Inaugurating our first open issue of this sixth volume year are four very different manuscripts, each presenting unique perspectives on different middle grades education topics. From homework to climate to inquiry-based teaching to talk in classrooms, this issue exemplifies the wide range of research pursued by scholars of middle grades education. Each adds to our understanding of complex teaching and learning interactions and each provides scientific approaches that will undoubtedly lead to the development of new theory.
Our first study is a validation of the “Homework Purpose Scale” (HPS) by Jianzhong Xu of Mississippi State University. Xu utilized a sample of 1,181 eighth-grade students in both urban and rural schools to examine characteristics of homework associated with homework management strategies (arranging the environment, managing time, handling distraction, monitoring motivation, and controlling emotion) and the amount of homework completion. As hypothesized the HPS subscales were negatively related to student class participation without having completed homework assignments. Homework remains a controversial topic among middle grades educators who strive to understand how best to construct and utilize homework assignments to facilitate learning.
Next is a study of middle grades student performance in mathematics as impacted by school climate, gender, attitudes toward mathematics, educational aspiration, parent education level, and language spoken at home. Namok Choi, University of Louisville and Mido Chang, Virginia Tech, used data from 8,912 eighth-grade students across 212 U.S. schools to perform a multilevel analysis. All students had participated in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007. School climate as perceived by teachers was found to be significantly related to student performance in mathematics. A cross-level interaction effect for the student’s attitude toward mathematics and teacher perceived school climate was also statistically significant. This study found that English-speaking, male eighth-grade students with positive attitudes toward mathematics whose parents were highly educated performed at the highest levels on mathematics achievement measures. While this finding is not surprising, the multilevel statistical approach used by Choi and Chang demonstrates that middle grades educational research can be enhanced by similarly sophisticated models.
A comparative study of United States and Japanese middle grades inquiry-based science practices is the third study. Sachiko Tosa from Wright State University examined U.S. and Japanese science teaching strategies used by middle grades teachers. Using observational and interview protocols, Tosa examined “student self-directedness and the depth of conceptual links.” Discussion of scientific concepts in U.S. classrooms was not found to be clearly identified in many lessons, and a lack of support for student construction of their own knowledge of scientific concepts was found in Japanese classrooms. Teacher interview data indicated that (79%) of teachers in the two countries thought that inquiry-based teaching includes student own explorations of scientific concepts. Findings from this study suggest that a disconnect may exist in both countries between teacher beliefs regarding inquirybased approaches and their use of appropriate instructional strategies to effect same.
The fourth study titled “Talk in the Classroom: Meeting the Developmental, Academic, and Cultural Needs of Middle School Students,” by Penny B. Howell, Shelley Thomas, and Yuliya Ardasheva, University of Louisville, represents the type of qualitative study that informs practice in a scholarly manner. An instructional approach called “Accountable Talk,” is examined in an eighth grade social studies classroom. Data from this case study indicate that students reported a better understanding of the content presented, a strong sense of community in the classroom, and an opportunity to develop an appreciation for the diversity of classmates’ backgrounds, experiences, knowledge, and beliefs leading to a deeper, broader look at the social studies content presented.
Again, each of the four studied presented in this issue of Middle Grades Research Journal serve as examples of the vast array of educational topics currently under examination. As demonstrated in R3 = Research, Rhetoric, and Reality, a good deal of middle grades research has been produced in the past, but there is still much more in need of examination. Topics generate theories and theories lead to questions and hypotheses. I applaud the authors who have contributed to this issue. Their dedication to middle grades research as well as their careful attention to scientific inquiry details serve as models.
