A framework for research into Australian middle school practice

As a new reform in Australian education, middle schooling has been gaining momentum. The rationale behind middle schooling is to bridge the traditional primary high school gap and provide a more developmentally appropriate educational experience for young adolescents. Middle schooling in the USA has...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Australian educational researcher 2007-08, Vol.34 (2), p.91-106
Main Authors: Main, Katherine, Bryer, Fiona
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescents
Australia
Developmentally Appropriate Practices
Educational Change
Educational Experience
Educational Research
Foreign Countries
Guidelines
Literature reviews
Middle Schools
Middle years
Primary education
Research needs
Secondary education
United States
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Summary:As a new reform in Australian education, middle schooling has been gaining momentum. The rationale behind middle schooling is to bridge the traditional primary high school gap and provide a more developmentally appropriate educational experience for young adolescents. Middle schooling in the USA has gone through a 'boom-to-bust' cycle and is currently undergoing a 'reinvention' as research on practice and reporting of research on practice has, in the most part, been ad hoc and piecemeal. If Australian middle schools are to avoid the boom-to-bust-to- reinvention cycle experienced in parts of the USA, then a more systematic approach to researching practice is required. Research-based criteria for systematic study and improvement of middle school practice have been identified as (a) acceptance as part of planning alternative practice, (b) effectiveness as part of implementing alternative practice, and (c) sustainability as part of evaluating alternative practice. [Author abstract]
ISSN:0311-6999
2210-5328
DOI:10.1007/BF03216859