Does Your Classmatesʼ Early Childhood Education Experience Affect Your Non‐Cognitive/Socio‐Emotional Skills?

Health benefits of having more female classmates: Quasi-experimental evidence from China

Overweight and obesity among adolescents has become a common public health problem, and both obesity rates and the amount of pocket money among adolescents in China are rising. We investigated to what extent the increase in pocket money could lead to weight gain of junior high school students and how this association may vary by school environment in China. Researchers utilized 3 waves of data from the China Education Panel Survey, a national longitudinal study, to investigate the likelihood of overweight and obesity. The Generalized Estimation Equation was employed to analyze the data. Three Generalized Estimation Equation models were constructed to explore the relationship between pocket money and overweight and obesity in 2 distinct food environments surrounding schools. A total of 8903 individuals (4604 boys and 4299 girls) from the China Education Panel Survey were analyzed. After adjusting for confounding factors, it was found that girls who received 20 to 49 yuan and ≥ 50 yuan per week had a higher risk of overweight and obesity compared to those who received 0 to 9 yuan per week (OR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.07-1.69, OR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.22-1.92). However, no significant association was observed between pocket money and overweight and obesity when food around the school was not easily accessible. The prevalence of overweight among Chinese teenagers has steadily increased from Wave1 to Wave3. Moreover, junior high school girls who receive more pocket money are at a greater risk of developing obesity and overweight issues.

While extensive research has documented the disadvantages faced by left-behind children, only a few studies have considered the spillover effects on their peers, primarily focusing on rural left-behind children and overlooking urban left-behind children. This paper addresses this gap by estimating the effects of both rural and urban left-behind peers on students’ cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes. The identification strategy exploits variation in the share of left-behind children across classrooms within schools that employ random class assignments. Using data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) 2013–2014 and 2014–2015 waves, we find that left-behind peers negatively affect students’ test scores but do not significantly affect their non-cognitive outcomes. Mechanism analysis indicates that student, parent and teacher behaviours are important channels driving the negative effect. Heterogeneous results further show that students with highly educated parents and those taught by younger teachers are less affected by their left-behind peers.

Teaching and Learning Guide for: Cultural Approaches to Understanding School Violence

Before providing a historical perspective on level movement, examining its past successes and failures, and envisioning future improvements, I must declare my great admiration for our public schools. Although I am critical of certain recent developments, I believe that when historians look back on our civilization, they will point to our public school systems as America's greatest achievement. And today, in a climate of accountability, it is simply not fair nor appropriate to label public schools in United States as failures. Schools and teachers have been and still are America's greatest resource for good. What would we do without them? Public schools in United States evolved without benefit of a master plan. The elementary, secondary, and collegiate levels developed rather independently of one another. Elementary schools were not established first, and young men attended colleges such as Harvard long before we organized public secondary schools. America's school systems developed piecemeal over time and are still very much works in progress. By late 1800s, however, many states had organized elementary schools and high schools in an 8-4 pattern that would become standard as our country began to put its revolutionary vision of education for all American youth into practice. The still relatively young school movement is part of larger reorganization initiative that led to creation of junior high school in first decade of last century. The following four statements highlight relevant developments since then. * Exactly 100 years have passed since Indianola Junior High School, generally acknowledged as first junior high school, was established in Columbus, Ohio, in 1909. * In 1946, 37 years after junior high school was introduced, 6-3-3 pattern of school organization became predominant pattern in United States, replacing 8-4 plan. * In 1963, William Alexander, speaking at Cornell University, first advanced term middle This event, 46 years ago and just 17 years after junior high school had become majority practice, is commonly used to mark beginning of school movement. * By 1983, new 5-3-4 plan of organization, featuring a grades six through eight school, had become predominant pattern. The movement to reorganize secondary education that began in 1909 might, then, be judged as highly successful, for it actually changed face of American education twice in a century. The change to 5-3-4 pattern is particularly remarkable. Just 20 years after entering educational arena, number of 6-8 schools exceeded number of 7-9 junior high schools. That success, however, has been more in realm of school organization than in more critical programmatic areas so central in vision of both types of level organization. Although it is seldom acknowledged, it should be noted that junior high school advocated by its founders was to be, using contemporary term, a developmentally responsive institution. However, by mid-1960s junior high school was commonly viewed as failing. Captured by its parent, it had become what its ill chosen name implied - a junior high school. Could a somewhat similar conclusion be made about school today? And might it be said that junior high school was first school, or that school is simply today's version of junior high school? Or, that school movement is actually rebirth of progressive education? Like its predecessor, school has come under heavy criticism. Because many students do not reach targeted academic goals, it has been labeled the weak link in American education, primarily by those who believe school's primary responsibility is to prepare students for advanced high school courses, and who presume that school's concern for students as persons takes away from its academic responsibilities. …

Globally, there is the quest to improve quality education as highlighted by the Sustainable Development Goal 4. One of the quintessential factors that could facilitate the attainment of this global goal is effective and adequate educational process factors. The study specifically sought to assess the state of educational process factors such as teacher use of instructional time, level of parental and community involvement, type of leadership, curriculum coverage among the urban, rural, public, and private junior high schools in the Central Region of Ghana. The descriptive survey design was used to carry out the study. Through stratified sampling technique, 1260 respondents comprising 126 head teachers, and 378 junior high school teachers were engaged in the study. Two sets of questionnaires were designed for the headteachers and teachers. Data gathered were analysed using frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations as well as chi-square test of association and independent samples t-test. It was found that educational process factors were generally better in urban schools as well as private schools. For rural schools and public schools, the educational process factors were poor, particularly, the percentage of syllabus coverage was low for English, Mathematics, and Integrated Science. It was concluded that deficit in educational process factors posed threat to the quality of education. It was suggested that the Ministry of Education, together with teachers should strive to enhance process variables in schools.

Through preferential treatment by education officials or through bribery, some adolescents can obtain admission to a junior high school. However, it is unclear whether it affects the mental health of adolescents. This study used Propensity Score Matching to examine the effects of corruption on adolescent mental health. A total of 17,254 junior high school students sample (11–18 years old; 48.7% girls and 53.1% boys) were used from the China Education Panel Survey. 14.1% of adolescents attended a junior high school by corrupt means, corruption had a significantly negative effect on the mental health of these adolescents (ATT = −0.388, p < 0.01), the reasons grounded in the fact that they received more criticisms from teachers and wanted to leave their current school. In general, corruption in the admissions process can have detrimental effects on the mental health of adolescents. This study extends the previous articles on how to improve adolescent mental health and complements the application of cognitive dissonance theory. Findings from this study revealed that anti-corruption in the education sector is necessary, and the institutional design to ensure fair enrolment in basic education will contribute to the mental health of adolescents.

The impact of an un(der)funded inclusive education policy: Evidence from the 2013 China education panel survey

The Impact of an Un(Der)Funded Inclusive Education Policy: Evidence from the 2013 China Education Panel Survey

Cognitive abilities have a great impact on individuals’ socioeconomic status. Among the factors that affect cognitive ability, early childhood development and preschool education are vital. However, evidence on the effect of preschool attendance on the urban-rural cognition gap from large-scale samples is almost nonexistent. Based on a nationally representative dataset from the China Education Panel Survey, this study fills this gap by presenting evidence of a significant cognition gap between urban and rural middle school students. We find a consistent positive relationship between preschool attendance and cognitive ability in grade 7 and grade 9 based on ordinary least squares and propensity score matching estimations. Results based on a Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition suggest that the differences between urban and rural students in preschool education account for 28% to 44% of the between-group cognition gap. We also simulate the effects of policy interventions meant to develop preschool education on the narrowing of the urban-rural cognition gap.

Sleep time and depression symptoms are important factors affecting cognitive development in adolescents. Based on the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) database, this study used a two-wave cross-lagged model to examine the bidirectional relationship between sleep time, depression symptoms, and cognitive development. Descriptive statistics showed that Chinese adolescents' cognitive development increased significantly from 7th to 8th grade in junior high school, but unfortunately, their depression level and average sleep time per night demonstrated a slightly deteriorating trend. Correlation analysis showed that there was a relatively stable negative correlation between cognitive development, sleep time, and depression symptoms. Moreover, the cross-lagged model revealed that there was a bidirectional relationship between cognitive development and sleep time, a bidirectional relationship between depression symptoms and sleep time, and a unidirectional relationship between depression symptoms and cognitive development. Male adolescents in the subgroup were consistent with the total sample. Among female adolescents, only cognitive development and sleep time have a bidirectional relationship, while depression symptoms and cognitive development, and depression symptoms and sleep time have a unidirectional relationship. Therefore, it is of significance to take targeted action to promote cognitive development and healthy growth in adolescents worldwide.

School starting age and academic achievement: Evidence from China's junior high schools

The impact of gender attitudes toward mathematics (GATM) on female students’ academic performance in math has been extensively explored in the literature. However, studies on its impacts on academic performance in all main courses for both genders, within a unified framework, are rare. This study examines whether and how gender attitude toward math affects students’ math and liberal arts performance in junior high schools in China, by using nationally representative data from the China Education Panel Survey. We measure students’ GATM according to their answers to the survey question, “Do you think boys are better at learning mathematics than girls?”, and find that girls can obtain lower math scores and boys can get higher math scores if they answered yes in the question. For those with a high opportunity to be enrolled in senior high school, it improves liberal arts scores for girls, but reduces liberal arts scores for boys. We also examine several mechanisms with respect to self-concept, effort in math and aspiration beyond math. The findings in this study provide an explanation for the puzzle that girls are increasingly represented in higher education, while a gender wage gap still exists.

IntroductionExploring the factors and internal mechanisms influencing school bullying among junior high school students is crucial for preventing and controlling its occurrence. Such research provides a reference for supporting students’ physical and mental health development and promoting the high-quality advancement of education.MethodsThis study based on data from the China Education Panel Survey (2014–2015), this study employed hierarchical linear modeling to examine the individual- and school-level factors associated with bullying in junior high schools. The analysis focused on identifying predictors at both levels and investigating their interactive mechanisms.ResultsAt the individual level, gender, academic achievement, health status, disciplinary behaviors, and parental discipline were significant predictors of school bullying. At the school level, school type significantly predicted bullying prevalence. Furthermore, moderation analysis indicated that school type moderated the relationship between parental discipline and bullying. Specifically, the negative association between parental discipline and bullying was stronger in private schools compared to public schools.DiscussionThis study reveals both the direct effects and the interactive mechanisms of factors influencing school bullying among junior high school students. The findings offer valuable insights for developing practical and effective prevention and intervention strategies, particularly by considering the moderating role of school type.

Based on the China Education Panel Survey, this study discusses how gender role perception influences the mathematical capability of female students from the multilevel perspectives of individual, family, school, and region. This study finds that the stereotypical view of gender roles held by students and parents has a significant impact on the mathematical capability of both sexes, with a positive effect on male students and a negative effect on female students. However, the threat of gender stereotypes does not have a negative impact on female students. In addition, the number and sex of children in the family and the local sex ratio have no significant impact on the mathematical capability of either male or female students. Therefore, the major factors affecting ‘females’ mathematics learning are the stereotypical views of the relationship between gender and mathematics held by female students and families rather than the tradition of favoring men over women.