Many students perceive science to be a difficult subject and are minimally engaged in learning it. This article describes a lesson that embedded an activity to engage students in learning science. It also identifies features of a science lesson that are likely to enhance students' engagement and learning of science and possibly reverse…

Trends among adolescents continue to be discouraging in terms of career and college readiness based on National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) achievement reports and high school graduation rate data. In response, this article presents five goals and eight strategies we have engaged in during a seven-year research study focused on…

Classroom interactional patterns depend on some contextual, cultural and local factors in addition to the methodologies employed in the classroom. In order to delineate such factors, the focus of classroom interaction research needs to shift from the observables to the unobservables like teachers' and learners' psychological states and…

This study explores the perspectives of rural and suburban adolescents on the nature of schools, teaching, and leadership that influences learning. Middle and high school students with and without disabilities offer relevant insights to educators who are seeking to promote greater engagement, community, and success in their schools. Results…

This study investigated 134 middle school students' suggestions concerning environmental and instructional changes based on their individual learning-style Inventories. The results of the study determined that students "could" suggest environmental and instructional changes that differed from the accustomed traditional environments and instruction…

In this article, we explore the association between students' value of reading and their behavior during a sustained silent reading (SSR) period, and their attitudes toward SSR and reading leisure books. 362 secondary students participated in this study and data were collected by means of a questionnaire. The results showed that more students in…

Cyberbullying and threats of Internet predators, not to mention the enduring consequences of postings, may lead to dangerous, unspeakable consequences. Cyberbullying and threats of Internet predators through social networking sites and instant messaging programs are initiating numerous problems for parents, school administrators, and law…

Educators from various institutions responded to key questions concerning learning style as it was implemented in their institutions and communities. Among those items explored were the impact of learning styles on teaching practices, syllabi, and values and whether the construct improved instruction or student outcomes, how it improved students'…

The author examines the effects of the sustained silent reading program on cultivating students' habits and attitudes in reading books for leisure. The author used a time-series design and measured students' reading habits and attitudes three times in twelve months. It was expected that if the program created positive effects on cultivating…

The authors surveyed student teachers in a yearlong internship and their peers in a traditional semester-long internship to compare perceptions across different practice teaching experiences. All participants were enrolled in the same university and were similar across gender, age, ethnicity, and undergraduate educational experiences. The students…

In this article, the author focuses on the crisis of verbal pollution in our society. "Verbal pollution" refers to the use of words and comments that the majority agrees are offensive, are damaging, and may lead to the deterioration of social institutions. Verbal pollution encompasses hate speech, such as the derogatory words used by Michael…

The Internet's growth and its impact on learners has been phenomenal and accessing the Web is the norm in our daily lives. Youths use the Internet to support their school activities in many ways. The National Science Foundation supported a qualitative research project that was designed to better understand the Internet's impact. It involved…

In this study, the author investigated the relationships among Turkish students' perceived computer skills, computer attitudes, quantitative skills, qualitative skills, and gender. The author collected data from a total of 362 undergraduate students. He found that gender was a significant variable to predict computer attitudes but not perceived…

Shortages of middle-level teacher candidates may cause teacher educators to recruit candidates by focusing on what attracts and discourages candidates about teaching at the middle level. The authors used a survey approach (n = 110) to investigate why preservice middle school and high school teachers and in-service middle school teachers chose the…

Whenever secondary schools permit students to participate in the determination of the social studies curriculum, sex education is almost always demanded. Adolescents are often-times more deeply interested in this question than most people suspect, for courtship and marriage relationships are vital problems. Because many students have been asking…