Editing Preadolescence (section)

==Terminology==
{{Globalize|section|date=November 2024}}
A term used to refer to the preadolescent stage in everyday speech is '''tween''' and its perhaps older variants '''tweenie''', '''tweeny''', '''tweenager''', '''preteen''' and '''tweener'''. It's a blend ([[portmanteau]]) of the words "teen" and "between" in the sense of "between childhood and adolescence" and refers to 9- to 12-year-olds.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-06-12 |title=What Does Tween Mean? Definition & Examples |url=https://grammarist.com/words/tween/ |access-date=2024-05-20 |website=grammarist.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="MW" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=tween noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes {{!}} Oxford Advanced American Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com|url=https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/tween|access-date=2021-09-10|website=www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com}}</ref> Sometimes the terms ''tweenie'' and ''tweenager'' are used to differentiate between older (10 to 15) and younger (7 to 11) age groups, respectively.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.worldwidewords.org/turnsofphrase/tp-twe1.htm | title=World Wide Words: Tweenie }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.worldwidewords.org/turnsofphrase/tp-twe2.htm | title=World Wide Words: Tweenager }}</ref>

While known as ''preadolescent'' in psychology, the terms ''preteen'' or ''tween'' are common in everyday use. A '''preteen''' or '''preteenager'''<ref name="NOAD2" /> is a person below 13 years of age.<ref name="MWCD11" /> Generally, the term is restricted to those close to reaching age 13,<ref name="NOAD2" /> especially ages 9 to 12.<ref name="MW" /> ''Tween'' is an American [[neologism]] and [[marketing]] term<ref name="FamiliarWithTweens">[http://tourismintelligence.ca/author/maithe/ Levasseur, Maïthé] (2007-02-09). [http://tourismintelligence.ca/2007/02/09/familiar-with-tweens-you-should-be/ Familiar with tweens? You should be...]. The Tourism Intelligence Network. Retrieved on 2007-12-04.</ref> for ''preteen'', which is a [[Blend word|blend]] of ''between'' and ''teen''.<ref name="MWCD11">Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Eleventh Edition. 2003. Merriam-Webster.</ref><ref name="AHDEL4">The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Fourth Edition. 2000. Houghton Mifflin Company.</ref> People within this age range are variously described as '''tweens''', '''preadolescents''', '''tweenies''', '''preteens''', '''pubescents''', '''middle schoolers''',<ref>{{cite book|last1=Krafft|first1=Bob|title=Coping With Your Feelings: Five Active Meetings for Your Junior Highers|date=1994|page=55}}</ref> or '''tweenagers'''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Thornburg|first1=Hershel|title=Preadolescent development|date=1974|page=291}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Hjarvard|first1=Stif Prof|title=The Mediatization of Culture and Society|date=2013|page=107}}</ref>

A [[junior high school]] can sometimes be confused with a [[middle school]].{{Citation_Needed|date=November 2024}} Though serving a similar purpose in bridging a gap between [[elementary school]] and [[high school]], a junior high school typically serves 7th to 9th grade students, whereas a middle school serves 6th to 8th grade students. Therefore, middle schools serve a slightly younger demographic, more befitting of preadolescents, while junior high schools typically serve young adolescents.