On average, children's grades drop dramatically during the first year of middle school compared to their grades in elementary school.
与小学成绩相比，孩子们升入初中的第一年成绩会有明显地下降。
After moving to junior high school, children become less interested in school and less self-assured about their abilities.
升入初中后，孩子们对学校的兴趣降低，对自己能力的确定性减弱。
Compared to elementary schools, middle schools are more controlling, less cognitively challenging and focus more on competition and comparing students' ability.
与小学相比，中学的管理更多，认知方面的挑战减少，焦点更多的聚集在同学间的竞争上和能力的拼比上。
Through this and other similar research, psychologists have discovered a "developmental mismatch" between the environment and philosophy of middle schools and the children they attempt to teach.
通过这种研究和其他类似的研究，心理学家发现中学的理念和环境与老师尝试教育学生之间存在着“发展的错误匹配”。
Studies find the decreased motivation and self-assuredness contribute to poor academic performance; poor grades trigger more self-doubt and a downward spiral can begin.
研究还发现，动力的减弱和自信的降低也会影响学习成绩；不理想的学习表现会触发更多的自我怀疑，开始陷入一个恶性循环。
New learning environment and new goals
新的学习环境和新的目标
Elementary schools and elementary teachers often tend to be more task-oriented in their teaching: The goal is to master a certain task such as learning addition or subtraction.
在小学，小学老师的教学往往是更倾向于任务导向型的教学：目标就是掌握一定的技能，比如学习加减法。
In junior high schools, however, the goal of teaching often becomes attaining a certain grade. Learning is still key, but measuring performance is also part of the equation.
然而升入初中，教学的目标常常会变成获得一定的分数。学习依旧是关键，但是测试成绩也同等重要。
As the goals of the game change, some students adjust and thrive while others do not. Why? 游戏的目标发生了变化，一些学生的能够适应并且很好的发展，而一些学生则没有，这是为什么呢？
Many psychologists who study childhood education believe that an important key is how children think about their own intelligence and abilities.
许多研究儿童教育的心理学专家认为，最关键的问题就是孩子们如何看待他们自己的智力和能力。
According to the research, children who believe that intelligence can change over time made the best adjustment to secondary school; this is true even if these children had low self-confidence.
根据研究，相信智力可以随着时间变化的学生能够在中学做出更好的调整，这是真的，即使是缺乏自信的孩子也能很好的调整。
