The present cross-sectional study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the links between early adolescents' perceptions of the school racial climate, sense of belonging, academic identity, and academic performance in the spring of 6th grade. It further explored whether the strength of model relationships differed based on adolescents' ethnicity. The sample included 3,969 (52% female) students from 19 ethnically diverse urban middle schools. Based on self-reported ethnicity, 12.9% were African-American/Black, 14.7% East/Southeast Asian, 17.9% White, and 37.8% Latino. Findings revealed that within multiethnic schools, experiencing supportive racial norms has important consequences for ethnic minority adolescents' academic outcomes. This was partially mediated by youths' sense of belonging to school and academic identity. A stronger relationship between racial climate and school belonging was found for Asian, Latino, and White youth compared to African-American peers. The relationship between racial climate and academic identity was strongest for Latino and African-American youth. Finally, the relationship between racial climate and academic outcomes was nonsignificant for White adolescents but significant for all ethnic minority youth. Implications for future research are discussed.

This brief synthesizes current findings on the many aspects of chronic student boredom, its relationship with negative academic, emotional, and health outcomes, and what professionals can do to best address it. Citing the complexity of this common student emotion, the author spotlights boredom susceptibility during the critical K-12 years. The brief analyzes cognitive and emotional attributes of boredom and identifies emotional skills that can be strengthened to counteract it. In addition, the volume features strategies for educators and school counselors to reduce boredom, both internally and in class. This stimulating volume: Argues that boredom shouldn't be ignored or dismissed as a passing phase. Examines various types of boredom as well as gender and cultural differences. Explores boredom in the contexts of anxiety and depression and in non-school situations. Provides theory on causes of boredom in students. Details how student self-regulation, motivation, and engagement can be improved. Describes specific roles teachers and mental health professionals can play in controlling boredom. Boredom in the Classroom is an essential resource for researchers, scientist-practitioners, clinicians, and graduate students in the fields of child and school psychology, educational psychology, social work, and related disciplines.

(Sponsored by the Middle Level Education Research SIG and the National Middle School Association) The Young Adolescent and the Middle School focuses on issues related to the nature of young adolescence and the intersection of young adolescence with middle level schooling. This volume of the Handbook of Research in Middle Level Education marks the sixth installment in the series. The Handbook series, begun in 2001 by Vince Anfara, the series editor, has addressed varying thematic issues important to middle level education research. This volume, The Young Adolescent and the Middle School, focuses on the unique developmental needs of young adolescents and the role of the middle school in attending to these needs. The contributing authors in this volume address one of three developmental areas critical to young adolescents—physical development, intellectual/cognitive development, or social and personal development—and how these developmental characteristics affect the educational environment and the organization of middle schools.

While developmental responsiveness is a deservingly key emphasis of middle grades education, this emphasis has often been to the detriment of focusing on the cultural needs of young adolescents. This Handbook volume explores research relating to equity and culturally responsive practices when working with young adolescents. Middle school philosophy largely centers on young adolescents as a collective group. This lack of focus has great implications for young adolescents of marginalized identities including but not limited to those with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, LGBTQ youth, and those living in poverty. If middle level educators claim to advocate for young adolescents, we need to mainstream conversations about supporting all young adolescents of marginalized identities. It empowers researchers, educators, and even young adolescents to critically examine and understand the intersectionality of identities that historically influenced (and continue to affect) young adolescents and why educators might perceive marginalized youth in certain ways. It is for these reasons that researchers, teachers, and other key constituents involved in the education of young adolescents must devote themselves to the critical examination and understanding of the historical and current socio-cultural factors affecting all young adolescents. The chapters in this volume serve as a means to open an intentional and explicit space for providing a critical lens on early adolescence–a lens that understands that both developmental and cultural needs of young adolescents need to be emphasized to create a learning environment that supports every young adolescent learner.

This dissertation consists of two studies that explore the development of ethnic racial identity for Black adolescents during middle and high school. Both studies draw from a longitudinal school-based study of about 6,000 ethnically diverse early adolescents' social and psychological adjustment in 26 schools that varied in ethnic diversity. The analytic sample for this dissertation consisted of only students that self-identified as Black/African American. In Study 1, I examined the developmental trajectory of growth in 3 parameters of ethnic racial identity--ethnic pride, ethnic exploration, and out group orientation--from 6th-12th grade. Piecewise latent growth curve models revealed that each aspect of ethnic racial identity followed a unique pattern of growth. While ethnic pride and out group orientation seemed to both grow in middle and high school, ethnic pride was relatively stable in middle school and then showed a pattern of growth in high school. Furthermore, both ethnic pride and ethnic exploration showed a significant drop at the start of high school. In Study 2, I focused in on ethnic pride to explore school ethnic context as a potential explanation for changes in ethnic pride over time, especially at the transition to high school. I considered a variety of aspects of the school ethnic context including actual ethnic representation of Black students, perceived representation, and change in representation. I also explored the impact of racial discrimination as a psychological aspect of the ethnic context. Results from latent growth curve models revealed that only perceived ethnic representation impacted ethnic pride. I found that perceptions of declining representation from middle school to high school predicted the drop in ethnic pride at the start of high school. Furthermore, perceiving more same ethnic peers in 9th grade predicted a faster recovery for ethnic pride during high school. Findings from this dissertation point to an important relationship between school ethnic context and ethnic racial identity.

This book summarizes and integrates theory and research on adolescents from a diversity of ethnic, economic, and geographic contexts. The book aims to present a more balanced picture of these understudied and misunderstood adolescents by focusing on positive, healthy development.

The United States is experiencing a major shift in the population as more students who are considered ethnic minorities enter the school system. These students are at an increased risk for school failure due to language barriers, challenges with experiencing potential discrimination, and debating their identities across two cultural contexts. Although students who are considered ethnic minorities risk many potential stressors, the literature has shown that ethnic identity is a factor that facilitates positive academic adjustment and engagement among this population. Previous literature has also documented mixed findings regarding the relationship between ethnic identity and school outcomes. The current study explored: (a) the associations between ethnic identity, academic efficacy, and achievement goals among early adolescents, (b) to what extent school belonging moderates the association of ethnic identity with academic efficacy and academic achievement goals, and (c) how associations between ethnic identity and outcomes vary by race (Black, Hispanic, Asian, Other, and White students) and gender. The archival dataset analyzed consisted of data collected from 436 participants in the Adolescent Development Longitudinal Study when they were in the spring of their 6th grade year. Findings revealed significant positive relationships between ethnic identity, academic efficacy, and achievement goals with the exception of performance-avoidance goals. School belonging did not moderate these relationships. Further, group differences (gender, race, and school) in the relationships between ethnic identity, academic efficacy, and achievement goals were not detected among the current sample. Implications for educators and researchers are discussed.