Who sits next to whom? The role of physical distance in shaping academic achievement in rural China

When China's leaders launched rural reforms in the late 1970s, they acknowledged the nation's need to modify its commitment to egalitarianism.1 Slogans such as Tt is glorious to be rich!' and 'Some areas will lead; others will follow!' signalled this fundamental shift in ideology. Leaders backed up these exhortations with a series of concrete policy actions ? establishing the Special Economic Zones and implementing the East Coast-first policy, introducing financial reforms, and initiating the rural industrialization movement. In China's version of the 'trickle down' theory, certain core areas were to take the lead in the modernization process and provide models for other areas to later emulate. Adopting strategies that had been employed

The role of big data analytics capabilities (BDAC) in understanding the challenges of service information and operations management in the sharing economy: Evidence of peer effects in libraries

Classroom Peer Effects and Student Achievement

The association between sleep patterns and young students' mental health, which is crucial for their development, remains understudied in rural China. Therefore, the relationship between sleep patterns and mental health among primary and junior high school students in rural China was examined. A total of 1592 primary and junior high school students from rural areas of Gansu Province were surveyed, and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) was utilized to assess mental health, alongside self-reported data on their daily sleep patterns. Significant sleep inadequacies were identified: 28% of students received less than 8 h of sleep on weekdays, and 19% went to bed later than recommended. On weekends, 38% of students had delayed bedtimes, though only 7.2% received less than 8 h of sleep. Notably, a "U-shaped" relationship was uncovered between sleep duration and mental health for students on weekends, with optimal mental health correlated with receiving 10-11 h of sleep, while both shorter and longer sleep durations on weekends worsened outcomes. This pattern is absent on weekdays. Additionally, adequate sleep and an earlier bedtime was linked to a 6-8% decrease in mental health risks. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers seeking to enhance student mental well-being in rural settings, emphasizing the importance of implementing measures that promote balanced sleep habits among young students.

Chapter 21 - Peer effects in education: recent empirical evidence

PurposeTo estimate the prevalence, consequences of, and factors associated with poor vision health knowledge among students, parents, and teachers in rural China.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted with 17,902 students among 251 primary schools in rural China. The primary outcomes were eyeglasses ownership and wear rates, measured by self-reported eyeglasses ownership and wear status. Descriptive and multivariable regression analyses were performed.ResultsStudents, parents, and teachers had a high prevalence of poor vision health knowledge, with 90% of students, 86% of parents, and 56% of teachers scoring 4 or below on the study’s vision knowledge test. Among 2,893 students needing eyeglasses, only 563 (19.46%) owned eyeglasses and 450 (15.55%) wore them. Both student and parental vision health knowledge were positively associated with eyeglasses ownership (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). Parental vision health knowledge also showed a positive association with eyeglasses wear (p=0.098). Students with higher parental vision health knowledge and male students had higher vision health knowledge. Parents with higher education levels, at least one family member wearing eyeglasses, medium to high family wealth demonstrated higher levels of vision health knowledge.ConclusionWe found that poor vision health knowledge is prevalent among children, parents, and teachers in rural western China, and that prevalent visual impairment among children is accompanied by low eyeglasses ownership and wear rates. We also found positive and significant correlations between students’ and parental vision health knowledge and students’ eyeglasses ownership, as well as between parental vision health knowledge and students’ eyeglasses wear rates, suggesting that efforts are needed to improve vision health knowledge among students and parents in rural China.

The study aimed to understand the reporting rate of suicidal ideation and its health-related factors in 1,378 high school students in rural China. These students were recruited from two high schools in Lijin County, Shandong Province, China by using a stratified random cluster sampling method. Overall, 13.5% of the sample reported having suicidal ideation in the past year, and there was no significant difference between boys and girls in reporting rate of suicidal ideation. Nightmares, physical activity, and sleep duration as well as family environment, paternal education, and mental heath status were significantly associated with suicidal ideation. More efforts for these factors should be considered in suicide prevention for high school students in rural China.

Chapter 4 - Peer Effects in Education: How Might They Work, How Big Are They and How Much Do We Know Thus Far?

Peer Effects, Financial Aid, and Selection of Students into Colleges and Universities: An Empirical Analysis

Understanding the relationship between parenting style and the non-cognitive development of high school students is crucial, particularly in rural China. Non-cognitive abilities, including traits such as emotional regulation, resilience, and interpersonal skills, play a significant role in students' overall development and future success. This study aims to investigate how different parenting styles impact non-cognitive abilities among high school students in rural China. This study surveyed 6,549 high school students and their primary caregivers in rural China. The students had an average age of 17.61 years, with 48% being male, and 62% of Han ethnicity. Primary caregivers self-reported their parenting styles, while the students' non-cognitive abilities were assessed using the Big Five Inventory-Short (BFI-S). The relationship between parenting style and non-cognitive development was analyzed using two distinct methods: two dimensions (authoritative and authoritarian) and four categories of parenting styles. The study revealed that an authoritative parenting style had a positive impact on the non-cognitive abilities of students. Conversely, a negative association was observed between the authoritarian parenting style and the students' non-cognitive development. This association was more pronounced in the non-cognitive developmental scores of girls compared to boys. Additionally, parents from wealthier families or those with higher levels of education were more likely to adopt an authoritative parenting style rather than an authoritarian one. The results of this study highlight the significant influence of parenting styles on the non-cognitive development of high school students in rural China. Authoritative parenting, characterized by warmth and structure, appears to foster better non-cognitive outcomes, while authoritarian parenting, marked by strictness and less warmth, is associated with poorer non-cognitive development. The gender differences observed suggest that girls may be more sensitive to variations in parenting style. Furthermore, the socioeconomic and educational background of parents plays a crucial role in determining the parenting style adopted. These findings underscore the importance of developing and implementing parenting training interventions in rural China, aimed at promoting authoritative parenting practices to enhance the non-cognitive development of students.

Despite a vast literature, previous research into compositional effects and peer effects in education has remarked on the lack of consensus within the field. To date, peer effects in education and students’ different opportunities to learn in school has been studied separately. In this study, it is argued that these perspectives need to be synthesized. A multilevel structural equation model (M-SEM) is derived from such a synthesis of the Frame Factor Theory (FFT) and Opportunity to Learn (OTL) and tested on Swedish TIMSS 2011-data (n=3928). The results indicate that class composition affects the presence of limitations on instruction and advanced content coverage, both of which is related to opportunities to learn and individual students’ achievement in mathematics.

The connections between bullying and student well-being in rural areas are not well understood, particularly among younger, more vulnerable students. This study aims to explore the relationship between bullying experiences and the academic performance and mental health of primary and junior high school students in rural China. The sample comprised 1609 students from 30 schools (20 primary schools and 10 junior high schools) in Gansu province. A self-report questionnaire was used to collect data on students’ demographics, bullying experiences, mental health, and social support. Additionally, a 30-minute standardized math test was administered to assess academic performance. Results indicated that bullying was prevalent in rural settings, with 42.64% of students reporting being bullied and 12.74% experiencing it weekly. A significant correlation was found between bullying experiences and both lower academic performance and higher risk of mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety. These correlations became more pronounced with increased frequency of bullying incidents. We also found that female students and younger students who were bullied were more likely to report mental health issues. Furthermore, social support could diminish, but not entirely counteract, the adverse associations between bullying and mental health. These findings highlight the prevalence of bullying among rural students in this age group and demonstrate the associated negative outcomes for their mental health and academic performance. They also emphasize the need for targeted attention and the development of intervention programs, including enhanced school-based anti-bullying initiatives and improved social support systems.

The high dropout rate of primary and secondary school in rural China presents a challenge for human capital accumulation. However, few studies have specifically investigated the impact of boarding status on student dropout behavior in China. This article employs the Cox proportional hazards model to analyze the impact of boarding on dropout behavior, based on data from a large-scale survey of 2,268 primary and secondary school students in rural China. Additionally, we create two interaction terms to test whether the impact of boarding on dropout behavior differs among students with varying teacher–student and peer relationships. Our baseline results suggest that boarding students have a higher likelihood of dropping out compared to non-boarding students. The findings also indicate that more positive teacher–student and peer relationships effectively mitigate the adverse impact of boarding on dropout. Last but not least, this article strongly obtains that boarding to exert a stronger effect on primary students’ dropout than on secondary school students.

We described the prevalence and associated factors of myopia and high myopia in school children of different ethnicities in a rural community in Yunnan province, China. A total of 7681 (93.4%) primary and secondary school students aged 5-16 years in Mangshi participated in this study. Cycloplegic refraction was performed using an auto-refractor. Information regarding demographic factors, socioeconomic status and lifestyle-related exposures were collected using a questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression models were fitted to estimate the risk factors for myopia and high myopia. The overall prevalence of myopia and high myopia was 39.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 38.0, 40.2) and 0.6% (95% CI: 0.4, 0.8) in this study. Myopia prevalence increased significantly with increasing age (p for trend <0.001). Girls were more likely to have myopia compared with boys (p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, the presence of myopia was associated with increasing height (odds ratio [OR] = 1.02; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.03), computer use (OR = 1.17; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.32), having myopic father (OR = 1.56; 95% CI: 1.24, 1.94), having myopic mother (OR = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.08, 1.63), and increasing time on reading (OR = 1.18; 95% CI: 1.09, 1.28) after adjusting for age, sex and ethnicity. Nowadays myopia but not high myopia is prevalent among school children in rural China. Significant ethnic differences in myopia prevalence were not observed. A significant 'cohort effect' of myopia previously observed in urban cities had occurred in rural communities in China.

ABSTRACTThis paper aims to demonstrate the importance of controlling for endogenous peer effects in estimating the influence of gender peer effects on educational outcomes. Using Manski's linear-in-means model, this paper illustrates that the estimation of gender peer effects is potentially biased in the presence of endogenous peer effect in education. The appropriate gender peer effect is estimated after identifying and controlling for the endogenous effect through the use of Graham's variance-restriction method.