Chinese High School Students Research Articles

A Comparative Analysis of Collaborative Problem-Solving Skills Between German and Chinese High School Students in Chemistry

A Comparative Analysis of Collaborative Problem-Solving Skills Between German and Chinese High School Students in Chemistry

The Impact of Double Reduction Policy on College Entrance Examination Performance: Empirical Evidence

In China, the College Entrance Examination weights great in both students' and parents' hearts, which is even recognized as the rare chance to change a people's fate. At this circumstances, heavy homework, countless tests, little break time, burning night oils and even extracurricular tutoring on the weekends have become the daily routine for Chinese high school students, which have hurt their health conditions and added great burden on their mental health. To curb this long-standing issue caused by this phenomenon, a new educational policy called Double Reduction was released by the Chinese government on 2021 and nine Chinese cities are selected as the national policy pilot areas to test the effect in advance. This paper aims to verify the impact of the Double Reduction Policy in some provinces in which lie the selected policy pilot areas. Through continuous difference-indifference method, this study found no significant correlation between the Double Reduction and the College Entrance Examination performance in these areas. Policy makers should make proper actions to implement this new policy, in order to lighten the physical and mental burden of students and the financial burden of parents while take students learning effectiveness into consideration meanwhile.

The relationship between teacher–student relationships and academic grades among Chinese rural high school students: the moderating role of mental health symptoms and the conditional moderating effect of academic resilience

ObjectiveThis study examines the relationship between Teacher–Student Relationships and academic grades among Chinese rural high school students, focusing on the moderating role of mental health symptoms and the conditional moderating effect of academic resilience.MethodA moderated moderation analysis was conducted via Mplus on data collected from a sample of rural Chinese high school students. SEM was used to test the direct and interactive effects of these variables on academic outcomes.ResultsTeacher–Student Relationships were found to have a significant positive association with students’ academic grades. Academic resilience plays a conditional moderating role, with students who have higher levels of resilience better able to maintain their academic performance, even when facing psychological distress. This suggests that resilience can buffer the impact of challenges, enhancing the positive influence of TSRs on academic outcomes.

How Does Perceived Social Support Impact Mental Health and Creative Tendencies Among Chinese Senior High School Students?

The senior high school period is a critical phase for the proliferation of mental health problems, as well as a key period for cognitive development among adolescents. Due to the importance of support from the external environment for students, this study aims to explore and verify the protective role of social support in the mental health and creative tendencies of senior high school students, as well as its mechanisms and boundary conditions. Based on a survey of 1463 Chinese senior high school students, a moderated mediation model was constructed. The results showed that (1) perceived social support significantly negatively predicts mental health problems and significantly positively predicts creative tendencies; (2) self-esteem mediates the impact of perceived social support on both mental health problems and creative tendencies; (3) perceived stress not only moderates the impact of self-esteem on mental health problems and creative tendencies, but also moderates the mediating effect of self-esteem. The findings of this study shed light on the positive impact of social support and the self-esteem it nurtures during the senior high school years. These insights offer valuable recommendations for practitioners aiming to prevent mental health issues and foster creative tendencies among senior high school students.

Assessment of knowledge integration in student learning of galvanic cell: An interdisciplinary approach connecting physics and chemistry

The galvanic cell is a typical interdisciplinary topic, which is primarily taught in chemistry but its underpinning is closely related to physics. Student learning in galvanic cell has been extensively studied in chemistry education, which has revealed a large number of misconceptions that are difficult to change through traditional instruction. A source of the learning difficulties is that most students lack an explanatory framework to integrate the many complex phenomena and processes into a coherent knowledge system. As a result, students often rely on memorization of terms, laws, and equations in solving problems but without a meaningful understanding of their reasoning. To address the deficit in learning, this study aims to help students develop an explanatory framework for supporting an integrated knowledge structure. Specifically, a conceptual framework model for galvanic cell is developed based on the central idea from physics, which is used as the core concept for mechanistic explanations of the related chemistry concepts. Guided by the conceptual framework, an instrument is developed to assess the knowledge integration in student learning of galvanic cell. A combination of qualitative and quantitative measures was used to assess the levels of knowledge integration in learning galvanic cell with a large number of Chinese high school and college students. The assessment results show that the conceptual framework model can effectively represent the knowledge structures of students at different levels of knowledge integration. The galvanic cell conceptual framework and assessment results can provide useful resources for teachers to develop instruction for promoting knowledge integration. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

The construction of a physical literacy assessment index system for junior high school students: a Chinese study

In recent years, the internalisation of education in China has led to an increase in the prevalence of a highly competitive, test-focused approach to learning. This has had a detrimental impact on the physical health and wellbeing of children and adolescents in China, resulting in a concerning lack of physical literacy among junior high school students. Accordingly, the objective of this study is to construct an evaluation index system for physical literacy in junior high school students with Chinese characteristics, quantify the relative importance of each domain, and provide a framework for students to assess and self-evaluate the sustainable development of their physical literacy. The indicator system was modelled on CAPL-2, and valid indicators were extracted from the literature. A pre-selected indicator system for physical literacy in junior high school students was constructed through three rounds of Delphi expert questionnaire surveys (48 questionnaires were distributed in total). A total of 16 experts participated in all three rounds of the surveys until a consensus was reached on the indicators, resulting in the establishment of a hierarchical analysis-based theoretical model. This was developed using the experts’ opinions and determined the items to be subdomains and weights. The AHP was employed to ascertain the relative importance of the subdomains and items within the assessment system. The index weight scores of the Chinese junior high school students’ physical literacy assessment index system are aligned with the core tenet of the physical literacy concept, comprising four primary indicators, eight secondary indicators, and 26 tertiary indicators. The weights of the physical literacy evaluation indexes for junior high school students in China were calculated using the AHP to establish a progressive hierarchical model and the consistency test. The primary indicators were found to be in the following order of importance: Physical Competence (29.82%) > Motivation and Confidence (29.64%) > Knowledge and Understanding (20.27%) = Daily Behavior (20.27%). The system is an effective means of evaluating the impact of physical activity and health promotion among junior high school students, and it effectively addresses the needs of this age group in these areas. It provides a comprehensive assessment of the effects of physical activity and health promotion among junior high school students, and it offers a scientific foundation for the development of precise and individualized physical activity and health promotion programs.

The effect of grit on L2 willingness to communicate among Chinese junior high school students: an analysis of the differential roles of foreign language enjoyment and anxiety.

With the burgeoning research on positive psychology, grit has gradually attracted scholarly attention in the field of L2 acquisition, and it has been shown to be a significant positive predictor of L2 achievements and outcomes. However, despite being an important factor in L2 acquisition, grit has rarely been incorporated as a research variable in prior research on willingness to communicate in a second language (L2 WTC), especially among Chinese teenagers who find themselves in a foundational stage of developing their L2 communicative competence. Based on a survey among 238 Chinese junior high school students, this study analyzed the effect of their grit on their L2 WTC, and explored the differential roles of foreign language enjoyment (FLE) and anxiety (FLA) in their interactions. The results revealed that: (1) perseverance of effort (PE), consistency of interest (CI) and FLE had significantly positive correlations with L2 WTC, whereas FLA was found to have a significantly negative correlation with L2 WTC; (2) PE and CI served as significant positive predictors of L2 WTC; (3) FLE mediated the interactions between PE and L2 WTC and between CI and L2 WTC, while the mediating effects of FLA were found to be statistically non-significant. The findings can provide theoretical implications for furthering L2 WTC research, as well as practical reference for its development among Chinese junior high school students.

The relationship between childhood trauma and mental health status among Chinese vocational high school adolescents: the mediating effect of poor self-control and internet addiction

BackgroundMental health problems among adolescents are a common concern globally. However, its relationship with childhood trauma is not clearly understood from the existing studies. Therefore, this study aims to explore the relationships among childhood trauma, mental health, self-control, and internet addiction in Chinese vocational high school students.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among vocational high school students in China from October 2020 to December 2020. Standardized questionnaires were used to collect basic information regarding childhood trauma, self-control, psychological state, and social demographics. A structural equation model was used to study the relationships among internet addiction, self-control, childhood trauma, and mental health.ResultsA total of 3368 individuals participated in the study. The results revealed the mediating effects of poor self-control and internet addiction on the association between childhood trauma and mental health.ConclusionsInternet addiction and low self-control play mediating roles in childhood trauma and mental health. Clarifying these relationships will help formulate better-targeted interventions to improve the mental health of Chinese vocational high school students and aid in interventions to treat and prevent mental health problems.

The Effect of Teacher-Guided Peer Feedback on English Writing Performance of Chinese EFL High School Students

The Effect of Teacher-Guided Peer Feedback on English Writing Performance of Chinese EFL High School Students

Gender differences in the mental symptom network of high school students in Shanghai, China: a network analysis

BackgroundAdolescence is a critical period for the onset of mental health issues. In China, high school students face significant academic and social pressures, leading to high rates of mental health challenges. Gender differences in the manifestation of these symptoms have been observed, with boys and girls exhibiting distinct psychological profiles.ObjectiveThis study aims to explore the structure of psychological symptoms among Chinese high school students using network analysis, focusing on identifying core symptoms and gender differences in symptom networks. The key objectives are to: 1) identify the central psychological symptoms for boys and girls, and 2) uncover the interactions between symptoms to inform targeted interventions.MethodsA cluster sampling method was used to recruit 3,769 high school students (2,206 males and 1,563 females) in Shanghai. The Middle School Students Mental Health Scale (MSSMHS) was administered, and network analysis was conducted using the R packages bootnet and qgraph to assess symptom network edges, centrality, and network strength. Comparisons between male and female networks were made.ResultsNetwork analysis showed tightly connected symptom networks for both genders, with 43 non-zero edges for boys (sparsity 0.04) and 39 for girls (sparsity 0.13). Depression was the core symptom for boys (centrality 1.20), while anxiety was central for girls (centrality 1.46). Boys showed a stronger link between interpersonal sensitivity and depression (edge value 0.20), while girls exhibited a stronger connection between anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (edge value 0.16). Network comparison tests revealed no significant differences in overall network strength between boys (4.625) and girls (4.660), with P-values greater than 0.05 across all comparisons.ConclusionThis study highlights significant gender differences in the psychological symptom networks of Chinese high school students. Depression and anxiety emerged as core symptoms for boys and girls, respectively. These findings provide a foundation for developing gender-sensitive mental health interventions, emphasizing the need for tailored approaches based on gender-specific symptom profiles.

Overcoming Academic Writing Challenges: English Language Learning Strategies for Chinese International High School Students in Blended Learning Environments

With the increasing globalisation and the integration of blended learning models, academic English writing has become a critical skill introduced at the high school level. This study investigates how Chinese international high school students develop and apply effective English language learning strategies to address the specific challenges of academic English writing in a blended learning environment that combines offline EFL (English as a Foreign Language) and online ESL (English as a Second Language) instruction. Utilising a qualitative research design, three participants in this special blended learning environment are selected as specific cases. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, student learning logs, and classroom observations. Findings reveal that students employ a combination of cognitive, metacognitive, and social strategies to address issues in this special blended learning environment. The study underscores the importance of integrating technology with traditional teaching methods, highlighting the effectiveness of blended learning in supporting students' academic writing. These insights offer valuable guidance for educators in enhancing teaching practices and for policymakers in designing supportive educational frameworks.

Comparing Chinese high school students’stress, anxiety and depression in domestic and international schools

This study investigates the differences in stress, anxiety, and depression among students in the Chinese domestic high school system and the international schools using Advanced Placement (AP) curriculum in China. Using a mixed-methods approach, this paper will analyze the difference between the two systems and explore factors contributing to the difference. The findings from this study will contribute to a better understanding of the mental health challenges faced by Chinese high school students and inform strategies to promote their well-being. In addition, the study will shed light on the potential benefits and drawbacks of the different educational systems, and help stakeholders make informed decisions about educational policies.

The Role of Perceived Need-Supportive Teaching in Promoting Willingness to Communicate in EFL: Variable-and Person-Centered Examinations of Self-Determination Theory among Chinese High School Students

The Role of Perceived Need-Supportive Teaching in Promoting Willingness to Communicate in EFL: Variable-and Person-Centered Examinations of Self-Determination Theory among Chinese High School Students

Association between autistic traits and sleep quality among Chinese junior high school students: The chain mediating roles of self‐control and mindfulness

Association between autistic traits and sleep quality among Chinese junior high school students: The chain mediating roles of self‐control and mindfulness

Post-traumatic Reactions and Social–Emotional Competence Among Chinese High School Students Experiencing COVID-19 Lockdown: A Network Analysis

Post-traumatic Reactions and Social–Emotional Competence Among Chinese High School Students Experiencing COVID-19 Lockdown: A Network Analysis

Development and validation of China’s Environmental Citizenship Questionnaire: evidence from junior high school students

The cultivation of environmental citizens has become an important measure to cope with the environmental crisis, and the research on the knowledge, conceptions, skills, attitudes, values, and actions of environmental citizens using the Environmental Citizenship Questionnaire (ECQ) is becoming a research focus. The research on environmental citizenship in China mainly staying at the level of theoretical research and descriptive research due to the accuracy of the ECQ. The emergence of the ECQ-China Version is helpful to promote the empirical research on environmental citizenship in China.This study verifies the effectiveness of the ECQ by removing 16 ECQ items which are not suitable for Chinese culture and evaluating environmental citizen-related knowledge among 550 Chinese junior high school students. The ECQ-China Version, consisting of 75 items, showed convincing results for all measurements: students’ past and present environmental citizenship behavior and the essential skills, values, attitudes, and competence that an environmental citizen should be equipped with had a significant impact on students’ future environmental citizenship behavior. This study suggests that: (1) Environmental citizenship education should not only focus on knowledge education, but also include skills education. (2) Environmental citizenship education should adhere to comprehensive principles, focusing on innovative practice of ideas and methods. (3) China’s environmental citizenship education should focus on the cultivation of citizens’ ability to participate, so that environmental citizenship can become the driving force for sustainable environmental development.

The cross-lagged relationship between adolescent school bullying and loneliness——The predictive role of childhood emotional maltreatment

School bullying and loneliness have become common problems in adolescent interpersonal relationships. The increase of school bullying in recent years is closely related to adolescents’ loneliness, and loneliness may also affect the implementation of school bullying. Meanwhile, childhood emotional maltreatment plays an important role in interpersonal relationship problems triggered by adolescence, which has attracted a lot of attention from researchers. The purpose of this study was to explore the mutual and transactional relationship between loneliness and school bullying under childhood emotional maltreatment. A total of 1214 Chinese high school students (Mage = 15.46, SD = 0.71) completed the measures of childhood emotional maltreatment, loneliness, and school bullying. They provided data in three waves (T1, T2, and T3, 6 months apart). The results reality that loneliness under childhood emotional abuse and school bullying are correlated and that childhood emotional abuse significantly predicts loneliness and school bullying in adolescence. Specifically, loneliness positively predicted school bullying, but the predictive effect of school bullying on loneliness was influenced by gender. Moreover, childhood emotional maltreatment can lead to the perpetration of school bullying by triggering loneliness in adolescents. The results of the study, although unexpected, also reveal social problems and provide new ideas for studying adolescent interpersonal problems.

Childhood risks and problematic smartphone use: Dual processes of life history strategy and psychological distress

Problematic smartphone use (PSU) and its negative consequences among adolescents are so commonly observed that they have become a matter of public concern. Utilizing life history (LH) theory, this study aims to examine how childhood risks (i.e., childhood harshness and unpredictability) would be associated with adolescent PSU via cognitive and emotional processes of LH strategy and psychological distress. A sample of 459 Chinese high school students aged from 14 to 18 (M = 16.90) participated in this study and voluntarily completed an anonymous survey. The results showed that childhood unpredictability and psychological distress were positively correlated with PSU, whereas childhood harshness and the two processes of LH strategy were negatively correlated with PSU. Path analysis further supported a partial mediation model, in which childhood unpredictability increased PSU, via serial mediators of the emotional process of LH strategy and psychological distress. The findings support the efficacy of LH theory in elucidating the development of behavioral addiction. However, the direct and negative association of childhood harshness with PSU was unexpected. It implicates the complexity of childhood environment on adolescent behavioral addictions and warrants further investigation.

Justifying Meritocracy

The theoretical aim of this paper is to articulate a novel analytical framework that makes sense of our interlocutors’ apparently conflicting claims about the reality of meritocracy in China. The theoretical argument is rooted in ethnographic fieldwork conducted in a Chinese high school, where teachers and working-class students live under the shadows of the demanding and high-stakes university entrance exam (the gaokao). How is it possible to preserve the outwardly inconsistent positions (1) that the gaokao is egalitarian and, thus, fair and (2) that students’ much wealthier counterparts have significantly higher probabilities of success when compared to poorer students? This article argues for the possibility of dynamism in epistemic standards, suggesting that belief in structural systems like meritocracy might be founded in cognitive attempts to maintain the aims of ethical life. Keywords: China, epistemology, ethics, meritocracy, metacognition

Empowering Chinese high school students: Transformative reading lessons with the task-based learning approach

This essay investigates the implementation of the task-based language teaching (TBLT) approach in Chinese high school English as a Second Language (ESL) reading lessons. Despite China’s Ministry of Education’s endorsement of TBLT, its application in the Chinese language classroom remains challenging due to factors such as traditional examination systems and teachers’ limited knowledge of TBLT principles. Drawing on the author’s experience as an English teacher, the project aims to explore how TBLT can be effectively integrated into ESL reading instruction. The objectives include explaining the main characteristics of TBLT, identifying issues in the Chinese EFL context, providing rationales for TBLT use, and constructing three reading lesson plans that adopt the TBLT approach. The lesson plans, which incorporate authentic materials and a variety of tasks, are designed to promote fluency in reading for information and to develop students’ awareness of real-world issues. The essay concludes that TBLT, with its learner-centered and goal-oriented nature, can enhance motivation and engagement in language learning, and that it is particularly suitable for contexts where students are preparing for overseas studies and need to develop communicative skills and creativity. The project also emphasizes the critical role of teachers in facilitating TBLT lessons and the need for ongoing professional development to support the effective implementation of TBLT in Chinese EFL teaching.