A Framework for Middle Level Curriculum: A Literature Review to Support the Middle Level Education Research Special Interest Group Research Agenda

• Published in: Education sciences 2024-12, Vol.14 (12), p.1316
• Main Authors: Weiler, Christopher, Mertens, Steven B., Nagle, James, Pettit, Stacie, Wall, Amanda
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Active Learning; Boards of Education; Curricula; curriculum; Curriculum Research; Diversity equity & inclusion; Early Adolescents; Education; Educational Change; Educational Research; Educational Strategies; Elementary Secondary Education; Equity; Integrated curriculum; Interdisciplinary aspects; Keywords; Learning; literature review; Literature reviews; middle grades; middle level; middle school; Middle schools; New York; Opportunities; Periodicals; Reference Materials; Researchers; School boards; School districts; Social Emotional Learning; Social media; Sociopolitical factors; Stakeholders; Student Projects; Students; Teacher Education; Teaching; Teenagers; United Kingdom; United States; Well Being
• ISSN: 2227-7102; 2227-7102
• DOI: 10.3390/educsci14121316

This research synthesis, highlighting the middle level curriculum, was created as part of a working group within the American Education Research Association (AERA) Middle level Education Research Special Interest Group (MLER SIG) to advance middle level education research. The literature review that informed this research synthesis included middle level-focused, peer-reviewed journal articles from 2016 to the present. Synthesis of the literature and iterative analysis led to organizing a middle level curriculum framework to inform middle level researchers, which included five focused areas for inquiry: (a) the curriculum and equity of experience and opportunity; (b) stakeholder power and the curriculum (development, implementation, and accountability); (c) goals and purposes for the curriculum; (d) teacher learning, roles, and enactment related to the curriculum; and (e) young adolescent well-being and experiences with the curriculum. Twenty-six research questions were developed to support new research in middle level curriculum; each question was cross-referenced with the five categories in the middle level curriculum framework to create a robust starting point for research questions. Recommendations for middle level research include (a) the need for more longitudinal research studies focusing on varying aspects of middle level education, (b) the need for more large-scale research studies examining the same context (e.g., school) or multiple contexts (e.g., school districts) over time, and (c) the need for the MLER SIG to initiate and support research studies addressing one or more aspects of this research agenda and include large-scale data collection and potentially external funding.