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Sixth-grade Students (sixth-grade + student)
Selected AbstractsOn Defending Controversial Viewpoints: Debates of Sixth Graders About the Desirability of Early 20th-Century American ImmigrationLEARNING DISABILITIES RESEARCH & PRACTICE, Issue 3 2002Charles A. MacArthur Sixth-grade students with and without mild disabilities participated in an eight-week project-based investigation about immigration to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Students' investigations were designed to promote their understanding of the perspectives of immigrants and Americans who opposed immigration, as well as the "ways of life" that gave impetus to immigration and often resulted in conflict between these groups. At the conclusion of these investigations, students were assigned the role of the immigrants or opponents of immigration and were asked to debate the desirability of immigration to the United States during this historical period. The primary focus of this article is on the opportunities afforded by, and the limitations of, these classroom debates. The debates promoted high levels of engagement and equal participation by students with and without disabilities as well as by boys and girls. Analyses of content and structure showed that students' discourse was influenced by the knowledge they gained during their investigations, but the use of this knowledge was shaped by the competitive rhetorical goal of defending a particular viewpoint. Later rounds of the debates were more balanced and drew more on the breadth of available knowledge than did earlier rounds. Overall, the debates were more typical of everyday arguments than academic arguments. The implications of our findings for the design of instructional opportunities in the social studies in inclusive classrooms are discussed. [source] Images of self and others as computer users: the role of gender and experienceJOURNAL OF COMPUTER ASSISTED LEARNING, Issue 5 2006E. M. Mercier Abstract Gender differences in the pursuit of technology careers are a current issue of concern. We report on two studies that use surveys, drawings and interviews to examine sixth- and eighth-grade students' perceptions of knowledgeable computer users and their self-perception as a computer-type person. In Study 1, participants were asked to generate representations of computer users in pictures or words. The results indicate that the majority of representations were of male users and they frequently wore glasses. Students of both genders were more likely to draw males. Eighth-grade students' representations included more stereotypical features than those of sixth-grade students. In Study 2, students were asked whether they believed that there was such a thing as a computer-type person and whether they perceived themselves to be one. Eighty per cent of students rejected this characterization. They differed from students who accepted it in their levels of past experience, their confidence, and the probability that they shared their knowledge with others. The results of both studies suggest that while there is a male image of computer science in general, it is not overly negative and students' self-perception is not governed by their own gender as much as by other variables. [source] Active Parent Consent for Health Surveys With Urban Middle School Students: Processes and Outcomes,JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 2 2010Molly Secor-Turner PhD BACKGROUND: To achieve high participation rates and a representative sample, active parent consent procedures require a significant investment of study resources. The purpose of this article is to describe processes and outcomes of utilizing active parent consent procedures with sixth-grade students from urban, ethnically diverse, economically disadvantaged K-8 public schools involved in an evaluation of a middle school service-learning program. METHODS: As part of the evaluation of the Lead Peace-Plus service-learning program, active parent consent was obtained for participation in school-based health surveys conducted with sixth graders in 3 schools. To achieve acceptable rates of parent permission, we employed multiple procedures including regular communication with school staff, incentives for involved schools and teachers, a multipronged approach for reaching parents, and direct encouragement of students to return forms through repeated classroom visits, individual and classroom incentives. We used Fisher's exact tests to compare selected characteristics among students whose parents weren't reached, those whose parents refused, and those whose parents consented to survey participation. RESULTS: We achieved a parent response rate of 94.6% among sixth-grade students. No significant differences in student gender, race/ethnicity, school, or free/reduced lunch status were identified across parent consent status groups. Rates of absenteeism were significantly higher (p = .03) among students whose parents weren't reached compared to other groups. CONCLUSIONS: Employing a multifaceted active parent consent campaign can result in high rates of parental response with limited sampling bias among an urban, ethnically diverse and economically disadvantaged group of middle school students. [source] Effectiveness of a School-Based Intervention at Changing Preadolescents' Tobacco Use and AttitudesJOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 6 2002Esther M. VanDyke MD ABSTRACT: This study evaluated the effectiveness of a tobacco intervention on preadolescents' tobacco use and attitudes. A tobacco assessment questionnaire was distributed to seventh-grade students in May 1997 (N = 229) and 1999 (N = 230). During the 1998,1999 academic year, sixth-grade students at the intervention school received a tobacco intervention. Though not statistically significant the number of smokers at the intervention school decreased from 43.2% to 31.1% after the intervention (p = .09). These students predicted less smoking in five years (29.6% to 19.8%, p = .078) and 20 years (28.4% to 13.2%, p = .004). Because of the difficulty in reducing smoking rates at the population level, the nonsignificant results can be viewed as a success rather than a setback. When faced with increasing use trends, an intervention can at least hope to achieve a decrease or slow the rate of growth, and the program succeeded in that respect. School-based interventions can effectively influence preadolescent' attitudes concerning tobacco use. Future programs should begin earlier and be reinforced yearly. [source] Predictors of hyperactive,impulsive,inattention and conduct problems: A comparative follow-back investigationPSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS, Issue 7 2005Frank M. Gresham Disruptive behavior patterns are particularly challenging for parents, teachers, and peers as these behaviors often interfere with classroom instruction, frequently lead to academic underachievement, and are associated with social skills acquisition and performance deficits. Children who exhibit a combination of hyperactivity,impulsivity,inattention and conduct problems (HIA + CP) have been shown to be at greater risk for negative social, behavioral, and legal outcomes than children with HIA-only or CP-only behavior patterns. This investigation explored the degree to which academic, social, and behavioral characteristics in Grade 4 could differentiate sixth-grade students with HIA + CP (n = 61), HIA-only (n = 29), and CP-only (n = 14). Results showed that the HIA-only group had higher academic achievement in Grade 4 as measured by teacher judgments and standardized tests than the HIA + CP and CP-only groups. By Grade 6, the HIA-only and HIA + CP groups showed lower academic competence than the CP-only group suggesting that by sixth grade, children having HIA alone or in combination with conduct problems are at greater risk for academic failure. Additionally, HIA + CP and CP-only groups had poorer social skills than the HIA-only group. Consistent with past research, students in the three risk groups showed no difficulties in either academic or social self-concept. Early screening and identification methods using a multiple-gating model were recommended as a means of proactive approaches to intervention design and prevention. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 721,736, 2005. [source] Relations of middle school students' perceptions of family and school contexts with academic achievementPSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS, Issue 6 2001Gregory J. Marchant The purposes of this study were to examine the relations of both family and school contexts on students' academic achievement and to explore the mediating effects of students' perceptions of their motivations and academic self-competence between the family and school contexts and achievement. Participants were 230 fifth- and sixth-grade students. Students' perceptions of parenting style (demandingness and responsiveness), parental involvement (parental values and involvement in school functions), teaching style (teacher control and responsiveness), and school atmosphere (school responsiveness and supportive social environment) significantly predicted their school achievement; however, students' motivations and self-competence mediated the relations between students' contexts and their academic achievement. Furthermore, parental values, teacher responsiveness, school responsiveness, and supportive social environment predicted students' motivations and academic competence above and beyond parenting style, parental involvement, and teacher control. The importance of students' supportive relationships and the internalization of the messages conveyed to them underscore the need for a contextual view by school psychologists when consulting with parents and education staff regarding achievement concerns. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source] Higher retention after a new take-home computerised testBRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY, Issue 3 2008Jooyong Park A new computerised testing system was used at home to promote learning and also to save classroom instruction time. The testing system combined the features of short-answer and multiple-choice formats. The questions of the multiple-choice problems were presented without the options so that students had to generate answers for themselves; they could click for the options when they were ready, and could choose one of the options within a brief, specified time period. One hundred thirty-eight Korean sixth-grade students (12-year olds) were divided into two groups: the experimental group took the intervening test on social studies using the new computerised testing method, and the control group used a computerised version of the traditional multiple-choice method. A few days after the intervening computerised test, a recall posttest was given in paper-and-pencil format. The mean posttest score was greater for the experimental group than for the control group. Implications of the result are discussed. [source] The nature of middle school learners' science content understandings with the use of on-line resourcesJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 3 2003Joseph L. Hoffman Early research on using the World Wide Web indicated that middle school students did not explore much and used Web tools naively. In response to these challenges, an on-line research engine, Artemis, was designed to provide a permanent workspace and allow students access to preselective on-line resources. This study investigated the depth and accuracy of sixth-grade students' content understandings as well as their use of search and assess strategies when they used on-line resources via Artemis. Eight student pairs from two science classes experienced support from teachers and used scaffolded curriculum materials while completing four on-line inquiry units during 9 months. Multiple sources of data were collected, including video recordings of students' computer activities and conversations, students' artifacts and on-line postings, classroom and lab video recordings, and interview transcripts. Analyses of data showed that students constructed meaningful understandings through on-line inquiry, although the accuracy and depth of their understandings varied. The findings suggest that students might develop accurate and in-depth understandings if they use search and assess strategies appropriately, if resources are thoughtfully chosen, and if support from the learning environment is extensively provided. This research lends evidence to questions regarding the value of students engaging in on-line inquiry. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 40: 323,346, 2003 [source] | |||||||||||||