Although service learning has been documented as a promising pedagogy for middle grades learners, it remains the exception rather than the rule in many middle schools. This qualitative study examined fifth grade students' experience of a service-learning class. Using the tenets of service learning and experiential learning theory as the…

To meet the demand for certified math and science teachers, alternative certification programs attempt to provide fast-track training and licensure of STEM-area educators (Goldhaber, Kreig, Theobald, & Brown, 2014). Teachers prepared in programs with a middle level specialization have been shown to participate in effective practices such as…

This study investigates the reading engagement of four middle school English learners in their English or English as a Second Language classroom. Students with high levels of reading engagement are those who (a) are motivated to read, (b) use strategies when reading, (c) use reading as a way to construct meaning from texts, and (d) participate in…

A substantial body of research has shown that academic intrinsic motivation/cognitive engagement decreases from grades three through eight (Lepper, Corpus, & Iyengar, 2005). This phenomenon is troubling if education is to be viewed as a process through which learning goals become gradually internalized and connected with one's sense of self.…