Junior Middle School Students Research Articles

Enhancing English Language Review Sessions with Concept Mapping: A Junior Middle School Study

This study delves into the effectiveness of concept mapping as a pedagogical tool in the context of junior middle school English education. It contrasts the traditional review methods commonly employed in the classroom with innovative, visual learning strategies, specifically focusing on the use of concept maps. Through a carefully structured quasi- experimental design, the research was conducted across two parallel classes, enabling a controlled comparison between traditional teaching methodologies and the concept mapping approach. The primary aim was to assess the impact of concept mapping on students' academic performance, particularly in areas such as vocabulary acquisition, grammar understanding, and text comprehension skills. Additionally, the study sought to evaluate how concept mapping influences student engagement and enthusiasm for learning English. The findings from this research are quite revealing, demonstrating that students exposed to concept mapping showed significant improvements not only in their academic performance but also in their overall engagement with the learning material. These improvements were observed across multiple dimensions of language learning, including enhanced vocabulary retention, a deeper understanding of grammatical structures, and improved ability to comprehend and analyze texts. Such outcomes suggest that concept mapping, as a visual learning tool, can play a transformative role in educational practices, especially in the context of language learning. By leveraging the visual and interactive nature of concept maps, educators can create more dynamic and effective review sessions. This approach not only facilitates a deeper understanding of the material but also promotes greater retention of the English language among junior middle school students. The study underscores the potential of integrating visual learning strategies into traditional educational paradigms, offering a compelling case for the adoption of concept mapping as a standard practice in English language teaching and learning.

How the teacher‐student relationship influences adolescents' english academic performance: A multiple mediator analysis based on control‐value theory

AbstractThe current study examined a multiple mediator model based on the control‐value theory. A sample of 433 Chinese junior middle school students participated in questionnaires assessing teacher‐student relationships (TSRs), academic emotions, academic value (AV), and academic self‐efficacy (ASE). English test scores were collected as an indicator of students' English academic performance. The results indicated the following: (a) for academic enjoyment, the TSR has an effect on academic achievement through the chain intermediary of AV and ASE; (b) for academic relaxation, the TSR has an effect on English academic achievement through the single intermediary of academic relaxation and the chain intermediary of AV, ASE, and academic relaxation; (c) for academic anxiety, the TSR has an effect on English academic achievement through the single intermediary of AV, the single intermediary of academic anxiety, and the chain intermediary of AV, ASE, and academic anxiety; (d) for academic boredom, the TSR has an effect on English academic achievement through the single intermediary of academic boredom. These findings enrich the relevant research on the control‐value theory and provide important insights for improving students' English academic achievement.

Parental Burnout, Negative Parenting Style, and Adolescents' Development.

Research on parental burnout has focused more on its antecedents than on its consequences. Burned-out parents may experience a series of behavioral changes, negatively affecting their children's physical and mental development. This study examined the effects of primary caregivers' parental burnout on adolescents' development and the mediating role of negative parenting styles. This study used a time-lagged design, and data were collected at three different time points. Adolescents were asked to identify their primary caregivers, and parents were asked whether they were the primary caregivers of their children. Thereafter, paired data from the children and primary caregivers were collected. A total of 317 junior middle school students (178 boys, Mage = 14.20 ± 0.8 years) and primary caregivers (71 fathers, Mage = 42.20 ± 4.53 years) from Henan province participated. Primary caregivers' parental burnout was positively associated with negative parenting styles, and negative parenting styles mediated the relationship between parental burnout and adolescent development. From the perspective of prevention-focused interventions, it is necessary to focus on preventing the occurrence of parental burnout. Further, parents should try to avoid using abusive behaviors toward their children and neglecting them.

The Influence of Parent-child relationship on Depression Level in Junior Middle School Students: Loneliness as A Mediator


 The objective of this research is to reveal the influence of parent-child relationship on depression level of junior high school students, and to explore the mechanism of loneliness in that relationship. The study mainly adopts the questionnaire method. A total of 589 students from grade one to grade three were surveyed by using the parent-child intimacy questionnaire, the simplified Center for Depression Scale and the UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the data were analyzed by SPSS software and PROCESS plug-in. The survey data proves that the parent-child relationship can predict the depression level of junior middle school students negatively. After the variable of loneliness is introduced, there is a pairwise correlation between the three factors. The parent-child relationship can predict their loneliness negatively in junior high students. And the correlation between loneliness and depression level is significant positive. Meanwhile, loneliness can be a mediator in the relationship between those two variables.

A59: The Influence of Chinese Junior Middle School Students' Expectancy-Value on Their Attitude Towards Physical Education Class

Purpose: Physical education is an important way to improve the sports skills and physical health level of Chinese junior middle school students, help students master sports health knowledge, and cultivate students' sports behavior. It is of great significance to improve the teaching quality of physical education class and solve the practical problem that students like physical education but don't enjoy having physical education class by improving students' expectancy-value of physical education class and correcting students' attitude toward PE (physical education) class. Therefore, to explore the differences between the expectancy-value and attitude of different types of students participating in physical education class, and to clarify the impact of the expectancy-value of different types of students on their attitude toward PE class, can provide a reference for the classified optimization of the expectancy-value and attitude of junior high school students in physical education. Methods: A questionnaire was collected from 2809 Chinese junior middle school students, with an average age of 13.37 years. Among them, 1397 boys and 1412 girls; There are 1010 students in urban schools and 1799 students in rural schools. The contents of the survey include students' age, gender, grade, school type (urban or rural) and other demographic variables, as well as students' expectancy-value and attitude towards PE. The expected value was measured by the Expectancy Value Questionnaire, which includes two dimensions: expectancy beliefs for success and perceived task values (attainment value, intrinsic/interest value, utility value). The construct validity of the questionnaire exceeds 0.90. The attitude toward PE class was measured by the Attitude toward Physical Education Questionnaire for Middle School Students, which includes two dimensions: affective component (α=. 89) and cognitive component (α= .86). Using SPSS 25.0 software, using ANOVA, correlation analysis and regression analysis and other statistical analysis methods, this paper analyzes the differences and effects of different types of junior high school students' expectancy-value on their attitude towards PE class, as well as the moderating effects of demographic variables. Results: (1) The total score of expectancy-value (F=82.45, p < 0.001), total score of attitude toward PE class (F=93.43, p < 0.001) and scores of each dimension of junior middle school boys were significantly higher than those of girls; (2) The scores of rural students' expectancy beliefs for success (F=4.84, p < 0.05), perceived task values (F=7.01, p < 0.01), and affective component of attitude toward PE class (F=5.05, p < 0.05) were significantly higher than those of urban students; (3) There are significant differences in the total score of the expectancy-value (F=8.24, p < 0.001), the score of the expectancy beliefs for success (F=13.74, p < 0.001), the score of the perceived task values (F=8.35, p < 0.001), the total score of the attitude towards PE class (F=5.64, p < 0.01), and the score of the affective component (F=8.04, p <0.001) of the students in Grade one, Grade two, and Grade three. (4) The expectancy-value of physical education of junior high school students can significantly predict their attitudes towards PE class, which is mainly reflected in the predictive effect of perceived task values on the affective component and cognitive component of attitude toward PE class and are moderated by school type (B=0.11, p < 0.01) and grade (B=0.09, p < 0.05). Conclusion: (1) The expectancy-value and attitude toward PE class of junior middle school boys are better than that of girls, the expectancy-value and attitude toward PE class of rural school students are better than those of urban school students, and the expectancy-value and attitude toward PE class of students in grade three are better than those in grade one and grade two; (2) The perceived task values of junior high school students has a predictive effect on the affective and cognitive component of the attitude towards PE class, and are positively moderated by the school type and grade.

Prevalence of depression in junior and senior adolescents.

Depression affects the development of adolescents and makes it difficult for them to adapt to future life. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the population characteristics of adolescent depression. This study measured depression based on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items and sociodemographic questionnaire. A total of 8,235 valid questionnaires were collected from six schools in Haikou and Qionghai, Hainan Province, covering the ages of 13 to 18. The questionnaires included high schools with multiple levels, including general high schools, key high schools, and vocational high schools. Latent category analysis (LCA) was used to identify potential categories of depressive symptoms among adolescents. Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was used for determining depressive symptom latent categories and their proportional distribution among adolescents. LCA analysis divided the data into 3 categories, namely no depression, low depression, and high depression groups. The percentage of the high depression group was 10.1%, and that of the low depression group was 48.4%. The Jorden index was greatest for a PHQ-9 score of 14.5. The 1st grade of junior middle school students entered the high and low depression groups 1.72 and 1.33 times more often than seniors. The number of the 1st grade of high school students included in the high and low depression groups was 1.55 and 1.42 times of the 3rd grade of high school students group. The detection rate of the high depression group of vocational school adolescents was 13.5%, which was significantly higher than that of key high schools (9.6%) and general high schools (9.0%). This study found that 1st grade of junior middle school students and the 1st grade of high school students were more likely to fall into depressive conditions. Moreover, Adolescent girls require more attention than boys. Vocational school students need more psychological guidance.

The association between childhood maltreatment and internet addiction among Chinese junior middle school students: prospective cohort study.

Childhood maltreatment is associated with internet addiction, but most evidence is from retrospective studies. We aimed to investigate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and internet addiction through a prospective cohort design. In a prospective cohort study, self-reported data on childhood maltreatment (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire - Short Form) at baseline, and internet addiction (Revised Chinese Internet Addiction Scale) at baseline and 6-month follow-up, were collected online from 756 Chinese junior middle school students aged 11-15 years and residing in Changsha, Hunan Province. Demographic data and covariates such as depression, anxiety, stress (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale 21) and insomnia (Athens Insomnia Scale) were also surveyed at baseline. Logistic regression analysis measured the association between childhood maltreatment and internet addiction, and gender-related differences. Childhood maltreatment was prevalent in Chinese junior middle school students (37.83%), and the incidence rate of internet addiction was 9.26% at the 6-month follow-up. Emotional abuse was a significant risk factor for internet addiction (adjusted odds ratio 2.618, 95% CI 1.194-5.738; P = 0.016) in both males and females. This study suggests a high prevalence of childhood maltreatment in Chinese junior middle school students, and that emotional abuse plays a significant role in internet addiction. More attention should be paid to parenting style and adolescents' mental health.

A Study on the Effectiveness of Grammar Intervention PBL in Secondary School English Reading in China

This paper compares the effectiveness of grammar intervention problem-based learning (GIPBL) and problem-based learning (PBL). PBL is a constructivism-based popular teaching pedagogy previously used in medical education, then widely applied in other fields education, including junior high school English reading teaching. But, researchers of Scaffolding learning theory argue that grammar intervention PBL (GIPBL) is more suitable for Junior high students in English reading courses. For comparing the effect of GIPBL and PBL on satisfaction and learning process in junior high school Grade 3 students, this study does a quasi-experimental study in Jiang (2015) Foreign Language Experimental School in Sichuan Province, China. The participants include 120 students of grade 8 in two different classes in Junior High School. Experimental and control groups are designed. The experimental class is taught in GIPBL and the control class is taught in PBL. Both classes are learning English reading, an important part of the English course. Pre-test and post-test were applied. The instruments were a demographic questionnaire, reading test and satisfaction questionnaire. The result shows students’ reading comprehension scores in GIPBL are better than those of the control group. GIPBL broadens the implementation of PBL in practice. There was more satisfaction with GIPBL. 82% of students thought GIPBL was a more acceptable and effective teaching method. The result shows that Grammar Intervention PBL suits junior high and middle school students in English reading courses.

The Association between Perceived Family Financial Stress and Adolescent Suicide Ideation: A Moderated Mediation Model.

Nowadays, suicide (especially adolescents' suicide) has been an increasingly prominent social problem worldwide; suicide ideation, as an important predictor, has been the focus of relevant studies and practices. Against this background, the present study aimed to examine the association between perceived family financial stress and adolescents' suicidal ideation, as well as the potential roles of depression and parent-child attachment. A sample of 526 junior middle school students was recruited voluntarily to participate in this cross-sectional study, and the results indicated that the prevalence of suicidal ideation among junior high school students was 15.45%; perceived family financial stress was positively associated with suicidal ideation, and depression could significantly mediate this relation; parent-child attachment significantly moderated the mediating effect of depression (in particular, the relation between depression and suicidal ideation); specifically, this relation was stronger among adolescents with lower values of parent-child attachment. These findings could deepen our understanding of the influences of perceived family financial condition and the risky factors of adolescents' suicidal ideation, which could provide guidance for the prevention and intervention of adolescents' depression and suicidal ideation.

FAMILY CAUSES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS OF JUNIOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES AND THEIR EFFECTS ON SCHOOL PERFORMANCE

Psychological problems of adolescents have become more common, and changes in the family structure of single-parent families have exacerbated psychological problems and daily behaviour. Different family factors will have different degrees of influence on single-parent families. This research will adopt a qualitative method, in which several junior middle school students from single-parent families are collected through interviewing to understand the students' self-evaluation of the current family and school performance. According to the results of the research, it can be seen that family factors greatly influence adolescents from single-parent families. They are often sensitive, have low self-esteem, and desire companionship and attention. The guardian’s education level and style directly affect adolescents' learning attitudes and behaviour. The lack of parental presence leads to increased psychological problems and poor school performance in adolescents from single-parent families, and adolescents raised by grandparents are less emotionally close to their parents. So, in a single-parent family, the parent's company is the most important. Besides, parents' education style will also significantly impact adolescents' psychology and thus affect their school performance.

Effects of health education during public health emergencies on the health literacy, emotion and coping style of Chinese junior middle school students: a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundSchools are high incidence places for public health emergencies. Good health literacy helps students cope with public health emergencies. Overall, the health literacy of young students is relatively low. Health education can promote health literacy, but the health education related to public health emergencies for Chinese junior middle school students needs to be improved. To design and implement health education courses related to public health emergencies for junior middle school students and examine the impact on their health literacy, emotions, and coping styles.MethodsFrom March to December 2022, 724 students in Grade 7 and Grade 8 of two junior middle schools in Changzhou were randomly divided into a course group (n = 359) and a control group (n = 365). The course group received an age-appropriate health education course that addressed public health emergencies; there were 12 classes, one per week. The control group received general health education. One week before and after the courses, the two groups of students were assessed with the Adolescent Health Literacy Evaluation Scale under Public Health Emergencies (AHLES-PHE), the Depression Self-Rating Scale for Children (DSRSC), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7), and the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ).ResultsAfter the courses were completed, the scores of AHLES-PHE [156.0 (45.0,180.0) vs. 165.0 (54.0,180.0), P < 0. 05] in the course group increased significantly. The positive rate of DSRSC [81 (22.6%) vs. 57 (15.9%), P < 0.05] and GAD-7 [45 (12.5%) vs. 29 (8.1), P < 0.05]in the course group were significantly lower than those before courses. There was no significant difference in the above indices before and after courses in the control group (P > 0.05).ConclusionThis suggests that the health education courses related to public health emergencies designed in this study has an effect on improving health literacy, depression and anxiety in junior middle school students.

Latent classes of health risk behaviors and their relationship with self-control among rural secondary school students in Guizhou Province

To understand the potential categories of health risk Guizhou Province. From November to December 2021, 4452 rural students in middle school students with average age of(13.5±1.6) years were selected from Guizhou Province by multi-stage stratified random cluster sampling method.1505(33.8%) students in the first grade, 1958(44.0%) students in the second grade and 989(22.2%) students in the third grade. There were 2295 boys(51.5%) and 2157 girls(48.5%). Basic information questionnaire, health risk behavior questionnaire and self-control scale were used for questionnaire survey. Latent category analysis was used to explore the potential categories of health risk behaviors, and disordered multiple classification logistic regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between potential categories and self-control. The health risk behaviors of rural middle school students in Guizhou Province could be divided into four potential categories: low risk group(71.4%), medium risk group(11.6%), sub-high risk group(5.2%) and high risk group(10.7%). There were statistically significant differences in the distribution characteristics of potential categories of junior middle school students with different gender, grade, nationality, only child, accommodation, stay-behind, academic performance, academic pressure, peer relationship, parent-child relationship, teacher-student relationship and domestic violence(P&lt;0.05 or P&lt;0.01). Taking the low-risk group as the reference group, the highest self-control scores were in the medium risk group(OR=1.049, 95%CI 1.040-1.058), the sub-high risk group(OR=1.098, 95%CI 1.083-1.113), and the high risk group(OR=1.077, 95%CI 1.066-1.087). The latent characteristics of health risk behavior of rural junior middle school students in Guizhou Province are obvious. Improving self-control ability can reduce the occurrence of medium risk group, sub-high risk group and high risk group.

Foreign Language Anxiety of Rural EFL Junior Middle School Chinese Students: A Case Study of A School In East China

The objectives of this study were two folds: 1) to examine the factors and identify the level of the factors affecting the foreign language anxiety of the rural Chinese junior middle school; and 2) to explore anxiety-reducing strategies that should be used by the rural Chinese junior middle school students in this study. The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) designed by Horwitz (1986) was adapted to collect quantitative data from 110 students to identify the level of foreign language anxiety factors, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 9 students and their parents as well as 4 teachers to explore for anxiety-reducing strategies for the students. The results of the FLCAS questionnaire showed that the English learning anxiety level of rural junior middle school Chinese students was moderate (x̄ =3.26), including the level of communication anxiety (x̄ =3.26), the level of test anxiety (x̄ =3.28), and the level of fear of negative evaluation (x̄ =3.24). The results of the semi-structured interviews revealed that the learner-related factors were the most significant, followed by teacher-related factors. The emerging results of qualitative data from the perspectives of students, parents, and teachers in relation to English anxiety-reducing strategies were found; i.e., improving English learning skills, increasing self-regulated learning in English, using effective instructional approach, providing comments and feedbacks to support the students in learning English, and avoiding placing undue focus on English test results.

Shame Memory's Impact on Depression among Junior Middle School Students: A Moderated Mediation Model.

(1) Objective: While recent studies have shed light on the effects of shame memories on mental well-being, there is still limited understanding of the underlying mechanisms linking shame memories and depression. Based on the biopsychosocial model and cognitive therapy theory, this study examined the association between shame memory and depression and the indirect role of emotion management and self-criticism. (2) Methods: A total of 1004 junior high school students were measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, the event impact scale, the self-criticism scale of the depressive experiences questionnaire, and the emotional intelligence scale. (3) Results: Shame memory had a significant positive correlation with depression. The relationship between shame memory and depression was partially mediated by self-criticism. Emotional management was found to regulate the latter half of the mediating effect of shame memory on depression. (4) Conclusions: Self-criticism plays a mediating role in the relationship between shame memory and depression, as well as emotion management plays a moderating role between self-criticism and depression. This perspective will contribute to the growing body of knowledge about the impact of shame memories on depression among junior high school children but also offers a feasible plan for follow-up intervention.

The relationship between negative parenting styles and suicidal ideation among Chinese junior middle school students: The roles of negative emotions and hope

AbstractSuicidal ideation is a prominent public health problem among junior middle school students. Previous researchers have explored the influence of parenting style on adolescents' suicidal ideation, but few researchers distinguished the influence of positive and negative parenting styles. The mediating effect of negative emotions between negative parenting styles and suicidal ideation and the moderating effect of hope among Chinese junior middle school students were focused on in this study. 877 junior middle school students in Hunan, Anhui, and Jiangxi provinces in China were investigated with the simplified Parenting Style Questionnaire, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, Children's Hope Scale, and Self‐rating Idea of Suicide Scale. The theoretical models were tested through the PROCESS macro for SPSS. The results showed that: (1) Negative parenting styles had positive effects on suicidal ideation. (2) Negative emotions mediated the relationship between negative parenting styles and suicidal ideation. (3) Hope moderated the relationship between negative emotions and suicidal ideation. This study implies that we could start by improving adolescents' negative parenting styles and raising their level of hope to prevent and intervene in adolescents' suicidal ideation.

The Effectiveness of English Writing Teaching in Junior Middle School Based on Production-Oriented Approach

Production-oriented Approach (POA) proposed by Chinese scholar Wen Qiufang has been widely used in English teaching in recent years, but there are few studies on its application in junior middle school English teaching. This study analyzed the impact of the application of Production-oriented Approach on junior middle school students’ English learning attitude and English writing performance. In the experimental design, both quantitative and qualitative methods were adopted. Writing tests, questionnaire, interview were used as instruments. A total of 116 Chinese students from Year 8 of Yangzhou Shiyan Junior Middle School, Jiangsu Province in China were invited to participate in an 8-week pre- and post-test experiment. By comparing the writing scores before and after the test, it is found that the English writing scores of the students in the experimental class are higher than those of the students in the control class. Through the analysis of the results of questionnaires and interview, it is found that the students’ attitude towards English writing teaching in the experimental class has improved significantly. The implications and suggestions for dissemination and implementation of POA for junior middle school students are discussed.

Retracted: Evaluation Method of the Metacognitive Ability of Chinese Reading Teaching for Junior Middle School Students Based on Dijkstra Algorithm and IoT Applications

Retracted: Evaluation Method of the Metacognitive Ability of Chinese Reading Teaching for Junior Middle School Students Based on Dijkstra Algorithm and IoT Applications

Psychological abuse, internalising, and externalising behaviours of students: A latent profile analysis

This study aimed to explore the types of psychological abuse and their relationship with internalising and externalising behaviours among Chinese junior middle school students (n = 619; male = 49.1%, female = 50.9%; mean age = 13.5 years, SD = 1.152 years). Latent profile analysis revealed four psychological abuse profiles: low, medium-low, medium-high, and high. Those students with high psychological abuse profiles also reported high internalising and externalising behaviours compared to those with lower psychological abuse profiles. Multinomial logistic regression analysis indicated that gender and school grade differences had a significant impact on psychological abuse profiles. This finding suggested that boys were more likely to have a high psychological abuse profile than girls, and students in Grade 8 were more likely to have a high psychological abuse profile than students in Grade 9. Our findings underscore the importance of designing and implementing psychological abuse treatment interventions by profiles of the children for higher efficacy in reducing the risk of internalising and externalising behaviours.

How to Help English Learners Reduce Reading Anxiety

English reading teaching plays an increasingly important role in language teaching and has become an important way for middle school students to learn English language knowledge and understand foreign history and culture. At present, many students have obstacles in English reading, which restricts students' reading speed and quality. Most students think English reading is difficult. They have different degrees of reading disabilities. This paper will analyze the obstacles of junior middle school students in English reading, and put forward the strategies to deal with these obstacles in order to improve junior middle school students' English reading level.

Changes in physical activity level of adolescents and its relationship with mental health during regular COVID-19 prevention and control.

This study aimed to analyze the impact of regular prevention and control of COVID-19 on the physical activity level (PAL) of adolescents and the relationship between PAL and mental health. Using the convenience sampling method, two stages of the on-site cross-sectional investigation were conducted in 11 middle schools in Guiyang City in China. There were 1132 participants who completed the Physical Activity Questionnaire for old children (PAQ-C) in October 2020, and 1503 participants who completed the PAQ-C and Mental Health Inventory of Middle-school students (MMHI-60) in October 2021. All participants reported their demographic data. Descriptive, quantitative statistics were used for data analysis. One-way ANOVA was used to explore associations between PAL and mental health. The results of statistical analysis showed a gradual yearly increase in the PAL of teenagers, and the PAL of male junior middle school students has a significant increase (p<.05); while that of adolescents in Grade 10 significantly decreased (p<.001). There is a statistically significant correlation between adolescents' mental health (except for anxiety) and PAL (p<.05). The overall abnormal rate of mental health was 27.9%; The PAL and the total mean score of mental health had a negative correlation (p<.001). There was a significant difference between mental health scores and corresponding PAL (p<.001). Furthermore, there are statistically significant differences in scores of mental health factors corresponding to varying PAL among junior high school students and male students (p<.05). The regular epidemic prevention and control measures had significant adverse effects on the PAL of girls and high school adolescents, especially Grade 10 adolescents. Improving adolescents' PAL can promote their mental health. Interventions based on PAL slightly lower than the level recommended in the physical activity guidelines can bring significant mental health effects.