Reappraising Academic and Social Adversity

Reappraising Academic and Social Adversity is a brief intervention designed to help sixth-grade students making the transition to middle school reappraise concerns about fitting in as both temporary and normal. The intervention consists of two 15-minute writing exercises administered early in the school year (September and late October/early November) in homeroom or English Language Arts classes. Students read ostensible survey results from prior seventh-graders describing their initial worries about academic performance and social belonging in sixth grade, and how these concerns diminished over time. Students then write reflectively about how these experiences relate to their own middle school transition. The exercises convey three key messages: (1) nearly all students struggle to fit in and feel capable at first but come to realize they belong over time, (2) advice and examples of ways to engage in the school's social and academic environment, and (3) confirmation that other students and teachers are there to help and support them. Teachers receive training and instructions for administering the materials as normal reflective or free-writing activities.