Rural Junior High School Research Articles

A Comparative Study on the Relationship Between Learned Helplessness and Academic Performance in English Classes in Urban and Rural Junior High Schools

This study selected a total of 441 second-grade students from urban and rural schools in the same city in Guangdong Province as research subjects to explore the relationship between learned helplessness and academic performance in junior middle school English classes and compare the research results of the two schools. The results of the study found that the level of learned helplessness among rural junior high school students was significantly higher than that among urban junior high school students(The average level of learned helplessness among rural students is 3.87/5, while that among urban students is 3.54/5.). The average English score of rural junior high school students was significantly lower than that of urban junior high school students, with an average score difference of 9.35 points. Regardless of whether junior high school students were from urban or rural schools, learned helplessness in English classes had a significant negative impact on English test scores. Additionally, there was a causal relationship between the two, meaning that the level of learned helplessness would affect students' test scores.

Study on Hidden Dropout of Students in Junior High Schools in Rural Areas of China

Free compulsory education has made "all children can go to school" a reality and eliminated the phenomenon of dropping out of school due to tuition and miscellaneous fees. However, at this stage, hidden dropout has risen to become the main contradiction in China's compulsory education. The article focuses on the problem of hidden dropout in rural junior high schools, and explains the impact of hidden dropout on personal development, students' families and society. The causes of hidden dropout are analysed in depth, including students' own factors, family factors, school education factors and social environment factors. Corresponding countermeasures and suggestions are put forward from the levels of school, family and society, with a view to providing theoretical basis and practical reference for effectively solving the problem of students' hidden dropout at junior middle school level in rural areas, as well as promoting the healthy development of rural education.

Summary Of Trust Between Mother And Child Among Rural Junior High School Students

Summary Of Trust Between Mother And Child Among Rural Junior High School Students

Study on the Optimization Strategies of English Graded Reading in Rural Junior High Schools

Abstract: In order to better improve the reading ability of rural students and promote the development of junior high school English in rural areas, this paper describes the importance of graded reading in English teaching in rural areas, and tries to analyze the problems and deficiencies in junior high school English reading teaching from the perspectives of students, teachers and society. The main problems are that rural students lack a correct understanding of English learning, teachers lack graded reading teaching skills, and the teaching facilities in rural schools are poor. Based on this, this paper suggests that students should change their perceptions of English learning psychologically, teachers should master the skills of English graded reading and schools should provide a good English reading environment. This study finds that in rural English reading teaching, teachers need to take into account the cognitive ability of rural middle school students, the awareness of multi-level reading teaching and the teaching facilities of rural middle school. On the basis of teachers􀆳 awareness of multi-level reading teaching, reading materials suitable for students􀆳 multi-level reading are selected and the existing teaching reading materials and teaching facilities are used to pay attention to students􀆳 subjective initiative in class and extracurricular reading and stimulate students􀆳 interest in reading, so as to promote the gradual improvement of students􀆳 reading ability.

The Relationship between Family Factors and Academic Achievement of Junior High School Students in Rural China: Mediation Effect of Parental Involvement.

This study aims to understand how socioeconomic status and the family environment impact students' academic achievement through the mediation of parental involvement in rural China. To achieve this, a cross-sectional design was adopted, and a total of 525 parents of rural junior high school students from S province in southwest China were surveyed. The proposed conceptual framework was tested by structural equation modeling. The results claimed that both socioeconomic status and the family environment are important factors affecting the academic achievement of rural students, and the role of the family environment is more pronounced. Furthermore, parental involvement has a significant mediating effect between socioeconomic status and academic achievement, especially between the family environment and academic achievement. The findings highlighted the importance of the family environment and parental involvement to compensate for the negative impact of disadvantaged family socioeconomic status on academic achievement.

The relationship between adverse childhood experiences and depressive symptoms in rural left-behind adolescents: A cross-sectional survey

ObjectiveWe assessed the current status of depressive symptoms and the associated factors in rural left-behind adolescents. Moreover, we investigated the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and depressive symptoms. MethodsStudents from two rural junior high schools in Huaihua City were enrolled from July to September 2022. Before distributing the questionnaires, guardians of the students were contacted, and consent was obtained from the students themselves. The questionnaires were filled out anonymously and collected on-site. ResultsThe prevalence of depressive symptoms among the 325 left-behind teenagers was 23.40%; the rate of emotional abuse in adverse childhood experiences was 17.50%, physical abuse was 15.70%, sexual abuse was 9.50%, emotional neglect was 24.60%, while physical neglect was 27.70%. The five dimensions of adverse childhood experiences were associated with depressive symptoms (r = 0.597, 0.395, 0.410, 0.498, 0.741, p < 0.01). ConclusionsDepressive symptoms were common among rural left-behind adolescents. Adverse childhood experiences were associated with depressive symptoms in rural left-behind adolescents. Occurrence of adverse childhood experiences should be reduced to improve on depressive symptoms.

A Practical Study of the Stratified Teaching Model in Rural Junior High School English Writing Instruction: A Case Study of Zhangjiajie Second Middle School

Writing is a comprehensive reflection of language proficiency and humanistic qualities, and the cultivation of writing skills is a focal point in English teaching. However, in rural junior high schools, exemplified by Zhangjiajie Second Middle School, students commonly exhibit issues such as "low interest and a sense of achievement in learning" and "generally low performance" in English writing. Additionally, the large class teaching model is exacerbating the gap in English writing abilities among students. In order to improve the current status of English writing learning in rural junior high schools, the researchers integrated the stratified teaching model into English writing instruction and conducted a 15-week experiment on 45 students from Class 87 in the eighth grade of Zhangjiajie Second Middle School, utilizing a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods. Data analysis of the experimental results revealed that the application of the stratified teaching model in rural junior high school English writing instruction can enhance students' interest, utilization of writing strategies, and writing performance to varying degrees across different levels.

The Effect of English Songs on Chinese Students’ Acquisition of Word Stress in a Rural Junior High School

Few studies have examined how teaching English songs to junior high school students in rural areas affects students’ English pronunciation. To fill this gap, we taught English songs to 39 rural junior high school students and tested their perception and production of English words with different stress patterns before and after the session of learning English songs. Students were asked to identify the position of word stress for a list of disyllabic words, and they were asked to read the disyllabic words with different stress placements. Teachers evaluated the students’ pre-test and post-test performance, and acoustic measures were taken to compare their pronunciation in two sessions. After two weeks, the production test revealed an improvement in the students’ ability to produce English stress. In the post-test, students could more effectively use the duration cue to distinguish between stressed and unstressed syllables. However, students’ perception improvement was not attested. The findings generally indicated that English songs have a beneficial impact on junior high school students in rural areas who are learning English word stress.

A Survey on the Application of Lead-In in Rural Junior High School English Teaching in Henan Province of China

With the higher requirements of The English Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education for English teaching design, the lead-in phase emerging as a critical component that has received more attention from frontline English teachers. However, a significant knowledge gap exists regarding the practical application of lead-in strategies in rural junior high school English classrooms. This study aims to address two primary research questions: the current state of lead-in practices in rural junior high school English teaching and the factors influencing the effectiveness of these strategies. To explore these questions, employing a quantitative research approach, a survey was conducted using a convenience sampling method, which involved selecting 40 English teachers from 7 rural junior high schools in Henan Province. The data from the questionnaire survey were analyzed using descriptive statistics in SPSS 25.0. The findings highlighted various challenges faced by teachers during the lead-in phase, such as limited teaching resources and students’ low English proficiency levels. Furthermore, the study identified teachers’ professional development and experience as crucial factors affecting the effectiveness of lead-in strategies. The conclusion drawn from the study suggests that enhancing the lead-in phase in rural junior high school English teaching necessitates a multifaceted strategy encompassing improved resource allocation, teacher training, and the implementation of innovative teaching methodologies. Based on these findings, the study recommends increasing investment in rural English education infrastructure, strengthening teacher professional development, and promoting the exploration of diverse lead-in strategies to better cater to the needs of students.

Research on the English Teachers Competence of Rural Junior High School in Western China from the Perspective of Blended Learning

Research on the English Teachers Competence of Rural Junior High School in Western China from the Perspective of Blended Learning

Analysis of Causes of Internet Addiction and Intervention Countermeasures for Rural Junior High School Students

Analysis of Causes of Internet Addiction and Intervention Countermeasures for Rural Junior High School Students

ENGLISH TEACHERS’ VOICES ON CURRICULUM CHANGE AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MERDEKA CURRICULUM IN RURAL JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS IN INDONESIA

Curriculum changes are crucial in modern education to adapt to society's needs and technological advancements. Yet, rushed or poorly considered alterations might disrupt education's flow and harm students' learning and progress. Hence, this study explores rural Junior High School English teachers' voices on curriculum changes and the Merdeka curriculum implementation regarding curriculum aspects. Employing a qualitative approach with a case study design, five English teachers from rural schools in Bengkulu Province, Indonesia, were selected purposively. Semi-structured interviews were carried out to collect data and those data were analyzed using an interactive model. The findings of this study indicate teachers' positive reception to curriculum changes, benefiting both students and educators. The Merdeka Curriculum's implementation fulfilled various aspects, such as goals, resources, and teaching methods, yet encountered hurdles, like inadequate facilities, assessment system awareness, and learning module development. Despite successes, teachers expressed the necessity for training and workshops to effectively integrate the Merdeka curriculum into their teaching practices. In conclusion, rural English educators exhibit optimism toward the Merdeka Curriculum, appreciating its advantages while acknowledging challenges related to resource scarcity and the need for enhanced training in curriculum execution.

Association between ability tracking and student’s academic and non-academic outcomes: Empirical evidence from junior high schools in rural China

Ability tracking, a practice of grouping students into different classrooms based on their test scores, is prevalent in schools around the world. However, evidence on the effects of ability tracking on students’ learning outcomes remains mixed. Drawing on a longitudinal dataset of 9170 students across 119 rural junior high schools from 23 counties in two provinces of China, this paper examines how ability tracking affects students' math score, math academic self-concept, and math anxiety. We find that ability tracking had no statistically significant effect on either students’ academic or non-academic outcomes. Sub-group analyses by high and low-ability classrooms revealed similar results for math scores and math self-concept. However, ability tracking helped reduce the math anxiety of high-ability classroom students as they experienced a lower value added in their anxiety score by 0.103 SD (p < 0.05) relative to students in schools that do not practice ability tracking. Furthermore, heterogeneous analyses revealed that ability tracking is associated with a lower value added in math score of low-ability boarding students by 0.168 SD (p < 0.05) relative to non-boarding students in comparison schools.

Factors Influencing Rural Junior High-School Students’ Motivation to Learn English in Taiwan

English-language learning in rural Taiwan has been targeted by government policy for two decades, yet little research has investigated students’ motivation and support in these rural communities. This study investigated the effects of students’ gender, grade, parental support (PS), and teacher support (TS) on their English learning motivation (ELM) in Taiwan’s rural middle-level schools. A quantitative survey approach was used in this study. Seven hundred and fifty-four questionnaires were delivered to the students in 12 rural middle-level schools. The collected data were analyzed by using the t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and multiple-regression methods. Females reported higher ELM, PS, and TS than their male counterparts. Seventh-grade students reported higher ELM, PS, and TS than eighth- and ninth-grade students. PS and TS were significantly correlated to ELM. Appraisal support of teachers was the most relevant predictor for value, emotion, and willingness to execute factors of ELM. Programs and policies to improve ELM in rural schools are suggested.

The impact of boarding schools on the development of cognitive and non-cognitive abilities in adolescents

BackgroundSince China adopted a policy to eliminate rural learning centers, boarding has become an important feature of the current rural student community. However, there is a lack of consensus on the impact of boarding schools on students' cognitive and non-cognitive development. This study investigates the effect of boarding schools on the development of cognitive and non-cognitive abilities of junior high school students in rural northwest China.MethodsUsing a sample of 5,660 seventh-grade students from 160 rural junior high schools across 19 counties, we identify a causal relationship between boarding and student abilities with the instrumental variables (IV) approach.ResultsThe results suggest that boarding positively influences memory and attention, while it has no significant effect on other cognitive abilities such as reasoning, transcription speed, and accuracy. Furthermore, we find no significant association between boarding and the development of non-cognitive skills.ConclusionsGiven the widespread prevalence of boarding schools in rural regions, our study highlights the growing importance of improving school management to promote the development of students’ cognitive abilities and integrating the development of non-cognitive or social-emotional abilities into students’ daily routines.

English learning anxiety of Chinese rural junior high school students under the online class mode.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought tremendous changes to the field of education, transferring traditional offline teaching to online teaching on a large scale globally. Junior high school students, as a special group, may experience foreign language learning anxiety different from anxiety experienced by college students in the process of online English learning. This research aims at investigating the level of, sources and strategies for English learning anxiety of Chinese rural junior high school students under online class mode. A total of 120 students from Dongshan Junior High School in Haikou participated in this study and asked to fill in the questionnaires, and 12 of them were randomly chosen to be interviewed. IBM SPSS Statistics 26 was used to analyze the data. This research found that Chinese rural junior high school students generally had a moderate level of English learning anxiety, and there is statistically no significant relation between the gender difference and anxiety in online foreign language classes. It was also found that factors influencing English learning anxiety of Chinese rural junior high school students included the students themselves, their home environments, the teacher and the school, and the social environment. Lastly, the research found five strategies to relieve foreign language learning anxiety, including recognizing the existence of anxiety correctly, communicating the anxiety honestly with others, improving the psychological quality, being positive about life' s setbacks, and setting up some realistic goals in English learning.

Teaching English in rural area: Challenge and Hope for The future

The purpose of this study was to look into the challenges that English teachers face when teaching English in rural junior high schools in Balen, as well as the strategies they use to overcome those challenges. This study used semi-structured interviews and classroom observation to find out the answers. The study's participants were five English teachers from five rural junior high schools in Balen Bojonegoro. The study captured the perspectives of English teachers. The findings revealed five challenges that English teachers face when teaching English in rural high schools. Students' competence, students' motivation, teaching media, teacher development, an insufficient number of teachers, and parental support were the seven challenges in teaching English. As a result, the English teachers employed four strategies to deal with these challenges. These four teaching strategies included using a variety of teaching methods and techniques, matching students' levels and learning situations, collaborating with schools and parents, and encouraging students' motivation. Finally, it is hoped that the findings of this study will assist English teachers in discovering teaching strategies that are appropriate for the challenges they faced

Research on Strategies to Improve Effective Teaching of English Listening in Rural Junior Middle Schools

Junior high school is a critical period of English learning. According to the English curriculum standards in China, junior high school English should not only pay attention to the imparting of language knowledge but also pay attention to the cultivation of language skills. The junior high school stage is the critical period for students to learn. English listening is the first link of language skills and dominant position on speaking, reading and writing and other aspects of far-reaching impact. Different from the rich teaching resources and activities of urban junior middle schools, the resources and facilities in rural areas are relatively weak, so the effective teaching of junior middle school English listening needs to be paid more attention, which meets the requirements of the new curriculum standards of junior middle school English and the needs of curriculum reform in China. Based on this situation, this paper investigates and studies the effective teaching of junior middle school English listening. From the perspective of teachers and students, it combines quantitative research with qualitative research to find out the phenomenon of low efficiency and ineffective teaching in the current rural junior middle school English listening teaching, analyzes its causes, and puts forward effective countermeasures. In this study, 185 students were surveyed and 10 students and 15 teachers were interviewed by questionnaire and interview. Based on the relevant theory of effectiveness, combined with the interpretation of the specific requirements and basic spirit of English ability in the new curriculum standards, as well as the analysis and research of test results, this paper summarizes the inefficiencies existing in English listening teaching in rural junior high schools at this stage, and makes an in-depth study of the causes of the problems, including misleading effects of examination results and the professional level of teachers. In view of these problems, the author proposed to improve and enhance the effective teaching strategies of rural junior middle school English students, hoping to be helpful to the majority of front-line grassroots teachers.

The Association Between Screen Time and Outdoor Time on Adolescent Mental Health and Academic Performance: Evidence from Rural China.

We examine how adolescent free time allocation-namely, screen time and outdoor time-is associated with mental health and academic performance in rural China. This paper used a large random sample of rural junior high school students in Ningxia (n = 20,375; age=13.22), with data collected from self-reported demographic questionnaires (to assess free time allocation), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (to assess mental health), and a standardized math test (to measure academic performance). We utilized a multivariate OLS regression model to examine associations between free time allocation and adolescent outcomes, controlling for individual and family characteristics. Our sample's screen time and outdoor time both averaged around 1 hour. About 10% of the sample adolescents reported behavioral difficulties, while a similar percentage (11%) reported abnormal prosocial behaviors. Adolescents with higher levels of screen time (>2 hours) were 3 percentage points more likely to have higher levels of behavioral difficulties (p<0.001), indicating that excessive screen time was associated with worse mental health. Meanwhile, outdoor time was associated with better mental health, and positive correlations were observed at all levels of outdoor time (compared to no outdoor time, decreasing the likelihood of higher levels of behavioral difficulties by between 3 and 4 percentage points and of lower prosocial scores by between 6 and 8 percentage points; all p's<0.001). For academic performance, average daily screen times of up to 1 hour and 1-2 hours were both positively associated with standardized math scores (0.08 SD, p<0.001; 0.07 SD, p<0.01, respectively), whereas there were no significant associations between outdoor time and academic performance. Using a large sample size, this study was the first to examine the association between adolescent free time allocation with mental health and academic performance, providing initial insights into how rural Chinese adolescents can optimize their free time.

The Psychological Barriers of Students with Learning Difficulties in Teaching English in Rural Secondary Schools and How to Cope with Them

Slow students are a common phenomenon in the education industry, especially for rural students, who have less contact with foreigners and foreign cultures. The most troublesome subject is English, which can directly affect the students’ advancement rate, so teachers should focus on the teaching of struggling English students, and schools should pay more attention to the development of students’ physical and mental health and the cultivation of their learning ability. Teachers need to improve their working ability, innovate their educational methods, cultivate students’ interest in learning English, and base on teaching practice. This paper analyzes and explores how to improve the English literacy and learning ability of rural junior high school students.