Directions for New Research: Middle-Level Pedagogies

• In Event: Contributions and Connections: Establishing a Comprehensive Agenda for Middle-Level Education Research

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this research was to examine and identify aspects of effective middle level pedagogies for diverse populations of students with the intention of identifying goals and trajectories for middle grades research, fostering equity among middle grades classrooms, and bringing attention to how various approaches impact both students and teachers. The research question guiding our research was: How do educators approach middle grades instruction to foster equity and meet students’ diverse and multiple developmental needs and identities?

Theoretical Framework
We conceptualize pedagogy as a method that “depends on various factors such as the social system, the content of information, and the receiver” (Nanjundaswamy et al., 2021, p.180) and includes theory, assessment, teaching style, instructional approaches, and feedback (Nanjundaswamy et al., 2021). We use intersectionality as a framework, which maintains that interconnections of categories like race, gender, geography, age, and social class converge and suggest how power is wielded, “offering a window into thinking about the significance of ideas and social action in fostering social transformation” (Collins, 2019, p. 41). This supports current middle level teacher preparation standards, as AMLE (2022) acknowledges various student categories such as race, social class, gender, intersections of abilities. We draw from intersectionality to consider the complex ways middle level pedagogies impact students’ academic, physical, and socioemotional development.

Methods & Data Sources
We identified four sub-themes within middle level pedagogies relevant to today’s middle level classroom context: Critical pedagogies, online pedagogies, inclusive pedagogies, and multimodal pedagogies. We curated a list of key search terms and criteria, reviewing peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters for quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research from 2013-2023. We devised a chart to narrow and track our search. We used a content analysis method (Krippendorff, 2019) to identify common trends across sub-themes.

Results
Educators employ a variety of diverse classroom instructional approaches to foster students’ interest and engagement across content areas; to increase their self-efficacy, agency, and critical consciousness; to address racial and social justice; and to meet evolving needs across learning environments. While analysis found that pedagogical approaches spanned content areas, there was an overarching focus on literacies.

Findings showed that middle level pedagogies impacted both students and preservice/in-service teachers in academic, cultural, and community building practices. Students engaged in multimodal pedagogies showed an increased interest in reading and an enhanced learning of content and vocabulary. Teachers enacting culturally responsive pedagogies confronted implicit biases and disrupted assumptions of culturally and linguistically diverse students. Reviewing digital pedagogies research revealed a need for educators’ professional development and training on digital and virtual instructional approaches.

Scholarly Significance
Across sub-themes in middle level pedagogies, literacy demands that young adolescents have the ability to derive meaning from a variety of multimodal texts. All four sub-themes indicated a focus on supporting students with varying learning differences as a means of fostering equity. Further analysis is needed specific to the middle grades classroom population to ensure such instruction is continually meeting the multiple developmental needs of young adolescents.

Authors

• Brooke Eisenbach, Lesley University

• Amy Walker, Kent State University

• Bridget K. Coleman, University of South Carolina - Aiken

• Bogum Yoon, Binghamton University - SUNY

• Francine C. Falk-Ross, Pace University