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Health and Well-Being in the Middle Grades

Research for Effective Middle Level Education

Edited by:
Katherine Main, Griffith University
Susan Whatman, Griffith University

A volume in the series: The Handbook of Research in Middle Level Education. Editor(s): Steven B. Mertens, Illinois State University. Micki M. Caskey, Portland State University.

Published 2023

Current research around the middle grades has brought a heightened attention by teachers, policymakers, and researchers recognizing that this stage is a time when a students’ health and social and emotional well-being directly impacts their academic progress. To date, school leaders and teachers have not been well served by explicit resources for middle grades education that focus on aspects of the health and well-being of young adolescent learners to support the planning of curriculum and teaching and to support teachers and leaders working with this age-group. The purpose of this research – based volume is to fill that gap and to enable school leaders, teachers, academics, and teacher candidates to develop successfully an understanding of the health and well-being aspects of young adolescent learners and provide them with the necessary tools and information to address the health and well-being needs of young adolescent learners.

CONTENTS
Acknowledgements. Health and Well-Being in the Middle Grades: An Introduction, Katherine Main and Susan Whatman. SECTION I: CONTEXTUALIZING WELLBEING. Young Adolescent Health and Well-Being: The Relevant Literature, Steven B. Mertens and Micki M. Caskey. Social and Emotional Well-Being: Implications for Student Success in the Middle Grades in Australia, Natalie McMaster, Donna Barwood, and Michael C. Nagel. Bodies, Brains, and Besties: Exploring Student Perspectives on Middle Grades Transitions, Elizabeth Coleman. Connecting With Local Greenspaces: Well-Being Pedagogies for Middle Years’ Students and Teachers, Alison Sammel. Compassion Fatigue: Taking Care of the Caretaker, Kathleen Hammel and Sara Truebridge. SECTION II: STUDENT WELL-BEING. Intersections Between Young Adolescent Well-Being and Schooling, Penny A. Bishop and Emily Nelson. Young Adolescent Girls’ Cyberbullying Workarounds: Fear, Worry, Fitting In, and Helping Out, Roberta Thompson. Trauma-Informed Support of Young Adolescent Students in Foster Care, Stacie K. Pettit, Milisa Ziegler, and Margaux H. Brown. Supporting Teachers Through Mindfulness Practices: The Impact of Mindfulness Intervention for Middle Grades Teachers to Support the Development of Academic Optimism, Janeen Goree and Nancy Akhavan. SECTION III: TEACHER WELL-BEING. In-School Psychosocial Support: Meeting the Needs of Young Adolescent Learners and Supporting Teachers in South Africa, Ajwang’ Warria and Kerry-Jane Coleman. How to Create Environments That Support the Psychological Safety of Teachers in the Middle Grades, Alison S. Willis. Ready to Learn: Supporting and Promoting the Social and Emotional Well-Being of Adolescent Learners Through a Free Online Learning Platform, Donna Pendergast and Katherine Main. Future Directions for Research in Health and Well-Being in the Middle Grades, Susan Whatman and Katherine Main. About the Editors. About the Contributors.

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