Chinese Middle School Research Articles

Empowering oral proficiency in a large-scale class: video-recorded oral presentations and mobile-assisted peer assessment in a Chinese Middle school

In an era of rapid technological advancement, this 10-week quasi-experimental study conducted within a Chinese middle school EFL context examined the incorporation of video-recorded oral presentations and mobile-assisted peer assessment, aiming to evaluate how these digital tools influence students’ speaking proficiency and their perceptions towards them. The study was conducted on two classes of 47 students each, wherein the experimental group received training on utilizing the digital tools of video presentations and mobile-assisted peer feedback, while the control group solely followed traditional teacher-led assessment methods. T-tests were utilized to analyze differences in test scores on standardized English proficiency exams between the two groups, supplemented by semi-structured interviews to elicit deeper insights into student perspectives and attitudes. The quantitative results showed the experimental group exhibited substantially higher English speaking proficiency scores compared to the control group in the standardized tests administered. Integrated with the qualitative findings, while students generally had highly positive perceptions towards utilizing the digital tools and recognized substantial learning benefits, some concerns emerged regarding the learning process. In light of this, providing not only cognitive but psychological guidance and support for students is critical for the ongoing success of this digital intervention. Moreover, maintaining open communication with parents is key to gaining their trust and nurturing a supportive home learning environment, which encourages students’ smooth adoption of digital learning tools with parents’ help and supervision. While strategically combining video presentations and peer feedback within the digital educational landscape shows promise for enhancing oral proficiency, further research should examine diverse student populations and backgrounds.

Factors influencing the post-school transitions of Chinese middle school students after the high school entrance examination: an exploration through the lens of capital theory

Factors influencing the post-school transitions of Chinese middle school students after the high school entrance examination: an exploration through the lens of capital theory

Which PTSD symptom would mediate the relationship between trauma exposure and depressive symptoms? Preliminary findings from two samples of trauma-exposed middle school students

Recent studies have documented that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are robustly associated with depressive symptoms and may mediate the relationship between trauma exposure and depressive symptoms. However, no study has explored the differential mediating effects of four specific PTSD symptom clusters. This study made the first attempt to examine the mediating effects of different PTSD symptom clusters on the linkage between trauma exposure and depressive symptoms. We analyzed data from two large samples of Chinese middle school students (N = 693 and 957) who had experienced the 2013 Ya'an earthquake. Participants completed standardized measures of trauma exposure, PTSD symptoms, and depressive symptoms. The prevalence of probable PTSD was 3.4% and 3.6%, respectively, in the two samples. Mediation analyses revealed that negative alterations in cognitions and mood and alterations in arousal and reactivity were statistically significant mediators in the relationship between trauma exposure during the earthquake and depressive symptoms. The results are very consistent in both samples. The findings suggest that symptom-specific tailored management of these two specific PTSD symptom clusters might have the potential to change the trajectory of developing depressive symptoms among trauma-exposed populations.

Adolescent Students’ Psychological Needs and Educational Outcomes in School: A Latent Profile Analysis

Based on self-determination theory and taking a person-centered approach, we aimed to investigate latent profiles regarding middle school students’ satisfaction and frustration of basic psychological needs. We also compared student profiles with respect to academic functioning and personal characteristics. Results based on a sample of 838 Chinese middle school students revealed that need satisfaction and need frustration were two distinguishable constructs. Latent profile analyses further identified four profiles: slightly low all, high satisfaction/high frustration, low satisfaction/moderate frustration, and high satisfaction/low frustration. Moreover, there were significant differences in students’ academic functioning among the four latent profiles. In particular, students with high need frustration were most likely to experience maladaptive academic functioning, regardless of their need satisfaction level. These four profiles also demonstrated meaningful associations with other student characteristics. Specifically, girls were less likely to be assigned to the high satisfaction/low frustration profile than to the low satisfaction/moderate frustration profile. Students’ socioeconomic status was not related to profile membership. The findings demonstrate the importance of considering within-person patterns of both need satisfaction and need frustration in order to more fully capture the factors that affect students’ academic functioning in school.

Left-behind cumulative risk and academic adjustment in Chinese middle school students: The moderating effect of growth mindset.

Left-behind children, as a large-scale disadvantaged group, encounter an array of risk factors that impede their academic development because of parental migration. The current study aimed at investigating the roles of left-behind cumulative risk and growth mindset on academic adjustment and exploring whether growth mindset moderated the association between left-behind cumulative risk and academic adjustment in left-behind middle school students. A total of 1184 left-behind middle school students (615 males; 12-16 years) participated in the study. Results indicated that left-behind cumulative risk is negatively associated with academic adjustment in middle school students (β = -.199, t(1183) = -7.229, p < .001). Besides, growth mindset has a protective effect on left-behind middle school students' academic adjustment (β = .386, t(1183) = 14.070, p < .001) and a moderating effect on the relationship between left-behind cumulative risk and academic adjustment (β = .394, t(1182) = 4.057, p < .001, ΔR2 = .012). These findings suggest that family risk factors related to left-behind status affect the academic adjustment of left-behind middle school students in a superposition way, while the positive individual factor of growth mindset could protect the negative impact caused by parental migration.

Inequality in the shadow: The role of private tutoring in SES achievement gaps

Despite the rapid growth of private tutoring, previous studies have not systematically addressed its implications for socioeconomic status (SES) disparities in education, as they have only separately examined differential access to and the effects of private tutoring. This study directly estimates the causal contribution of private tutoring to SES disparities in educational achievement and cognitive ability among Chinese middle school students. Using nationally representative longitudinal data and a novel gap-closing approach, we find that unequal access to private tutoring does not uniformally result in significant learning gaps between high- and low-SES students. When comparing disadvantaged students with their most socioeconomically advantaged peers, we find that the proportions of SES disparities attributed to differences in participation in and intensity of private tutoring increase with these differences. These findings have important policy implications for reducing SES disparities in learning outcomes.

The Impact of Internet Addiction on Academic Performance and Social Skills of Chinese Middle High School Students

The Impact of Internet Addiction on Academic Performance and Social Skills of Chinese Middle High School Students

The effect of physical exercise on social adaptability in Chinese middle school students: The mediating role of social anxiety.

The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of physical exercise on the social adaptability of middle school students and further analyze the mediating role of social anxiety. A total of 1056 middle school students from 6 middle schools in Sichuan, China, voluntarily participated in the survey. The Physical Activity Rating Scale (PARS-3), Social Anxiety Subscale of the Self-Consciousness Scale, and Social Adaptability Scale were used in this study. The data obtained in this study were processed by SPSS 19.0 and Process 3.0. The results showed that physical exercise could positively predict social adaptability (b = 0.08, P < .05), and social anxiety played a mediation role between physical exercise and social adaptability (indirect effect = 0.11, 95% confidence interval = 0.066-0.150). Some practical implications have been discussed on the physical exercise intervention for promoting social adaptability in middle school students.

“It’s Like How Mom Cooks for You, Tell Her Nothing You Only Get Chicken Soup.”: Understanding Children’s Perception of Datafication Online in China

Datafication, the process where users’ actions online are pervasively recorded, tracked, aggregated, analysed, and exploited by online services in multiple ways, is becoming increasingly common today. However, we know little about how children, especially non-Western children, perceive such practices. Through one-to-one semi-structured interviews with 36 children aged 11–14 from Chinese middle schools, we examined how Chinese children perceive datafication practices. We identified three knowledge gaps in children’s current perceptions of datafication practices online, including their lack of recognition of (i) their data ownership, (ii) data being transmitted across platforms, and (iii) datafication could go beyond video recommendation and include inferences and profiling of their personal aspects. Through contextualising these observations within the Chinese context and its unique online ecosystem, we identified cultural traits in Chinese children’s perceptions of datafication. We drew on education theories to discuss how to support the future digital literacy development and design online platforms for Chinese children.

The bidirectional relationship between benign/malicious envy and subjective well-being in adolescents: The mediating effect of self-esteem.

Subjective well-being, an important index for measuring mental health, is presently declining among junior high school students. Envy, one of their common emotions, is inextricably linked to subjective well-being. Based on the Dual Envy Theory, our research explores the bidirectional relationship between benign-malicious envy and subjective well-being. The mediating role of self-esteem, as well as the related gender differences, is examined. Chinese middle school students (n = 1566, boys 50.3%, age = 13.96 ± 0.88 years old) were assessed at two time points over a 3-month interval. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the longitudinal relationships among the variables. (1) Cross-lagged analysis showed a positive bidirectional relationship between benign envy and subjective well-being and a negative bidirectional relationship between malicious envy and subjective well-being in the total sample. However, the path from T1 subjective well-being to T2 malicious envy in boys was not significant. (2) Self-esteem mediated the relationship between both benign and malicious envy and subjective well-being among both boys and girls. A Wald chi-square test showed that T2 self-esteem was a stronger predictor of T2 benign envy in boys than in girls. The results reveal a virtuous cycle of benign envy and subjective well-being, and a vicious cycle of malicious envy and subjective well-being, while emphasizing the role of self-esteem in this process. Gender differences were also noted. These findings have important implications for improving the subjective well-being of secondary school students and exploring the positive effects of envy.

Taekwondo competition marketization development strategy based on SWOT-AHP model

China middle school students Taekwondo League, as the highest level of taekwondo events for middle school students, is an important part of middle school sports events. The development of the league can not only enrich sports activities, mobilize the enthusiasm of middle school students for sports, but also conducive to the improvement of students' will quality and psychological quality as well as training reserve talents. With the rapid development of taekwondo League for middle school students, problems such as imperfect market organization and operation system, unreasonable competition system and imperfect management system of sports teams have been exposed, which affect the sustainable development of the competition to a certain extent. This paper mainly uses the SWOT AHP research method to explore the market commercialization status quo, existing problems and development strategies of Chinese middle school students Taekwondo League, so as to provide theoretical basis for other related studies.

Cultural capital as a predictor of school success: evidence and gender differences in Chinese middle schools

Cultural capital is vital for equitable educational development. This paper studies the effect of family cultural capital on the performance of middle school students with regard to gender, using a multiple linear regression model. Participants from four representative middle schools, totalling 1036 students, were selected during the online learning period. The study found that institutionalised and objectified cultural capital had a pronounced positive effect on students’ school outcomes, but cultural capital that was embodied had both positive and negative effects. Significant differences in the effects of cultural capital on school success were found between male and female students. The educational level of a mother has a significant impact on the school attainment of female students in Chinese, English, math and overall achievement, whereas a father’s education level has a significant effect on male students’ English achievement and overall achievement. The results of the study showed that cultural capital contributed to the academic success of middle school students in different ways. The results presented above contribute to a better comprehension of the mechanisms of the influence of cultural capital on the school performance of middle school students, which has important implications for students’ educational equity. This study recommends improving the mechanism of collaborative education among schools, families and society, by paying attention to vulnerable groups that lack cultural capital, improving the methods of educational evaluation and providing tailor-made education for all types of students.

The protective effect of physical activity on mental health of middle school students at different stages during the COVID-19 outbreak

This study aims to further understand the changes in physical activity level(PAL) and mental health among adolescents before and after the outbreak of COVID-19 and explore the protective role of physical activity (PA) on the mental health of adolescents during major disasters. A convenient sampling method was used to conduct a cross-sectional survey. The cross-sectional data from 2838 Chinese middle school students (mean age = 14.91 ± 1.71 years, 49.54% female) were used, of which 1,471 and 1,367 were in 2021 and 2022, respectively. The PAL was collected using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children (PAQ-CN), mental health status was collected using the Mental Health Inventory of Middle School Students (MMHI-60), sociodemographic information was collected using a self-reported questionnaire. Before and after the outbreak of COVID-19, the PAL of adolescents was 2.36 ± 0.74 and 2.50 ± 0.66, respectively, with a significant difference (p < 0.01, 95% CI: 0.09, 0.19). The mental health scores were 1.71 ± 0.60 and 1.86 ± 0.73, respectively, with a significant difference (p < 0.01, 95% CI: − 0.20, − 0.10). The detection rates of mental health problems were 27.50% and 35.50%, respectively. The rates of achieving PAL standards were 30.20% and 18.00% among adolescents, while the rates of not achieving PAL standards were 39.60% and 18.00%. PA is a protective factor for the mental health of adolescents during major disasters.

The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Problematic Smartphone Use in Chinese Middle School Students: A Serial Multiple Mediating Model

The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Problematic Smartphone Use in Chinese Middle School Students: A Serial Multiple Mediating Model

Mental health professional training for teachers and student outcomes: quasi-experimental evidence from Chinese middle schools

ABSTRACT By using the quasi-experiment of random class assignment, we examined the impact of mental health professional training for teachers on student outcomes in Chinese middle schools. The results indicate that assigning students to classes with Mental Health Training Certificate (MHTC)-equipped homeroom teachers significantly improves their non-cognitive abilities, and the instrumental variable (IV) estimates remain significant. Moreover, this positive effect is more pronounced among disadvantaged students. Mechanism analysis shows that MHTC enhances homeroom teachers’ attributes and fosters a better classroom atmosphere.

Effects of the proportion of students with special educational needs on middle school teachers’ well-being

This study explores the impact of the proportion of students with special educational needs (SEN) on Chinese middle school teachers’ job stress, satisfaction, and exhaustion, amid increasing emphasis on inclusive education. The research hypothesizes that a higher proportion of SEN students may lead to increased job stress, decreased job satisfaction, and heightened job exhaustion. This study utilized data from the China Education Panel Survey, and Structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. The study found a significant negative association between the proportion of SEN students and teacher job satisfaction (β = −0.09, p &amp;lt; 0.05). No direct relationship was found between the proportion of SEN students and job stress (β = 0.00, p &amp;gt; 0.05) and job exhaustion (β = −0.08, p &amp;gt; 0.05). However, there was an indirect positive impact of the proportion of SEN students on job exhaustion via job satisfaction (β = 0.05, p &amp;lt; 0.05). This research provides valuable insights into potential strategies for enhancing job satisfaction and reducing job exhaustion among teachers with a high proportion of SEN students.

Exploring the relationship between sleep patterns and depression among Chinese middle school students: a focus on sleep quality vs. sleep duration.

This study aims to explore the relationship between sleep patterns and depressive symptoms among adolescents, examining variations in depressive symptoms across different sleep qualities, durations, and habits. A cross-sectional survey was conducted, gathering data from 8,775 Chinese adolescents on their demographics, lifestyle habits, sleep quality and duration, and depressive symptoms. The association between sleep parameters and depressive symptoms was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. The findings reveal a significant correlation between sleep quality/duration and depressive symptoms. Specifically, adolescents with poor sleep quality had higher depressive scores (mean score = 14.62, standard deviation = 5.71), significantly exceeding those with better sleep quality (mean score = 11.54, standard deviation = 4.69). Adolescents with shorter sleep duration also showed significantly higher depressive scores than those with moderate sleep duration. Importantly, adolescents experiencing both poor sleep quality and shorter sleep duration were at a significantly increased risk of depressive symptoms (OR = 4.04, 95% CI: 3.53-4.62, P < 0.001). Further analysis indicated that older age and lower family economic status were independent predictors of a higher risk of adolescent depression (OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.08-1.38, P = 0.001), whereas factors such as gender, ethnicity, residence, being an only child, and parental education levels were not statistically significant. Among Chinese adolescents, poor sleep quality and shorter sleep duration are independent predictors of higher depressive symptom scores. Adolescents experiencing both of these conditions simultaneously have a significantly increased risk of depressive symptoms. Furthermore, older age and lower family economic status are also significantly related to an increased risk of depression in adolescents. These findings emphasize the importance of improving sleep quality and optimizing sleep duration for the prevention of adolescent depression. They also suggest the need for a comprehensive approach that addresses the multifaceted factors influencing adolescent mental health, including sleep patterns and socioeconomic disparities.

Teacher resilience development in rural Chinese schools: Patterns and cultural influences

Teacher resilience is a professional capacity and process that involves teachers utilising resources to overcome teaching-related challenges for professional growth. This qualitative study explored the resilience development of twenty teachers in a rural Chinese middle school. Reflexive thematic analysis of interviews, documents, and observation fieldnotes illustrated that teacher resilience development is a long-term, culturally shaped process across career phases. Challenges to resilience development included work-life balance, title promotion, and school management. China's collaborative culture, such as collective teacher learning and family-support networks, protected teachers' resilience. Three paths of teacher resilience development were identified, indicating different response patterns to the challenges.

Peer effects of local students on the human capital of migrant children in middle schools: Evidence from China

The role of peer effects in children's human capital accumulation has attracted increased amounts of attention. Using data from a nationally representative survey of Chinese middle school students, this paper exploits random student-classroom assignment as a quasi-natural experiment to identify the peer effects of local students on the human capital of migrant children in Chinese middle schools. The results indicate that the peer effects of local students significantly improve the human capital of migrant children, including academic performance, cognitive abilities and non-cognitive abilities. Moreover, these peer effects can be further explained by improved parent-child relationships and parental expectations, increased student effort and expectations, and optimized teachers' teaching and school climate. Additionally, the peer effects from local students varies with migrant children's gender, Hukou, number of siblings and grade. Our research contributes to complementing the research field regarding peer effects and provides a new policy-oriented direction for the development of migrant children's human capital.

Comparative Corpus-based Study of Evaluative it Patterns in Middle School Learners’ Writing

Evaluative it patterns, as an important device for writers to express attitudinal and evaluative meaning, have increasingly been one of the topics of Corpus Linguistics. By adopting the corpus-based approach, this paper explores the frequencies, types , and functions of the it is ADJ that subpattern in evaluative it patterns. Results show that: in terms of frequency, the use of it is ADJ that occurs significantly more frequently in native learners' texts than in Chinese learners' texts. In terms of types, there are obvious differences between the two. The types used by native learners are more diverse, while Chinese learners are more single. The function of it is ADJ that is mainly reflected in its adjective use, and the semantic preferences of the patterns of two are significantly different. Native learners make greater use of the patterns to assess likelihood of propositions whereas Chinese middle school learners use them more often to imply certainty. The results of this study shed light on the teaching of English teaching practice of this structure.