Chinese High School Research Articles

“Walking with Dreams”: The Categories of Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy and Its Influence on Learning Engagement of Senior High School Students

Career decision-making self-efficacy is a key factor influencing high school students’ ability to make informed choices. It is closely associated with their professional interests, learning engagement, and academic performance. This study aims to explore the latent categories of career decision-making self-efficacy among Chinese high school students and analyze the differences in learning engagement across students with different types of career decision-making self-efficacy. A convenience sampling method was employed to recruit 510 Chinese high school students as participants. A questionnaire survey was conducted using the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale and the Learning Engagement Scale. The validity of the questionnaire was analyzed using Amos 23.0, descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were performed with SPSS 26.0, and a latent profile model was constructed using Mplus 8.0. The results indicate that there are four latent categories of career decision-making self-efficacy among high school students. In terms of learning engagement levels, the categories are ranked from highest to lowest as follows: high career decision-making self-efficacy type, lack of external exploration type, lack of internal exploration type, and low career decision-making self-efficacy type. Students with high and low career decision-making self-efficacy demonstrated significantly higher levels of learning engagement compared to those categorized as lacking external or internal exploration. Therefore, the design of career education curricula for high school students should focus on enhancing career decision-making self-efficacy to stimulate their intrinsic motivation for learning. Differences among various student types should be acknowledged, allowing for tailored and individualized instruction. Additionally, efforts should be made to strengthen integrated career guidance that links academics, career interests, and future professions, guiding all stakeholders to shift away from entrenched practices of “exam-oriented education” and utilitarian perspectives.

Prediction of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among rural Chinese junior high school students: a machine learning approach

AimsNon-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a serious issue that is increasingly prevalent among children and adolescents, especially in rural areas. Developing a suitable predictive model for NSSI is crucial for early identification and intervention.MethodsThis study included 2090 Chinese rural children and adolescents. Participants’ sociodemographic information, symptoms of anxiety as well as depression, personality traits, family environment and NSSI behaviors were collected through a questionnaire survey. Gender, age, grade, and all survey results except sociodemographic information were used as relevant factors for prediction. Support vector machines, decision tree and random forest models were trained and validated by the train set and valid set, respectively. The metrics of each model were tested and compared to select the most suitable one. Furthermore, the mean decrease Gini index was calculated to measure the importance of relevant factors.ResultsThe prevalence of NSSI was 38.3%. Out of the 6 models assessed, the random forest model demonstrated the highest suitability in predicting the prevalence of NSSI. It achieved sensitivity, specificity, AUC, accuracy, precision, and F1 scores of 0.65, 0.72, 0.76, 0.70, 0.57, and 0.61, respectively. Anxiety and depression were the top two contributing factors in the prediction model. Neuroticism and conflict were the factors that contributed the most to personality traits and family environment, respectively, in terms of prediction. In addition, demographic factors contributed little to the prediction in this study.ConclusionThis study focused on Chinese children and adolescents in rural areas and demonstrated the potential of using machine learning approaches in predicting NSSI. Our research complements the application of machine learning methods to psychiatric and psychological problems.

Linking adolescents’ phubbing to depression: the serial mediating effects of peer relationship quality and psychological need frustration

IntroductionPhubbing is defined as a phenomenon in which individuals use their smartphones during conversations with others, focusing on the smartphones and escaping from interpersonal interactions. This phenomenon has been extensively studied in the literature. However, most studies concerning phubbing have focused on understanding its impact on the receivers; few have investigated the consequences of phubbing on the actors themselves. The present study aimed to explore the link between adolescents’ phubbing behavior and depression, focusing on the underlying psychological mechanisms.MethodsA total of 441 Chinese high school students participated in this study in September 2023. SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 24.0 were used to analyze the data. A hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to test the effect of phubbing on depression. A serial mediation model was applied to assess the roles of peer relationship quality and psychological need frustration in the link between phubbing and depression.ResultsThis study found that among adolescents, (1) phubbing had a significant direct association with depression; (2) phubbing had two significant indirect associations with depression, separately mediated via peer relationship quality and psychological need frustration; (3) the direct effect of phubbing on depression was sequentially mediated through peer relationship quality and psychological need frustration; (4) these results were applicable to both male and female adolescents.DiscussionThese findings suggested that interventions aimed at improving peer relationships and addressing psychological need frustration might reduce depressive symptoms associated with phubbing in adolescents.

A latent profile analysis of cognitive emotion regulation strategies in relation to negative emotions and NSSI among Chinese junior high school students

BackgroundLittle is known about the latent profiles of cognitive emotion regulation strategy (CERS) and its relationship with negative emotions and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) in Chinese junior high school students, although CERS is thought to be strongly associated with emotional-behavioral problems in adolescents.MethodsA total of 2807 junior high school students in Yunnan Province, China, were selected for the study. They were measured with the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), the Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Questionnaire, and the Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale. Latent profile analysis was used to explore latent profiles of CERS among students, and the one-way ANOVA or c2 test was used to explore the relationship between the profiles and depression, anxiety, stress or NSSI.Results(1) Latent profile analysis revealed five CERS types: ‘Maladaptive group’ (32.25%), ‘Moderate adaptive-low maladaptive group’ (24.68%), ‘Rigid group’ (19.73%), ‘High adaptive-moderate maladaptive group’ (14.42%), and ‘Sensitive group’ (8.82%). (2) The multivariable logistic regression analyses showed that with increasing age (OR = 0.812, 95% CI = 0.66–0.99, p < 0.05), junior high school students were less likely to be in the ‘Moderate adaptive-low maladaptive group’, and males (OR = 0. 698, 95% CI = 0.52–0.94, p < 0.05) were less likely to be classified as ‘Moderate adaptive-low maladaptive group’; (3) ANOVA and c2 test results showed that the differences between the different latent profiles of junior high school students on anxiety, depression, stress and NSSI indicators were statistically significant (p < 0.05). The ‘Sensitive group’ had the highest risk of emotional-behavioral problems and the ‘Moderate adaptive-low maladaptive group’ had the lowest risk of emotional-behavioral problems.ConclusionNegative emotions and NSSI in junior high school students are closely related to their CERS profiles, and it is important to use targeted strategies to prevent and intervene in emotional-behavioral problems for individuals with different CERS subtypes.

The Association of Family Incivility with Adolescent Depression: A Moderated Mediation Model

Negative family interactions have an adverse impact on adolescent mental health. The present study focused on the influence of family incivility on adolescent depression. In order to examine the association of family incivility with depression, an integrated framework was constructed to explore the mediating role of self-compassion and the moderating role of sex differences. Two waves of data were collected from 999 Chinese senior high school students (43.6% males and 56.4% females), with a mean age of 16.58 ± 0.54 years. Time 1 family incivility was positively associated with depression at Time 2 (r = 0.40, p &lt; 0.001). Sex differences moderated the link between family incivility and self-compassion, with their association being significant in females (B = −0.07, SE = 0.03, p = 0.013) but not in males (B = 0.03, SE = 0.03, p = 0.376). Regarding the effect of family incivility on depression, the direct effect was significant only in males (B = 0.13, SE = 0.03, p &lt; 0.001), whereas the indirect effect via self-compassion was significant only in females (B = 0.01, SE = 0.01, 95% CI [0.0010, 0.0232]). The present findings revealed a positive association between family incivility and adolescent depression. Moreover, family incivility has a direct impact on depression in male adolescents and an indirect impact through self-compassion in female adolescents. These findings underscore the important role of adolescent sex differences in the impact of family incivility on adolescent depression and highlight the practical importance of developing interventions to reduce family incivility.

Parental Psychological Control and Interpersonal Trust in Junior High School Students: Serial Mediating Roles of Shyness and Interpersonal Self-Support.

Long-term parental psychological control tends to cause adolescents to become oversensitive in interpersonal relationships, and there is a gap in the mechanism of action between parental psychological control and the interpersonal trust of junior high school students. This study intends to analyze the relationship between parental psychological control and interpersonal trust in middle school students and explore the sequential mediation role of shyness and interpersonal self-support. Based on self-determination theory and object-relations theory, this study administered questionnaires to 542 Chinese junior high school students using the Psychological Control Scale, Interpersonal Trust Scale, Shyness Scale, and Interpersonal Self-support Scale. Afterwards, structural equation modelling was used for testing. The findings revealed that (1) parental psychological control significantly and negatively predicted interpersonal trust and that (2) shyness and interpersonal self-support sequentially mediated the association between parental psychological control and interpersonal trust. The findings suggest that parental psychological control can not only directly influence the interpersonal trust of junior high school students but also indirectly act on interpersonal trust through shyness and interpersonal self-support. This study contributes to an in-depth understanding of the relationship between parental psychological control and the interpersonal trust of junior high school students, which is important for increasing the level of interpersonal trust of junior high school students.

Learning Style Preferences, Strategies and Interaction Qualities Among Chinese Mathematics Learners

This study explores learning styles, strategies, and interaction among Chinese high school math learners (n unspecified) in Anshan City. Descriptive research methods including surveys, interviews, and classroom observations were used. Students (ages 16-18, grades 9-11) showed a preference for hands-on and visual learning styles. They favored formal seating, bright environments, and digital learning tools. Interestingly, no significant differences in learning style preferences were found based on gender, grade level, or location. The study also examined learning strategies and interaction quality. Students valued cognitive, affective (emotional), and social interactions, demonstrating high engagement. Importantly, positive correlations emerged between learning strategies (environmental, affective, social) and interaction quality. However, the link between learning styles and these factors was not as strong. Based on these findings, a Mathematics Learning Enhancement Program is proposed. This program focuses on personalized learning guidance, optimized learning strategies, and a learning environment tailored to student needs. The study emphasizes the importance of student-centered teaching, personalized learning strategies, and collaborative learning environments for improved math achievement and critical thinking skills.

The Distribution and Frequency of Grammatical Errors in Second Language Writing: A Case Study of Chinese High School Students

As Error analysis in second language writing remains controversial, this study aims to investigate errors with high frequency in L2 writing of high school students in China and reveal the relationship between writing tasks and error types. By analyzing compositions in high school English exams, the study will discover the distribution pattern frequencies of different errors and make comparisons of students at different levels. The findings indicate that verb tense errors are the most frequent but decrease as students progress in grade level, while syntactical errors become more prevalent in more complex tasks, such as continuation writing. This study highlights the persistent challenges students face in constructing grammatically accurate sentences in flexible writing tasks. These insights provide empirical evidence for targeted grammar instruction, emphasizing verb usage and sentence structure complexity to improve overall writing proficiency.

Unraveling depressive symptom networks: A three-year longitudinal study among Chinese junior high school adolescents.

Adolescence is the peak period for the occurrence of mental health issues, particularly in the stage of junior high school. Depressive symptoms are among the most frequently experienced psychological problems. However, little is known about the symptom-level interaction features of depressive symptoms and the roles of different symptoms across the junior high school stage. To address these gaps, this study conducted a three-year longitudinal study that recruited 1301 Chinese junior high school adolescents (48.2% females; mean age = 12.46 ± 0.62, ranging from 11 to 14 in the first year). The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale was used to assess depressive symptoms. The regularized partial correlation network and the cross-lagged panel network models were used to explore the symptom-level interaction pattern. In regularized partial correlation networks, "I felt depressed" was a stable central symptom throughout the junior high school stage. Besides, "I felt lonely" and "I felt that people disliked me" were the other central symptoms in grade 7 and grade 8, and "I felt everything I did was an effort" played a central role in grade 9. Within cross-lagged panel networks, "I felt that people disliked me" and "I felt hopeless about the future" had important effects on predicting other depressive symptoms from grade 7 to 8 and from grade 8 to 9. By investigating the longitudinal interaction patterns of depressive symptoms among junior high school adolescents, the current study identifies core symptoms that could be potential prevention or intervention targets and provides a novel insight for understanding depressive symptoms during adolescence in depth.

Are Peer-rejected Adolescents More Likely to Become Bullies or Victims? A Longitudinal Social Network Analysis.

Although many studies have explored the effects of peer rejection on bullying and victimization, the specific targets of bullying and victimization in adolescents after experiencing rejection have not been identified. This study adopts longitudinal social network analysis to examine whether the effects of peer rejection on bullying and victimization are only for peers in the rejecting relationship or involve other peers. This two-wave longitudinal study included 2,223 Chinese junior high school students. Students reported rejection, bullying, and victimization at the end of the first semester of eighth grade (Mage = 13.93 years, SD = 0.60, 48.6% girls) and the end of the second semester of eighth grade (Mage = 14.38 years, SD = 0.59, 49.0% girls). After fitting the data to stochastic actor-oriented models, the results revealed that rejected adolescents are more likely to be victimized by peers who reject them but not by others. Conversely, rejected adolescents tend to bully peers who do not reject them. These findings suggest that rejected adolescents simultaneously are at risk of both developing as bullies and being forced to become victims. They target different peers in each context, reflecting the complexity of bullying and victimization among adolescents after being rejected by peers.

The Psychologically Rich Life Questionnaire in China

ABSTRACTResearch on psychological richness in China and in adolescents is limited. We validated the 17‐item Psychologically Rich Life Questionnaire in a sample of 1794 Chinese high school students. Internal consistency was adequate, and a two‐factor structure was found.

An ecological approach to understanding the agency of novice EFL teachers without initial teacher education background

ABSTRACT Existing research extensively explores challenges faced by novice teachers with initial teacher education (ITE) backgrounds, whereas those without ITE exposure (non-ITE backgrounds) remain less investigated. Utilising the ecological model of teacher agency, this study examines the affordances and constraints encountered by English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers with non-ITE backgrounds during their first year at 12 Chinese state junior high schools. Thematic analysis of interviews with 21 purposively sampled participants reveals that non-ITE backgrounds pose constraints, such as limited pedagogical knowledge, perceived inadequacy by peers with ITE exposure, and professional identity crises. However, significant affordances were also identified, including broad knowledge bases from diverse academic backgrounds and varied internship experiences, high intrinsic motivation, and robust innovation capabilities. Implications for teacher education programmes and school administration are discussed, highlighting the need for tailored support mechanisms to address the unique challenges and leverage the strengths of teachers without ITE backgrounds.

The Impact of Chat GPT On the Role Transformation of Chinese Public Junior High School Teachers

The use of Chat GPT in the classroom has been receiving widespread attention, but research on its impact on the role transformation of middle school teachers is still lacking. This paper analyses the challenges that the application of Chat GPT poses to teachers and classroom teaching in Chinese public junior high schools. The analysis concludes that the application of Chat GPT will challenge the teacher's subject position as a single lecturer, the traditional knowledge system, and the classroom teaching model. Students' information literacy will also affect the consequences of the use of Chat GPT in the classroom. Based on these findings, this paper proposes the following suggestions: teachers should be transformed from traditional single-classroom instructors, skilled laborers, and professional knowledge transmitters into leaders of human-computer collaborative teaching, explorers of innovative classrooms, and leaders of information literacy. In this way, teachers in public junior high schools could find themselves still important to students in the classroom.

Family Influence and Social Conditioning: Exploring Chinese High School Students' Perspectives on Gender Differences

This study examines how family structure and social conditions shape Chinese high school students' perceptions of gender roles and expectations for future gender equality. Conducted through qualitative interviews at a Beijing international school, the research finds that students from egalitarian families tend to have less traditional gender role perceptions, while those from traditional families often reinforce stereotypes. External influences, including peers, societal norms, and media, also significantly impact these views. Despite a general desire for gender equality, many students remain concerned about persistent societal biases. The findings underscore the need for policies that promote gender equality from both family and societal perspectives.

Analysis of students’ conceptual change in learning Newton’s third law with an integrated framework of model analysis and knowledge integration

The purpose of this study is to examine how students may hold coexisting and competing conceptual ideas and how students’ uses of such ideas may evolve during the process of conceptual change by combining two complementary methods including model analysis and the conceptual framework model of knowledge integration. Conceptual change is fundamental to science learning, highlighting the processes of students’ transitions from predominantly relying on alternative views to using scientific ones. Recent studies suggest a growing consensus that alternative views and scientific conceptions coexist and compete in students’ learning. However, explicit research on how the states of coexistence and competition evolve during the process of conceptual change is underdeveloped. Building on existing research, the model analysis provides a quantitative framework to represent the different consistent and coexisting/competing states through probabilities of consistent and/or mixed (coexisting) use of incorrect and scientific ideas. Meanwhile, the conceptual framework model of knowledge integration provides content-specific, cognitive explanations for the developmental levels and processes of conceptual change from novice to expert. By combining these two methods, researchers can gain insights into how the coexistence and competition among different conceptual ideas may evolve as conceptual change progresses. To target the research goal, a model-based knowledge integration assessment of Newton’s third law is developed to measure students’ levels of knowledge integration and model states in a single test. Quantitative data were collected from Chinese high school students, supplemented by interviews with a subgroup from the same population. The model analysis results show the heterogeneity of conceptual development and the evolving competition across novice, intermediate, and expert students, as well as across different concept dimensions. The interviews provide cognitive explanations for the observed model states, framed from the lens of knowledge integration. These insights can inform the development of effective assessments and instructional strategies to facilitate favorable conceptual change in student learning. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

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 relationship between intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, self-regulated learning, and English learning achievement in Chinese high school students

This study investigated the relationships between intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, self-regulated learning, and English learning achievement among Chinese high school students. A total of 237 10th-grade students in China participated, responding to a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire. Using descriptive and referential statistical analyses, the study found that self-efficacy had a strong correlation with SRL strategies, particularly goal setting and planning. Intrinsic motivation also showed positive, though slightly weaker, correlations with these SRL strategies. Both intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy were closely linked to English language achievement, with self-efficacy demonstrating a stronger relationship. Additionally, SRL strategies such as goal setting, monitoring, and effort regulation were significantly associated with better English learning outcomes, emphasizing their crucial role in academic success. The findings suggest that enhancing intrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, and SRL strategies can substantially improve English language learning. The study recommends educational strategies that focus on these key factors to boost students’ performance and offers suggestions for future research and educational practices.

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.

This 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. A 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. Teacher-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.

Exploring the Gap of English Learning Motivation in Chinese Ethnic Minority High School Students Through Critical Reading

Exploring the Gap of English Learning Motivation in Chinese Ethnic Minority High School Students Through Critical Reading