Middle School Students In China Research Articles

Patterns of adverse childhood experiences and suicidal behaviors in adolescents: A four-province study in China

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with increased suicidal behaviors in adolescents and most research has been restricted to certain types of or cumulative exposure to ACEs. Few studies have examined the association between patterns of ACEs and suicidal behaviors. Objective: To identify the contributions of type and pattern of exposure to ACEs to suicidal behaviors and their gender differences among middle school students in China. Methods: A school-based health survey was conducted in four provinces in China between 2017 and 2018. 14 500 students aged 10–20 years completed standard questionnaires, to record details of ACEs, suicide ideation, suicide plan, and suicide attempt. Results: Latent class analysis indicated four distinct patterns of ACEs exposure: high ACEs (6.3%), high abuse and neglect (21.4%), high neglect (45.5%), and low ACEs (26.8%). Logistic analyses showed that, compared with low ACEs, the high ACEs were more likely to report suicidal behaviors. No gender differences were found in the independent effects of ACEs type or pattern on suicidal behaviors, except for the emotional neglect associated with suicidal behaviors in girls than boys. Limitations: The study was cross-sectional and used self-reported questionnaires. Thus, it is difficult to establish a causal relationship between patterns of ACEs and suicidal behaviors. Conclusion: Our findings addressed the need for a comprehensive consideration of ACEs in preventive healthcare work to identify children exposed to the most problematic ACE patterns. The study provided the evidence of targeted intervention to preempt the emergence of suicide behavior in at-risk students in adolescents.

Is private supplementary tutoring effective? A longitudinally detailed analysis of private tutoring quality in China

In general, private supplementary tutoring is considered an effective means of improving academic achievement by parents. However, previous studies have produced partial or inconclusive results regarding its effectiveness. Thus, the present study conducted a comprehensive analysis based on a specially designed longitudinal survey of private supplementary mathematics tutoring among middle school students in China. The hierarchical linear analysis did not show a considerably significant positive effect of regular private tutoring, even when such tutoring continued throughout the summer vacation and school semester. The data also allowed a deeper inquiry into the role of the quality, quantity, and applicability of private tutoring. In addition, the heterogeneous effect of private supplementary tutoring across students with different mathematics achievement levels was explored, with possible explanations including the different learning styles of students from different groups, the ceiling effect of the testing tool, and the different learning needs of different groups of students. These results suggest that parents should carefully select private tutoring for their children, and that the government should provide more comprehensive professional guidelines to regulate the industry.

Does all work and no play make elite students? Evidence from the China education panel survey

This paper examines the role of after-class learning time in educational performance. In the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015, Chinese students spent the longest time on study out of school compared with OECD countries but ranked only 10th in mathematics, reading and science. It is doubtful that the longer students study after school, the better their academic performance will be. Based on a representative survey of middle school students in China, we draw on generalized propensity score matching to explore the causal effect between after-class learning time and academic performance, find that the two have a relatively stable “inverted U” relation, and determine that the best academic performance can be achieved when after-class learning time is kept at 3 h per day on weekdays and 8 h per day on weekends. More than these optimal times will hinder academic performance. We further find that the effect of after-class study time on academic performance varies among different groups. There is evidence that after-class learning time influences academic performance through two channels: students’ perceived learning difficulty and self-efficacy. This paper concludes that in addition to the appropriate homework assigned by teachers, parents should keep extracurricular tutoring for their children within a reasonable amount of time to maximize students’ academic performance.

Risk Factors Associated With School Bullying Behaviors: A Chinese Adolescents Case-Control Study, 2019.

This research aimed to identify risk factors including individual characteristics and environment circumstances related to different types of school bullying (physical, relational, verbal, sexual, and possession bullying) among middle school students in China. Cases were the respondents reporting perpetrating bullying behaviors three or more times in the past year. One control was selected for each case from those participants who were not involved in school bullying in the past 12 months. Data were collected between April 2019 and May 2019 in China. After considering potential confounding variables including gender, grade level, and school, multivariable conditional logistic regression analysis was performed based on the univariate logistic analysis including 1,594 adolescents. According to conditional logistic regression analysis, alcohol use and lack of emotional management and control were the significant individual characteristics positively associated with involvement in school bullying. Alcohol use was related to all five types of school bullying perpetration. Poor relationships between family members, father's alcohol use, and parental neglect were strong risk factors for relational bullying. Lack of a sense of safety and absence of trusted people were associated with physical, relational, and verbal bullying perpetration. Results of this study provide evidence about risk factors for school bullying and have implications for potential policies to reduce bullying. Effective policies and programs need to take individual characteristics (social-emotional skills, anger control), family (parent training in conflict resolution, appropriate disciplining), peer and school factors (promoting prosocial networks, zero tolerance for bullying, appropriate disciplining policies against students who bully others, teacher training on building positive teacher-student relationships and positive discipling techniques) into consideration in order to develop effective prevention programs.

Combined association of physical activity and screen time with health-related quality of life among primary and middle school students in China

Objective To explore the association of physical activity and screen time with health-related quality of life among students in China. Methods A total of 4 388 students (graders 4–12) were randomly selected from primary, junior and senior high schools in Nanjing, China, to take part in this cross-sectional questionnaire survey in 2018. The associations of physical activity and screen time with health-related quality of life were assessed using mixed-effects linear regression models and reported as mean difference ( MD ) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results After adjustment for potential confounders and class-level clustering effects, students with sufficient physical activity reported an increased 0.03(95% CI = 0.01–0.05) unit of the Child Health Utility 9D (CHU9D) scores compared to their counterparts with insufficient physical activity, while participants with short screen time also recorded higher CHU9D scores 0.05(95%CI = 0.02–0.08) than those with prolonged screen time. Relative to those with insufficient physical activity and prolonged screen time, students with insufficient physical activity and short screen time 0.05(95% CI = 0.02–0.09), or students with sufficient physical activity and prolonged screen time 0.03(95%CI = -0.03–0.10), or students with sufficient physical activity and short screen time 0.08(95%CI = 0.05–0.12), respectively, reported increased CHU9D scores. Conclusion Health-related quality of life was positively associated with physical activity, but negatively with screen time. Moreover, these two factors may have a combined effect on health-related quality of life. 【摘要】 目的 了解南京地区中小学生体力活动、视屏时间与生活质量的联合效应, 为制定提高学生人群生活质量的综 合措施提供参考。 方法 2018年在南京市随机抽取小学四年级至高中三年级的4 388名学生为研究对象, 使用混合效应 模型计算组间均数差值和95%C/分析体力活动、视屏时间与生活质量之间的关联。 结果 在调整混杂因素和班级水平的 聚集性后, 与体力活动不足者相比, 体力活动充足者的健康相关生活质量评分增加0.03(95% CI =0.01~0.05);与视屏时间 达到2 h/d者相比, 视屏时间不足2 h/d者的CHU9D评分增加0.05(95% CI = 0.02~0.08);与体力活动不足且视屏时间达 到2 h/d的学生相比, 体力活动不足且视屏时间不足2 h/d者的健康相关生活质量评分增加0.05(95%CI =0.02~0.09)、体 力活动充足而视屏时间达到2 h/d者的评分增加0.03(95%C/ =-0.03~0.10)、体力活动充足且视屏时间不足2 h/d者的评 分增加0.08(95%CI =0.05~0.12)。 结论 充足体力活动和较少视屏时间均可增加中小学生人群的生活质量评分, 且两者 对生活质量评分具有联合效应。

The Relationship between Loneliness, Self-Efficacy, and Satisfaction with Life in Left-Behind Middle School Students in China: Taking Binhai County of Jiangsu Province as an Example

Objective: To explore the relationship between loneliness, self-efficacy, and satisfaction with life of Left-behind middle school students in China. Methods: A cluster random sampling method was used to study students from Left-behind middle schools in Binhai County of Jiangsu Province. The loneliness scale, general self-efficacy scale, and satisfaction with life scale were used to conduct questionnaire surveys. Results: Compared with non-left behind middle school students, Left-behind middle school students had higher loneliness, lower self-efficacy, and satisfaction with life. There were significant gender differences in loneliness and satisfaction with life of the two types of students. Whether to live in school or not had an insignificant impact on the loneliness and satisfaction with life of Left-behind middle school students. Loneliness had a significant negative predictive effect on the satisfaction with Left-behind middle school students’ life and self-efficacy. In predicting satisfaction with life by loneliness, self-efficacy generally played a part of the mediating role, which could partially buffer the adverse effects of loneliness on student satisfaction with life. Conclusion: The mental health of left-behind middle school students should arouse the common concern of family, school and society. Try to do some intervention counseling in reducing the experience of loneliness and enhancing the sense of self-efficacy to improve their satisfaction with life and maintain a positive mental state.

Classroom Composition and Student Academic Achievement: The Impact of Peers’ Parental Education

Abstract Using data from a nationally representative survey of middle school students in China and exploiting the random assignment of students to classrooms within schools, the study investigates the causal effect of peers’ parental education on students’ scholastic performance. The results show that the education level of peers’ parents improves students’ academic achievement. Students with high-educated parents benefit more from classmates with higher parental education compared to students with low-educated parents. The investigation of mechanisms reveals that the peer effects could be in part explained by peers’ academic quality, classroom atmosphere, and behaviors of students’ friends. However, peers’ parental education has no impact on teachers’ pedagogical methods and teaching efforts. The paper also shows that failing to account for the nonrandom assignment of students within schools causes an upward bias in the estimated peer effects of parental education.

Sources of legal cynicism among students in China: the role of Western popular culture and social attachment

ABSTRACT Previous research has suggested that the presence of subcultures, particularly in minority neighborhoods, can be a major source of legal cynicism, a concept referring to a cynical view of the criminal justice system and the law. The purpose of this paper is to examine the sources of legal cynicism among middle school students in China, a cultural setting that is distinctively different from the US, which has so far been the focus of most analyses. More specifically, it examines the effects of hypothesized factors on legal cynicism reported in earlier studies, which have relied on subculture and bonding theories. The data were gathered from 30 schools in China all of which are home to large populations of ethnic minority students. The primary findings suggest that the influence of Western popular culture, being attributed the label ‘fan of Western popular culture,’ and attachment to family and school, are significant predictors of legal cynicism. The effects, however, of these two groups of variables differ significantly.

Depressive symptoms prevalence, associated family factors, and gender differences: A national cohort study of middle school students in China

BackgroundThis study examined prevalence and change in depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents, and roles of inter-parental (I-P) relationship and parent-child (P-C) relationships in its etiology and gender differences. MethodsSurvey data on depressive symptoms, I-P relationship, and indicators of P-C relationships were collected in China Education Panel Survey (2013-2015) from a nationally representative sample of adolescents (n=9,869) at 7th (at baseline), 8th and 9th (follow-up) grades. ResultsPrevalence of depressive symptoms was 17.9% in 7th graders and higher at 25.7% for 9th graders, more remarkably in girls. Better I-P relationship could reduce the risk of depressive symptoms among all (OR=0.53, 95%CI: 0.48, 0.58), girls (OR=0.61, 95%CI: 0.54, 0.69), and boys (OR=0.54, 95%CI: 0.49, 0.61). Greater mother-child (M-C) and father-child (F-C) closeness were protective of depressive symptoms in all and girls (ORs=0.94 to 0.96, p<0.01). More P-C interactions was associated with reduced risk of depressive symptoms among all (OR=0.91, 95%CI: 0.89, 0.93), boys (OR=0.91, 95%CI: 0.89, 0.94), and girls (OR=0.93, 95%CI: 0.91, 0.96). Better I-P relationship increased M-C closeness, F-C closeness, and P-C interactions, which in turn reduced depressive symptoms risk (indirect effects: β=-0.03, 95% CI: -0.04, -0.03). LimitationsThe brief depressive inventory was only able to capture higher depressive symptoms, not clinical depression. ConclusionsDepressive symptoms are prevalent in Chinese adolescents with increases from early to middle adolescence. I-P and P-C relationships reduce depressive symptoms risk. P-C relationships mediated associations between I-P relationship and depressive symptoms. Future interventions may target these family factors to reduce depression among Chinese adolescents.

China urgently needs a nationwide scoliosis screening system.

Scoliosis is the most common spine deformity and is defined as a radiological lateral Cobb angle of at least 10 degrees (1). Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), occurs in individuals aged 10-18 years and disproportionately affects females (2,3). Severe spinal curvature may be related to adverse long-term health outcomes. Early identification and effective intervention could stop or slow the curve progression of mild scoliosis before skeletal maturity. A meta-analysis showed that the pooled prevalence of scoliosis among primary and middle school students in China was 1.02% (95% confidence interval 0.85%-1.18%) (4). There are more than 300 million Chinese adolescents aged 10-18 years, so there could be millions with AIS. Early detection, diagnosis and treatments are urgently needed to improve long-term outcomes.

Parental migration and self-reported health status of adolescents in China: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundOver 100 million children are parented by migrant workers in China. The aim of this study was to investigate how self-reported adolescent physical and mental health are associated with parental migration. MethodsBased on cross-sectional data of 13996 students in 112 schools drawn from a nationally representative sample of middle school students in China, this study used self-reported measures for adolescent physical and mental health. Ordered logistic regression was used for the analysis of self-reported physical health, and linear regression was used for the analysis of self-reported mental health, both adjusting for socio-economic covariates and school fixed effects, to determine how adolescent health is associated with parental migration. FindingsIn urban areas, migrant adolescents were physically healthier (OR=1.19, 95% CI: 1.03–1.36), and similarly mentally healthy (b=-0.07, 95% CI: -0.37–0.23), compared to urban adolescents from intact families; in rural areas, left-behind adolescents were less physically (OR=0.84, 95% CI: 0.76–0.94) and mentally (b=0.45, 95% CI: 0.24–0.66) healthy than rural-intact adolescents, holding other variables constant. Left-behind adolescents had less close parent-adolescent relationships than rural-intact adolescents with both father (OR=0.63, 95% CI: 0.56–0.71) and mother (OR=0.62, 95% CI: 0.54–0.70). InterpretationOur study highlights a great need for health interventions aimed at left-behind adolescents in China and globally, and the important roles of parent-adolescent relationships in addressing the health needs of left-behind adolescents.

The influences of parental emotional warmth on the association between perceived teacher–student relationships and academic stress among middle school students in China

Using the Process-Person-Context-Time model by Bronfenbrenner as a foundation, this study investigated the effect of perceived teacher–student relationships and parental emotional warmth on academic stress among middle school students in China. Data were collected through a survey questionnaire administered to a sample of 1214 students in grades 7–9 in Xi’an, China. The hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to assess the statistical relationships. Measures of fathers’ and mothers’ emotional warmth were separately tested. Students’ perceptions of teacher–student relationships and parental emotional warmth variables were negatively correlated with academic stress. The regression analyses found that parental emotional warmth had no main effect on academic stress; however, it had an interaction effect with students’ perceptions of teacher–student relationships on academic stress. When middle school students perceive a good relationship between teachers and students, but the parents’ emotional warmth level is low, students experience greater academic pressure. With an increase of parents' emotional warmth level, students experience lower levels of academic pressure. Efforts to reduce students’ academic stress should simultaneously focus on improving teacher–student relationships and students’ sense that their parents provide emotional warmth.

Parenting styles and children’s academic performance: Evidence from middle schools in China

Most of the existing literature has shown that parents’ educational background, occupation and income will affect children’s initial endowment, educational investment and cultural environment. Few studies have used large samples to analyze the influence of parental communication, company, supervision, requirements and other parenting practices on children’s academic performance after controlling for parents’ external background. Based on a large sample survey of middle-school students in China, this study applies factor analysis and cluster analysis to categorize parenting styles as authoritative, permissive, authoritarian and neglectful. Using the instrumental variable method, we discuss the causal effect of parenting style on children’s academic performance. The findings are as follows: the parenting styles of Chinese parents are predominantly authoritarian and neglectful; parents of higher social classes tend to adopt the permissive parenting style; the authoritative parenting style is more conducive to improving children’s academic performance; parenting style has a greater effect on children from disadvantaged backgrounds; and the parenting styles of mothers play a more vital role in their children’s academic performance than do the parenting styles of fathers.

Relationship between overeating and child abuse by family members among Chinese adolescents

The negative effect of mother-daughter relationship on female’s eating behaviors has been widely reported; however, few studies examined how other family members-child relationships might be related to children’s eating behaviors, especially for male children. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether child abuse by family members (parents and others) was related to overeating (four levels of eating disorder symptoms) among Chinese adolescents. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a school-based sample of 4346 middle school students in China, and the participants completed self-report measures for child abuse, overeating, and demographic variables. Bivariate correlation analyses and ordinal logistic regression analyses (adjusting for potential confounding variables) were performed to estimate the association between childhood abuse by different family members and overeating. Boys and girls who reported higher levels of child abuse perpetrated by their father, mother, and other family members showed higher levels of overeating. These three sources (father, mother, other members) of family member abuse were differentially associated with overeating between boys and girls. After adjusting for potential confounding variables, boys who experienced child abuse by fathers (OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.14–1.98) and by other family members (OR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.00–2.71) were more likely to have overeating. However, for girls, experiences of child abuse by fathers (OR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.31–2.31) and by mothers (OR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.03–1.83) were significant predictors for overeating. The results not only replicated previous findings that child abuse could contribute to overeating, but also extended previous findings by showing that the sources of family abuse could influence overeating differently for boys and girls.

Social Interactions and Competition in Shadow Education

We examine the competition in shadow education inputs among students' parents under a social interaction framework by using a representative survey of middle school students in China. Based on the data structure and the identification issues, we apply spatial Tobit models and find that the competition does exist but will be overestimated if we overlook the reflection problem. Moreover, the competition effect is higher of the more observable outcome for agents in the same reference group. Heterogeneity analyses indicate that the competition reaction is stronger for parents with 9th-grade children and for parents whose children may have competitive disadvantages in the future. The competition is more intense among parents who have similar attributes, thus may communicate more frequently. The competition level is higher during the beginning of an academic year.

Practical Analysis of Mental Health Assistance in Elementary and Middle Schools under COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of City A in Jiangsu, China

The COVID-19 outbreak has severely affected the mental health of elementary and middle school students in China, and has had a negative impact. How to help elementary and middle school students overcome the negative psychological impact caused by pandemic has become a common concern. During the COVID-19 pandemic period, City A of Jiangsu Province actively carried out mental health assistance for elementary and middle school students, by opening a psychological hotline, publishing mental health micro-classes through the platform, and posting mental health tweets through the WeChat public account and the Ailing (Love-listening) mini program. Ways of assistance. This greatly helped the students overcome the negative psychological effects. This article reviews and analyzes the psychological assistance measures taken by City A in Jiangsu Province during the COVID-19 pandemic period, in order to provide a reference for researchers.

The Relationship between Loneliness, Self-Efficacy, and Satisfaction with Life in Left-Behind Middle School Students in China: Taking Binhai County of Jiangsu Province as an Example

The Relationship between Loneliness, Self-Efficacy, and Satisfaction with Life in Left-Behind Middle School Students in China: Taking Binhai County of Jiangsu Province as an Example

我国初中生家长参与的阶层差异分析

我国初中生家长参与的阶层差异分析

A Comparative Study of Thinking Quality Between Chinese and American Junior Middle School Students From the Perspective of Key Competences of English Subject

The globalization and information tide in the 21st century have promoted the new demand for talents in social development, and the key competences education came into being under such an era. Subsequently, the “key competences” became the key word of the global educational reform under the background of the new era in the 21st century. The key competences documents promulgated by many countries have obvious consistency and similarity, but they are not completely identical. There may be some problems worthy of reflection behind the differences. As the largest developing country and the largest developed country in the world, the educational views of China and the United States have a profound impact on the world civilization and pattern. As far as English subject is concerned, although English education is foreign language education in China, not native English education or non-native English education in the United States, it is combined with the reality of English education in China. Comparing the similarities and differences in the field of thinking quality between Chinese and American junior middle school English education can promote the reform of domestic English education and improve its quality. Also, many teachers only pay attention to the cultivation of students’ language knowledge and skills in the English classroom at present, neglecting the cultivation of students’ thinking quality, so it is difficult to improve students’ thinking ability and thinking personality traits. Based on this, the paper aims to cultivate and develop thinking quality of junior middle school students from the perspective of key competences of English subject. Through a comparative study of the consistency and difference of thinking quality between Chinese and American junior middle school students by using the methods of literature research and comparative analysis, the paper pays more attention to the problems of thinking quality of junior middle school students in China. As a result, the corresponding solutions are discussed. The paper is divided into five chapters. The first chapter is the introduction. The research background, research purposes, research significance, research problems and research methods are briefly described. The second chapter is the literature review. It covers the research status and research trend of thinking quality at home and abroad. The third chapter is comparative study. This part briefly introduces the framework of Chinese and American key competences, discusses in detail the consistency and differences of Chinese and American junior high school students’ thinking quality in the three dimensions of logic, criticism and innovation, and points out the similarities and differences. The fourth chapter explores the essence of differences. From the perspective of English curriculum, this paper explains the reasons for the differences in thinking quality between Chinese and American junior high school students, including classroom teaching, reading and writing. The fifth chapter is a reflection. It discusses the limitations of the cultivation of thinking quality of junior middle school students in China, draws lessons from useful experience, and initially explores the methods of cultivating thinking quality of junior middle school students, in order to enhance the comprehensive strength of the key competences of junior middle school students.

Exploring the Effect of Perceived Teacher Support on Multiple Creativity Tasks: Based on the Expectancy–Value Model of Achievement Motivation

AbstractThe present study explores the effect of perceived teacher support on three forms of thinking related to creativity. Tests of convergent thinking (by means of the Remote Associates Test), insight thinking (explored through a brain‐teaser test), and divergent thinking (by means of a verbal creativity test) were given to 512 middle school students in China, along with assessments of their perceived teacher support and creative self‐efficacy. The results of this study indicate that perceived teacher support positively predicts convergent thinking and insight thinking, with creative self‐efficacy playing a partial mediating role between perceived teacher support and convergent thinking. However, no significant relationships were found between perceived teacher support and divergent thinking. The findings partly lend support to the expectancy–value model of achievement motivation that teacher’s behavior influences student performance through self‐belief pathway.