RESEARCH SUMMARIE SIX

Title

Listening to Their Voices: Middle Schoolers’ Perspectives of Life in Middle School

PUBLICATION TYPE

Peer Reviewed Journal Article

Design Issue

The purpose of this article is to educate others on why the voice of a student is so important within their education. There is a large majority of students dropping out of school each year due to lack of interest and neglect from not only other individuals, but also from their school environment. To keep middle schoolers engaged within their education, they need to be included in the decision-making process. Middle schoolers desire to be active participants in their education and want to feel like they have control over their learning path. By improving the relationship between their teachers and the overall school environment, middle schoolers can begin to flourish within their education.

Methods

In this literature review, researchers predominantly utilized focus groups to collect their data. These focus groups were made up of 15 middle schoolers from three various schools that were located in urban, suburban, and rural areas. The students were asked about 24 questions that related to middle school subjects, delivery of their education, reading, technology, their school environment, and extracurricular activities. In addition to the focus groups, researchers also designed a cross-cultural analysis where they asked students to use metaphors to express what their school experiences was like.

Findings

Through the focus group and the cross-cultural analysis, researchers found that middle school students want caring teachers, active classrooms, and the incorporation of technology within their educational spaces. Additionally, students expressed that their school environment felt like a chaotic place that they had to survive; therefore, they want their educational environment to be more welcoming and inviting. Students desire active learning, hands-on activities, discussion, debates, and role-playing situations. They appreciate a challenging class that engages them in real world activities and the ability to problem solve various situations. Furthermore, middle school students are at a critical time in their life where they are developing their bodies and mind at a rapid rate. This can often make them feel like they are out of control and unaware of what is going on; therefore, they have a strong desire to take control of their education because they know that it is a solid element within their life. Middle schoolers strive for independence; therefore, their educational spaces need to allow them to explore and apply what they are learning.