions. However, main effects favoring K-8 schools were found for (a) Math Test, (b) Reading Test, (c) In-school Suspensions, (d) Out-of-school Suspensions, and (e) Expulsions. These findings are interpreted with a lens towards assisting school districts as to which school configuration they should consider as it relates to the district's values and long-range goals. / 10000-01-01

The overall purpose of this study is to contribute with empirical data to a scientific area that currently is missing just that: younger pupils view on the school subject history. This study is based on the history didactics goal, which is to teach knowledge about history in school. The method used in this study is qualitative research and consists of four semi structured group interviews with, in total, eleven pupils in the fifth grade in middle school. The knowledge claims are interpretive with the purpose to develop an understanding for the pupils view on history and their acquirement of knowledge during history class. The problem statements discussed in this study are focused on which history culture the pupils are presented with during their classes and what consequences this has on their acquirement of a historical awareness and a historical identity. The teaching has, in relation to the syllabus, a central content to deliver, but the view of history seems to be a question of interpretation by the teacher. The study finds that the pupils has a positive attitude towards history as a subject, but that the cultural view on the subject can be perceived as stereotype. In different extent, the pupils show a historical awareness and an emerging historical identity in where their surroundings have a central part. This study ends on a discussion about the strengths and weaknesses of the analysis, focused on ethics. / <p>Betygsdatum 2019-06-10</p>

Over the last 35 years, the disproportionate use of discipline by gender, race/ethnicity, and disability status has been consistently documented. Specifically, Black males receive the majority of suspensions and expulsions. Discipline for Native American and Hispanic students, while often showing overrepresentation, is less consistent. There is however consistent evidence of disproportionate discipline for students with disabilities. Experiencing disproportionate discipline often leads to poor academic outcomes, drop out, and involvement in the juvenile justice system. The literature on disproportionate discipline does point to practices that may mitigate its occurrence. These include: shifting from reactive policies and practices to prevention frameworks, developing consistency for how consequences are delivered, reviewing behavioral data, and using graduated support. School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) is a systems approach focusing on whole-school prevention of problem behavior through teaching and acknowledgement of appropriate behavior, consistent consequences, and data for decision-making within graduated levels of support. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent of disproportionate discipline in Oregon middle schools and explore the potential impact that SWPBIS may have on discipline rates. Results from descriptive analysis of discipline data by gender, race/ethnicity, and disability status across 181 middle schools in Oregon showed that Black, Native American, and Hispanic students were overrepresented for suspension and expulsion. Specifically, Black students were 2.58 times more likely to receive out-of-school suspension and 2.79 times more likely to be expelled as all other students. In addition, Native American and Hispanic students were over 1.5 times more likely to be suspended or expelled as all other students. In contrast, White and Asian students were less likely to be suspended and half as likely to be expelled as all other students. Also, students with disabilities were nearly two times more likely to be suspended and 1.55 times more likely to be expelled as students without disabilities. Lastly, ANOVA results for a causal-comparative matched group design with SWPBIS level of implementation as the independent variable showed no statistically significant differences between groups for suspension or expulsion. Possible reasons for these findings are explored and implications for future research and policy are provided.