Middle Schools In China Research Articles

The complexity of integrating global englishes (GE) in ELT: a case study of an English teacher’s investment and identity construction

Purpose Although there is growing critical awareness in ELT around the rise of English as a global language, studies on teachers’ investment in critical pedagogy remain limited in mainstream ELT curricula, and the impact of such investment on teachers’ identities is not clear. To address this gap, with the inclusive paradigm of Global Englishes (GE), the paper presents a case study of an English teacher’s investment in GE at a middle school in China. Design/methodology/approach This study employed a qualitative approach. Semi-structured interview was conducted with the participant – May, focusing on her reported practices and her understanding of her roles during the investment in GE. The interview process was guided by an interview protocol which was designed based on related literature on GE, the theoretical framework, and the research context. A content analysis method was utilized to generate descriptive categories concerning participant’s identities and investment in GE. Findings Analysis of interview data reveals that through investment in GE, May not only constructed her identity as an English teacher, but also explored identities as a student inspirer, and a peer mentor. These identities exploration and construction were primarily driven by her increased cultural and social capital, despite facing challenges such as high-stakes test policies, native-speakerism ideology, institutional requirements, and limited resources. Research limitations/implications Future research incorporating triangulating data such as interviews, and classroom observations, would provide a more comprehensive understanding of English teachers’ identities, and investment in GE. Besides, the findings of this study are primarily from one teacher, they may not fully represent the broader population of English teachers in China. Practical implications The findings have several implications for English teaching and teacher education. First, elementary schools, the lower grades of middle schools (grades 7 and 8), or the after-school programs may have opportunities for teachers to integrate GE in teaching. Second, teacher education programs should be designed to provide more chances that enable student teachers to invest in their learning and teaching of GE. Third, proposals for incorporating GE practices in the classroom must adopt a critical perspective, so as to to expose, deconstruct, and reconstruct power dynamics that influence teachers’ investment in GE. Originality/value The originality of this study lies in its exploration of English teachers’ investment of GE in their teaching, and the impact of this investment on their identities as English teachers. By investigating these aspects, the study addresses the research gaps in English teachers’ practice of integration of GE in mainstream ELT curricula and provides insights on how to encourage English teachers to incorporate a GE-aware perspective in their teaching.

Costly involved? An examination of latent motivational profiles in physical education

ABSTRACT Situated Expectancy-Value Theory (SEVT) posits that expectancy for success, task value, and perceptions of cost are pivotal motivational factors influencing learning in a specific educational setting. The purpose of this study was to examine the profiles of expectancy, value, and cost beliefs pertaining to participation in physical education. Additionally, this study aimed to explore the longitudinal associations between these belief profiles and students’ demographics (gender, grade), class engagement and cardiorespiratory fitness throughout a school year. A total of 455 students from two urban public middle schools in China participated in this study, with latent profile analyses employed for the analysis. Three distinct profiles were identified: a high cost with moderate attainment value profile, a high expectancy-value with moderate effort cost profile, and a moderate mixed motivation profile. Further analyses demonstrated associations between gender and grade level with latent profile memberships (b = 1.13, SE = .31, p < .01). The high expectancy-value with moderate effort cost profile exhibited higher initial class engagement compared to the other two profiles (χ²(2) = 18.74, p < .01), while the decline in cardiorespiratory fitness over time was most pronounced in the high cost with moderate attainment value profile (χ²(2) = 5.10, p < .05). This study enhances our comprehension of the amalgamation of various motivational beliefs within student groups and emphasises the importance of taking into account diverse perceptions of cost. Tailored support may be crucial for students with differing motivational beliefs to foster continuous development in physical education.

‘The coronavirus is a formidable foe’: children’s multimodal articulations of SARS-CoV-2 virus and COVID-19 pandemic experiences in China

Objective This study explored children’s post-pandemic articulations regarding the coronavirus along with their lived experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design A qualitative survey featuring drawings, comments, questions and follow-up interviews was employed to gather data from 108 infected children aged 13 to 14 from two middle schools in China. This multimodal approach allowed for a rich capture of the children’s articulations of their pandemic experiences. Results Children’s multimodal articulations conveyed not only the biological features of, but also their emotional reactions to the coronavirus. The pandemic had disrupted children’s lives, making online learning, sleep and screen engagement dominant in their daily routines, while also compounding children’s unhappiness primarily due to restrictions on social interactions. Children associated the coronavirus with biological, medical, psychological and social aspects. Increased sanitisation and hygiene habits featured their pre‐to-post pandemic changes. Furthermore, children exhibited an awareness regarding preventive measures and transmission modes, albeit with certain biases or gaps. Their misunderstandings about recuperative strategies merit clarification. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound and multifaceted impacts on children’s emotional well-being, daily routines, social interactions, education, and health-related behaviors. Children’s multimodal articulations revealed a spectrum of adverse effects caused by the pandemic, calling for targeted health interventions to mitigate these negative effects while also equipping children with resilience and coping skills for navigating future health crises. Incorporating children’s perspectives and experiences into future pandemic preparedness and health promotion strategies is essential for addressing their vulnerabilities and ensuring their overall well-being during public health crises.

Exploring Intersectionality Inequalities in Junior Secondary Schools in Guangdong Province, China: Causes and Analysis of the Achievement Gap

This study explores the cross-inequality in junior middle schools in China and Guangdong Province, paying special attention to the causes and analysis of the academic achievement gap. Through the discussion of the theory of socio-demographic differences and intersection, this paper reveals the complex influence of multiple social identities such as socio-economic status, gender and race on students' educational experience and academic performance. It is found that the uneven distribution of educational resources in different schools in Guangdong Province and the socio-economic background of parents have significantly affected students' academic achievements. In addition, this paper also discusses the possibility of promoting educational equity through educational policy intervention, such as resource allocation, teacher training and curriculum reform. This paper aims to provide a new perspective for reducing the inequality in the education system, and suggests further research to understand and solve these complex educational inequalities more comprehensively

Empirical Research on AI Technology-Supported Precision Teaching in High School Science Subjects

The empowerment of educational reform and innovation through AI technology has become a topic of increasing interest in the field of education. The advent of AI technology has made comprehensive and in-depth teaching evaluation possible, serving as a significant driving force for efficient and precise teaching. There were few empirical studies on the application of high-quality precision teaching models in the field of compulsory education, and the learning difficulty of technology and the teaching burden on teachers have become significant factors hindering the use of technology to support education. This study analyzed teaching models from the perspectives of teachers’ teaching burdens and students’ learning obstacles, and was committed to relying on intelligent technology to construct a new precision teaching model, an educational diagnosis–feedback–intervention path that covered the entire teaching process, from the dimensions of teacher behavior, student behavior, and parent behavior, aiming to assist teachers in efficient teaching and students in personalized learning. This study was conducted with nine science classes, including about 540 people in the second year of high school at a Middle School in China; six classes were the intervention groups while the last three classes were control groups, and a survey of 19 teachers from the intervention classes was carried out. The results showed that this model can significantly improve students’ academic performance in science subjects, especially in mathematics and chemistry. It has increased the proportion of high-achieving students, reduced the proportion of low-achieving students, stimulated students’ self-directed learning ability, cultivated a positive attitude towards science learning, and explained the key points of using a precision teaching model in different disciplines. It has achieved a deep integration of education and technology, helping to increase the efficiency and reduce the burden of teaching.

The Impact of Math-Gender Stereotypes on Students' Academic Performance: Evidence from China.

This study investigates the impact of math-gender stereotypes on students' academic performance using data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS), which surveyed nationally representative middle schools in China. Our sample comprises over 2000 seventh-grade students, with an average age of 13 and a standard deviation of 0.711. Among these students, 52.4% are male, and 47.6% are female. Employing a fixed effects model and instrumental variable, our findings are as follows. First, over half of the male students believe that boys are better at math than girls, and they also perceive that their parents and society hold the same belief. In contrast, fewer than half of the female students hold this belief or perception. Intriguingly, among these students, female math performance surpasses that of males. Second, stereotypes hinder female math performance, especially among low-achieving ones, while benefiting high-achieving male students. Finally, perceptions of societal stereotypes have the greatest effect on math performance, followed by self-stereotypes and perceptions of parental stereotypes. Understanding the implications of these findings highlights the importance of addressing math-gender stereotypes to promote equal participation and success for both genders in STEM fields.

Facilitating self-directed language learning in real-life scene description tasks with automated evaluation

Engaging children in describing real-life scenes provides an effective approach to fostering language production and developing their language skills, enabling them to establish meaningful connections between their language proficiency and authentic contexts. However, for such learning tasks, there has been a lack of research focusing on promoting self-directed language learning by using artificial intelligence techniques, primarily due to the challenges of handling multimodal information involved in such tasks. To address this gap, this study introduced a two-stage automated evaluation method that employed emerging cross-modal matching AI techniques. Firstly, an automated scoring model was developed to evaluate the quality of students' responses to scene description tasks. Compared with manually assigned human scores, our model scored students' descriptions accurately, as evidenced by a small testing mean absolute error of 0.3969 for a total score of 10 points. Based on the scoring results, immediate feedback was then provided to students by generating targeted comments and suggestions. The goal of this feedback was to assist students in progressively improving their descriptions of daily-life scenes, thereby enabling them to practice their language skills independently. To assess the effectiveness of the feedback, a comprehensive investigation was conducted involving 157 students from middle schools in China, and both qualitative and quantitative experimental data were collected from the students. It is found that the quality of students' descriptions was improved significantly with the assistance of immediate feedback. On average, students achieved an increase of 1.48 points in their scores after making revisions based on the feedback. In addition, students reported positive learning experiences and expressed favorable opinions regarding the language learning tasks with the automated evaluation. The findings of this study have significant implications for future research and educational practice. They not only highlighted the potential of emerging cross-modal matching AI techniques in automatically evaluating learning tasks involving multimodal data but also suggested that providing immediate targeted feedback based on automated scoring results can effectively promote students’ self-directed language learning.

The Influence of Emerging Sports on The Wellness Dimensions of The Public Middle School Students in China

The physical quality of our citizens is declining, especially among primary and secondary school students. The decline is particularly serious. This study aims to explore the level of influence of emerging sports on the Wellness dimensions of middle school students in selected middle schools in China. Emerging sports refer to sports that are relatively popular internationally, have recently been launched domestically or are newly created domestically, are popular among teenagers and are suitable for schools, such as rock climbing, roller skating, orienteering and wilderness survival, etc. This study preliminarily draws the above hypothesis based on a review of previous studies. Ho1: There is no significant difference in the influence of the emerging sports on the physical wellness dimension of the student-respondents when their profile is taken as test factor. Ho2: There is no significant difference in the influence of the emerging sports on the emotional wellness dimension of the student-respondents when their profile is taken as test factor. Ho3: There is no significant difference in the influence of the emerging sports on the mental wellness dimension of the student-respondents when their profile is taken as test factor. Ho4: There is no significant difference in the influence of the emerging sports on the social wellness dimension of the student-respondents when their profile is taken as test factor. Ho5: There is no significant relationship in the influence of the emerging sports on the physical, emotional, mental and social wellness dimension of the student-respondents when their profile is taken as test factor.

Examining sources of language production switch costs amongst Tibetan-Chinese-English trilinguals

ABSTRACT The present study tested whether the switch costs of production-based language switching tasks by trilinguals are due to competition from outside language schemas or from within language systems. We recruited 90 Tibetan-Chinese-English trilinguals in 10th grade in a Tibetan middle school in China to name digits and number words using different stimuli valence. The study was divided into three experiments, one for each combination of two languages possible amongst Tibetan, Chinese and English. We observed the switch cost symmetrical patterns in the three experiments. The results suggest that the sources of switch cost are partially from outside competition between language schemas and partially from within language system. These results may contribute to our understanding of the language control mechanism between production-based and comprehension-based language switching tasks and language control mechanism of trilinguals with three orthographically different languages.

Parental emotional warmth and adolescent internet altruism behavior: a moderated mediation model

As a double-edged sword, the Internet is prone to breed cyber violence and bullying on the one hand, on the other hand, it can promote the expansion of altruistic behavior in cyberspace. Exploring the mechanism of generating Internet altruistic behaviors can help improve adolescents’ adaptive development and build a harmonious online environment. In light of this, this study constructed a hypothetical model of parental emotional warmth and adolescents’ Internet altruistic behaviors with gratitude trait as the mediating variable and belief in a just world as the moderating variable, in order to investigate how personal experiences, personality, and social cognition affect the practice of Internet altruistic behavior. A total of 1004 adolescents from two middle schools in China were selected for the survey. The results showed that parental emotional warmth significantly and positively affects adolescents’ Internet altruistic behaviors, while gratitude mediated this path between the two, with the mediating effect accounting for 27.07% and 24.27% of the total effect in the model of paternal and maternal emotional warmth, respectively. Moreover, in the paternal emotional warmth model, this indirect effect was moderated by belief in a just world, and the indirect effect was stronger for adolescents with lower beliefs in a just world relative to those with higher beliefs. Relative to paternal emotional warmth, belief in a just world was not significant in moderating the indirect effects of maternal emotional warmth on Internet altruistic behavior through gratitude. This research aims to provide more empirical research on the mechanisms of adolescents’ Internet altruistic behaviors and to provide more insights into the promotion of responsible and appropriate Internet use among adolescents.

The effect of music training on students’ mathematics and physics development at middle schools in China: A longitudinal study

As a descriptive-inferential study, this research aimed at revealing the relationship between music training and academic development with the Chinese middle school students' academic performance of mathematics and physics skills. The participants of this study consisted of the students from two different middle schools located at two cities in Shandong province, China. From each school 250 students were selected, and the statistics was used to analyze both the academic performance of the students and the data obtained from the scale designed by the authors. The research results show that the non-music students outperformed music students on both mathematics and physics development. In addition, music training did not contribute to the academic achievement independently but rather integrated with several factors like parents’ education and out-of-school engagement. The findings suggest the positive influence on non-musical cognitive learning, and it has potential implications for the Chinese middle school education.

Causes, Safety Awareness and Protection Path of Sports Injury among Physical Education Students in Selected Middle Schools in China

By research the causes, safety awareness and protection ways of sports injuries of students majoring in physical education in some middle schools in China, based on the presented findings of the study, the researcher came up with the following conclusions: First. The sports awareness campaign and protocol in the two middle schools in Jinzhou No.8 Middle School and Jinzhou Experimental Middle School China are in place. Second. It could be inferred that coaches observe safety measures so as to avoid major injuries among the student-athletes. Third. The school officials support the sports activities of the students by providing different sports facilities as well as competent medical team. Last. The students are aware of the sports safety campaign.

Surveillance Cameras and Resistance: A Case Study of a Middle School in China

Abstract China has rapidly evolved into a surveillance society. While much attention has been paid to describing the leviathan represented by the presence of surveillance cameras in China, empirical evidence on the mechanisms of the creep of surveillance remains limited. Using data collected through fieldwork and in-depth interviews, this study explores the spread of surveillance cameras and the resistance encountered in a middle school in northern China. We find that surveillance cameras were first introduced for security purposes, but their application was quickly expanded to discipline students and avoid responsibilities in school management. We further explore the resistance to the creep made possible by the existence of exempted spaces, the difficulty of self-surveillance, and what might be called the boomerang effect. Through the case study of a middle school, this research sheds light on the formation of the Chinese surveillance society from a bottom-up approach and contributes to the global literature on surveillance creep.

A135: Challenges and Strategies of Physical Fitness Course in Primary and Middle Schools

Purpose: Developing students’ overall competencies and physical health is an important goal of physical education and health curriculum (PEHC). PEHC Standards for Compulsory Education (2022) and PEHC Standards for Senior High Schools (2017) both designate Physical Fitness as a required course to achieve this goal. To date, it’s not clear about how the course has been implemented and its effectiveness. Therefore, this study was to identify problems associated with teaching Physical Fitness courses in primary and middle schools in China and to propose strategies for an improved implementation. Methods: First, the literature from CNKI, East China Normal University Library was extensively collected and analyzed. Second, to learn about the current status of Physical Fitness teaching in the primary and middle schools, experts in physical education and Physical Fitness teaching were interviewed. Results: The problems of Physical Fitness teaching in some primary and middle schools are as follows: (1) the course only focuses on the development of students’ motor abilities, ignoring healthy behavior and sportsmanship; (2) the course only contains skill explanation and demonstration, failing to teach principles, knowledge and methods of physical fitness development; (3) some Physical Fitness courses lack scientific and systematic implementation; (4) a number of physical education teachers lack the knowledges and abilities to teach the course; and (5) limited instructional resources, including lack of textbooks, for teachers to prepare lessons. Conclusion: To solve the problems identified above, we propose the following strategies: (1) The Physical Fitness course should focus on developing students’ overall competencies; (2) teachers include explanations of general principles, knowledge and methods for physical fitness development; (3) develop scientific and systematic Physical Fitness course content and methods; (4) increase physical education teachers’ knowledge and abilities of teaching Physical Fitness course; and (5) write textbooks suitable for the Physical Fitness course in the primary and middle schools.

The Investigation on Harmonic Teaching Strategies for the Efficiency Development of Music Learning Skills: A Case Study of A Junior Middle School in China

The Investigation on Harmonic Teaching Strategies for the Efficiency Development of Music Learning Skills: A Case Study of A Junior Middle School in China

A Reading Class Design Based on English Discipline Ability

The paper illustrates how to develop students’ English discipline ability based on a detailed reading class design of high middle school in China. With the guidance of key competences, text analysis, teaching objectives and activities design help students improve their English discipline ability so that students can acquire language deeply and apply knowledge into action easily.

A Review of 20 Research for Music Teaching in Contemporary Junior High Schools in China

This article provides a comprehensive review of the current status and future trends of music education in junior middle schools in China. The primary objective is to provide an insightful overview of the landscape by examining various aspects of music education. The research methodology involves a thorough examination of current practices, with an emphasis on synthesizing information from recent studies and research papers. The central theme emphasizes life-long learning as a core strategy in contemporary music education. Another important aspect explored is the emphasis on a music education strategy based on core skills. The article delves into the cultivation of students' aesthetic perception and overall quality, with the goal of providing a deeper musical experience and comprehensive development in music learning. In addition, the article discusses the application of interdisciplinary integration and interactive teaching strategies in music education. These strategies are presented with the goal of enhancing teaching effectiveness and promoting greater student engagement in the learning process, and the article emphasizes the importance of fostering students' sense of music and ability to appreciate music as integral components of improving core musical literacy. By citing relevant research, this review provides both theoretical guidance and practical references for junior middle school music education in China. In conclusion, the trajectory of junior middle school music education in China is depicted as evolving toward a more life-oriented, comprehensive, and interactive approach, with an emphasis on cultivating students' musical literacy and aesthetic ability.

Writing and Speaking Difficulties of Students in One Chinese Middle School

Writing and speaking difficulties are prevalent among middle school students, posing significant challenges to their academic success and overall communication abilities. This study aimed to evaluate the writing and speaking difficulties of selected middle school students in China. This descriptive study was participated by middle school students. It made use of an adopted questionnaire as its primary data gathering instrument. This study aimed to determine the relationship between writing and speaking difficulties of students in a selected middle school in China. Specifically, the study sought to: describe the profile of the respondents in terms of sex, level, and kind of community; determine the respondents’ writing difficulties in terms of organization of ideas, content and focus, style, and mechanics; assess the speaking difficulties of the respondents with regards to organization of ideas, content and focus, diction, and spontaneity; test the significant difference of the responses when grouped according to their profile; test the significant relationship between writing difficulties and speaking difficulties; and propose a Language Proficiency Program for Middle Schools. The study found that majority of the respondents were male, under the junior middle school, and are living at the urban community. Middle school students rarely encountered writing difficulties and speaking difficulties Male, senior middle school students, and are living in the rural areas experienced greater writing and speaking difficulties. Writing difficulties and speaking difficulties are highly related with each other which implies that the more students experience difficulty in writing, the more they experience difficulty in speaking. A proposed Language Proficiency Program was devised for Middle Schools for an enhanced English program in their curricula. Future researchers may further explore on the cognitive, linguistic, and social factors that contribute to writing and speaking difficulties.

Gender differences in the longitudinal association between cumulative ecological risk and smartphone dependence among early adolescents: A parallel mediation model

Early adolescent smartphone dependence has emerged as a significant social and public health issue. Previous research showed that multiple ecological risks including family, school, and peer risk factors played important roles in early adolescent smartphone dependence. However, these studies have examined risk factors individually rather than examining the cumulative risk effect. Based on the Ecological Systems Theory and Risk-Protective Factor Theory, the present study focused on the longitudinal association between cumulative ecological risk and early adolescent smartphone dependence. We tested two mediating mechanisms of this association, namely social anxiety and self-compassion, and examined possible gender differences in these mediation processes. The study adopted a three-wave longitudinal design spanning one year, with a six-month interval between each wave. 357 secondary school students (Mage = 12.58 years, SD = 0.61, 52.1% girls) from two middle schools in China participated in this study. As expected, cumulative ecological risk positively predicted smartphone dependence one year later, and social anxiety and self-compassion were parallel mediators of this longitudinal association. Meanwhile, there were gender differences in the mediation model. The results provide a theoretical and empirical basis for the development of prevention and intervention strategies and public health policies to reduce the likelihood of early adolescents' smartphone dependence.

How Trait Gratitude Influences Adolescent Subjective Well-Being? Parallel-Serial Mediating Effects of Meaning in Life and Self-Control.

The relationship between trait gratitude and subjective well-being is well documented in the literature. Recently, growing attention has been given to examining which factors are determinants in the relationship. However, there are no studies to present a comprehensive model of how meaning in life and self-control jointly play a role in this relationship. This study investigated parallel and serial mediation of the presence of meaning, the search for meaning, and self-control in the relationship between trait gratitude and subjective well-being. A total of 764 adolescents (Mage = 14.10, SD = 1.43, 48.43% males) from three middle schools in China completed a six-item measures of gratitude questionnaire form, a meaning in life questionnaire, a middle school students' self-control ability questionnaire, and a satisfaction with life scale. The study revealed that trait gratitude affected the presence of meaning and subsequently affected subjective well-being. In addition, trait gratitude affected self-control through the presence of meaning and the search for meaning, and it subsequently affected subjective well-being. Therefore, the presence of meaning, the search for meaning, and self-control played an important role in the positive effects of trait gratitude on adolescent subjective well-being. The findings were in line with the intrinsic and extrinsic goal theory of gratitude and provided new insight to inform the improvement of adolescent subjective well-being in the future.