Adolescents’ Stage-Environment Fit in Middle and High School

Abstract

This mixed-methods longitudinal project investigates the association between student perceptions of their schools and themselves. Findings from the first two waves of data analysis with 894 middle and high school students in a midsized Great Lakes city reveal similarities and differences between the grade levels (7th–10th) and their perceptions of their schools. Although 7th-grade students enter middle school with the most positive feelings about their schools, they lose this feeling of euphoria by the end of their academic year. In contrast, the 10th-grade females are the most positive of all students, recognizing school characteristics which assist with their self-efficacy. Results from quantitative analyses indicate that student attitudes toward school and a sense of school connectedness are linked to both self-esteem and academic self-efficacy.

Enhancing Teacher Self-Efficacy in Multicultural Classrooms and School Climate: The Role of Professional Development in Multicultural Education in the United States and South Korea

“…Second, our findings show that in both the United States and Korea, TSMC positively mediates the relationship between PDME and the perceptions of school climate. In other words, the benefits of participating in PDME go beyond TSMC to enhance school climate, which has been shown to have positive effects on students' behavioral, social, and academic outcomes (Booth & Gerard, 2014;Konold et al, 2018;Lewis et al, 2017). This aligns with Judith Warren Little's (1993) argument where she stated, "The most promising of these efforts [professional development] engage teachers collectively in studying classroom practices in ways that sometimes lead to more systemic changes at the school level" (p. 131).…”

“…The positive impacts of school climate have been well documented. For instance, research found that school climate had a positive impact on academic engagement and achievement (Konold et al, 2018), self-esteem (Booth & Gerard, 2014), and emotional health (Lewis et al, 2017). Research also showed that teachers' perceptions of school climate were positively associated with reducing disruptive behavior (Mitchell et al, 2010) and improving academic achievement (Bear et al, 2014;B.…”

Victimization, Aggression, and Other Problem Behaviors: Trajectories of Change Within and Across Middle School Grades

“…This provides a basis for determining trajectories of change across school years, but does not address important changes that may occur within school years. Contextual and developmental changes that occur during middle school highlight the need to examine changes not only across grades, but also within each grade (Booth & Gerard, 2014). As Collins (2006) noted, because change that occurs between observations is not observed, frequent observations are required when change is rapid.…”

The role of goal structures and peer climate in trajectories of social achievement goals during high school.

“…This age group is critical for understanding the development of social goals given contextual and development changes during adolescence. Similar to changes that occur during the transition from elementary to middle school (e.g., Midgley, Anderman, & Hicks, 1995;Wang & Holcombe, 2010), the transition from middle to high school brings substantial school context changes such as multiple teachers throughout the day (typically more so than in middle school), exposure to a greater number of peers, and a less intimate environment (Booth & Gerard, 2012;Eccles & Roeser, 2011;Ganeson & Ehrich, 2009). Furthermore, developmental changes in interpersonal relationships arise during late adolescence, for example, by ages 16-18, students report that friend support exceeds both teacher and parent support (Bokhorst, Sumter, & Westenberg, 2010).…”

“…As we predicted from other longitudinal studies (e.g., Archambault et al, 2010), younger students who have just transitioned to high school reported less stability in their goals across the year, while those who have had a year or more to adjust to the transition to high school were more stable. A possible explanation for this post-transition fluctuation of social goals might be explained by a temporary boost in positive perceptions of school climate that occurs right after transitions to new school environments (Booth & Gerard, 2012). Students might perceive this transition as an opportunity to improve social networks and therefore emphasize social development goals.…”