ERIC Number: EJ974797
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1550-1175
EISSN: N/A
Powerful versus Popular: Definition and Distinction of Social Vocabulary in the Middle School
Burwell, Julie; Stone, Robert
Schools: Studies in Education, v9 n1 p73-89 Spr 2012
Two middle school teachers consider the function of the word popular in middle school life and illustrate that the lesser used term powerful is often more applicable. They offer an alternative vocabulary for social standing and examine the factors that can influence that standing. By discussing the manifold ways that the social life of students affects the educational world, they challenge readers to realize the two are, in fact, the same. Looking at the function of a teacher in the social life of students and how the expanded role of teacher into advisor affects that function, they argue for a more holistic approach to the middle school experience. Case studies based on their own experience help illustrate their points.
Descriptors: Social Life, Holistic Approach, Middle School Teachers, Peer Relationship, Social Influences, Teacher Role, Middle School Students, Case Studies, Social Status, Vocabulary, Language Usage, Power Structure, Educational Environment
University of Chicago Press. Journals Division, P.O. Box 37005, Chicago, IL 60637. Tel: 877-705-1878; Tel: 773-753-3347; Fax: 877-705-1879; Fax: 773-753-0811; e-mail: subscriptions@press.uchicago.edu; Web site: http://www.press.uchicago.edu
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A