scholarly journals Early-adolescents’ reading comprehension and the stability of the middle school classroom-language environment.

2015 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 447-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Perla B. Gámez ◽  
Nonie K. Lesaux
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Early Adolescents ◽  
School Classroom ◽  
Classroom Language ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
The Stability

The Effect of Vocabulary Intervention on Text Comprehension: Who Benefits?

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 562-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawna Duff
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Text Comprehension ◽  
Classroom Instruction ◽  
Vocabulary Instruction ◽  
Clinical Intervention ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Vocabulary Intervention ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Difference

Purpose Vocabulary intervention can improve comprehension of texts containing taught words, but it is unclear if all middle school readers get this benefit. This study tests 2 hypotheses about variables that predict response to vocabulary treatment on text comprehension: gains in vocabulary knowledge due to treatment and pretreatment reading comprehension scores. Method Students in Grade 6 ( N = 23) completed a 5-session intervention based on robust vocabulary instruction (RVI). Knowledge of the semantics of taught words was measured pre- and posttreatment. Participants then read 2 matched texts, 1 containing taught words (treated) and 1 not (untreated). Treated texts and taught word lists were counterbalanced across participants. The difference between text comprehension scores in treated and untreated conditions was taken as a measure of the effect of RVI on text comprehension. Results RVI resulted in significant gains in knowledge of taught words ( d RM = 2.26) and text comprehension ( d RM = 0.31). The extent of gains in vocabulary knowledge after vocabulary treatment did not predict the effect of RVI on comprehension of texts. However, untreated reading comprehension scores moderated the effect of the vocabulary treatment on text comprehension: Lower reading comprehension was associated with greater gains in text comprehension. Readers with comprehension scores below the mean experienced large gains in comprehension, but those with average/above average reading comprehension scores did not. Conclusion Vocabulary instruction had a larger effect on text comprehension for readers in Grade 6 who had lower untreated reading comprehension scores. In contrast, the amount that children learned about taught vocabulary did not predict the effect of vocabulary instruction on text comprehension. This has implications for the identification of 6th-grade students who would benefit from classroom instruction or clinical intervention targeting vocabulary knowledge.

Show Me the Evidence! Scientific Argumentation in the Middle School Classroom

Science Scope ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 036 (09) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Mesa ◽  
Rose Pringle ◽  
Lynda Hayes
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Scientific Argumentation ◽  
School Classroom

Service-learning effects on student civic engagement and community - A case study from India

2021 ◽  
pp. 174619792110413
Author(s):  
Siamack Zahedi ◽  
Rhea Jaffer ◽  
Camille L Bryant ◽  
Kala Bada
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Civic Engagement ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Educational Policies ◽  
Learning Effects ◽  
School Classroom ◽  
K 12

The development of student civic engagement has featured in Indian educational policies for decades as a critical goal of schooling. However, the narrowness of the prescribed K-12 curricula, and the intense focus on competitive exams, do not support such an outcome. To overcome this problem, ABC School in India decided to pilot service-learning in its middle-school classroom. The idea was to assess the effects of such a program on students and the community’s welfare. Analysis of data from surveys, focus groups, and interviews showed that the service-learning project might have supported increased civic engagement in some students while also enhancing the welfare of the community served. No prior peer-reviewed empirical studies have been published on the nature and effects of service-learning at schools in India.

"You Can't Just Say That the Only Ones Who Can Speak Are Those Who Agree with Your Position": Political Discourse in the Classroom

1993 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 412-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melinda Fine
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Political Discourse ◽  
Controversial Issues ◽  
Social Differences ◽  
Classroom Dynamics ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
School Classroom ◽  
Teachers And Students

In this article, Melinda Fine describes the classroom dynamics surrounding the discussion of controversial issues in a middle school classroom. Through observation and interviews, she creates a detailed portrait of the interactions among teachers and students, revealing that while discussions of emotionally charged social and political issues are often heated and difficult, they can still be constructive. Fine maintains that students are more resilient and able to handle disagreement than is often believed. She concludes by arguing that education in a democracy requires that teachers and students learn to deal constructively with political and social differences.

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