Schools In Mainland China Research Articles

Self-efficacy mediates but does not moderate the relationship between grit and L2 achievement

ABSTRACT Purpose: The current study examined whether self-efficacy could mediate and moderate the relationship between grit (i.e. perseverance of effort) and second/foreign (L2) achievement. Methodology: Participants involved 535 year-two students (M age = 16.15, SD = .63, females = 59%) from a senior middle school in mainland China. Students’ grit, self-efficacy, and L2 (English) achievement were measured. Multilevel structural equation modeling with latent interaction was used to explore the relationships among these three variables. Findings: The results showed that grit positively predicted self-efficacy, which positively predicted L2 achievement. Meanwhile, the interaction produced a nonsignificant relation to L2 achievement. We concluded that self-efficacy mediated but did not moderate the relationship between grit and L2 achievement. Originality: Grit and self-efficacy have been recognized as two essential predictors of L2 learning. This study is an empirical attempt to address the underexplored nature of the interplay between grit and self-efficacy in determining L2 achievement.

The Quest for Educational Equity in Schools in Mainland China & Hong Kong

Abstract In this essay, I introduce how and why minority groups and educational equity are understood and approached differently in Mainland China and Hong Kong. I describe how in the past few decades, China and Hong Kong have reformed their education systems to increase educational equity and I summarize the progress achieved. I also discuss the cultural, political, and social issues and challenges that contribute to the complexity surrounding educational equity in China and Hong Kong, elaborate on how educational equity remains a tricky issue in schools, and how different factors intersect to affect students' access to educational goods. Finally, I argue that schools in China and Hong Kong should continue both to reform their education systems to enhance the academic achievement and social development of marginalized students and to put more effort into empowering teachers and students to recognize and address the long-standing systemic and institutional obstacles.

Information Science Advancing while Library Retreating:An Exploratory Study with LIS Education in mainland China

The aim of this study is to highlight the evolving trend of 'delibrarization' in LIS school education in mainland China and to explore the underlying reasons for its emergence. To achieve this, the study employs discourse analysis to examine the nomenclatures and objectives of undergraduate degree programs at the top five LIS schools in mainland China. Furthermore, a critical analysis of the social background and academic evaluation system was conducted to further identify some contributing factors. The study concludes that the trend of 'delibrarization' in LIS education is driven by a combination of factors: the self-imposed perception of library science as 'restricted to library' and interdisciplinary, as constructed by some scholars in the field; the unfavorable nature of the current academic evaluation system; and the diminishing influence of library science within LIS schools.

Will power serve for oneself or others? An exploratory study toward 6‐ to 9‐year‐old Chinese children

AbstractThis study investigated Chinese children's perspectives on the use of power and the prediction of these perspectives on their resource allocation. The sample included a total of 145 children from two primary schools in Mainland China (68 males, 77 females), with 70 in the younger group (Mage = 6.89, SD = 0.37, ranging from 6.08 to 7.67 years) and 75 in the older group (Mage = 9.03, SD = 0.55, ranging from 8.08 to 9.92 years). To explore the power perspective of children, they were presented a character who was ‘in charge’ and used his/her power to serve themselves or others. The results showed that children aged 6–9 years were more inclined to approve ‘bosses’ who used power for others' benefit, indicating children's support for benevolent power use, especially among 8–9‐year‐olds. Additionally, the study revealed that children who approved of benevolent power use tended to allocate more resources to others when possessing power, a behaviour not observed in 6–7‐year‐olds. This finding, more or less, indicated a correlation between children's perspectives on the use of power and their behaviour in allocating resources. These results demonstrate the importance of promoting a rational understanding of power use among children.Highlights All children held the benevolent perspective of power use, which agreed that those in power should use power to serve others. Children aged 8–9 were more inclined to think a ‘boss’ should prioritize the interests of others over their own. Children aged 8–9 who supported the benevolent perspective of power use allocate more resources to others.

A comparative study on the selection of new characters in Chinese primary school textbooks in mainland China and the Taiwan region

The selection of new characters for Chinese textbooks is essential for primary school literacy teaching. This research used content and comparative analyses to study the selection of new characters for Chinese textbooks used in primary schools in mainland China and the Taiwan region. The results showed that there were more new characters in the Chinese primary school textbooks used in mainland China than in those used in the Taiwan region. The distribution of new characters in the textbooks used in each region also differed, and their presentation varied significantly depending on whether they were compiled in mainland China or the Taiwan region. Furthermore, few characters were common to the textbooks used in mainland China and the Taiwan region. These findings provide important references for the study of new characters in textbooks and ultimately for literacy teaching in primary schools.

Promoting Teachers' Organizational Commitment: The Effects of Authentic Leadership, Teachers' Well-Being and Social-Emotional Competence.

Committed and satisfied teachers have been increasingly recognized as valuable assets in enhancing the effectiveness of schools and adapting to evolving education reforms. This study investigates how and under what conditions principals' authentic leadership contributes to teachers' organizational commitment. Valid data collected from 476 teachers in seven primary schools in mainland China were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM), regression analysis and bootstrapping tests. The results yielded a partial mediation model, finding a significant direct effect of principals' authentic leadership on teachers' organizational commitment and an indirect effect through the mediating role of teachers' well-being. Moreover, teachers' social-emotional competence positively moderated the relationship between principals' authentic leadership and teachers' organizational commitment. This study underscores the theoretical importance of teachers' affective pathways and the boundary condition linking principals' authentic leadership to teachers' organizational commitment, while it also offers practical recommendations for school leaders.

“We usually use paragraph one to introduce the topic”: trust building via appraisals by practicum EFL teachers in classroom interactions

Abstract This study investigates how practicum EFL teachers build trust through appraisals in classroom interactions at a local senior high school in Mainland China. Building upon prior research on trust discourse and appraisals, we present a model of teachers’ trust discourse, which we apply to analyze six English reading lessons conducted by three young EFL practicum teachers. The findings reveal that the practicum EFL teachers construct two distinct types of trust: cognition-based trust (CBT) and affect-based trust (ABT). CBT is formed through the communication of the teachers’ epistemic and deontic authority, while ABT is fostered by emphasizing values congruence and guanxi (interpersonal connections) between the teachers and the students. Appraisals play a crucial role in the trust-building efforts of the practicum teachers. Our analysis further indicates a preference among the practicum teachers for prioritizing CBT, as evidenced by their strategic use of appreciation and judgment resources in the attitude system, as well as the application of force resources in the graduation system. This study provides valuable insights into the pivotal role of appraisals in cultivating trust between EFL teachers and students in classroom settings.

Relations between dimensions of self-perceptions and academic achievement in Chinese children: A cross-lagged panel analysis.

The goal of the present study was to examine the associations between different dimensions of self-perceptions and academic achievement in Chinese children. Participants were 604 children in Grades 4-7 attending primary and middle schools in mainland China (342 boys, 262 girls; Mage = 11.25 years). Measures of children's self-perceptions and academic achievement were collected via self-reports and school records at two time points over one academic year. Results from cross-lagged panel analysis indicated that after controlling for the effects of gender, grade, and stabilities, Time 1 perceived scholastic competence positively predicted Time 2 academic achievement (β = .08, p < .05), and Time 1 academic achievement predicted Time 2 perceived scholastic competence (β = .10, p < .05). Time 1 perceived athletic competence negatively predicted Time 2 academic achievement (β = -.08, p < .01). The findings provide evidence that self-perceptions have different facets and are differently associated with academic achievement and emphasize the reciprocal predictive relations between perceived scholastic competence and academic achievement and the negative impact of perceived athletic competence self-perception on academic achievement. The implications of these results are discussed in the context of self-development and academic performance within Chinese culture, as well as their educational implications for school practices. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Enhancement of Psychosocial Competence and Well-Being of Chinese High School Students under the COVID-19 Pandemic: Tin Ka Ping P.A.T.H.S. Project in Mainland China

Mental health problem is a growing problem in mainland China and the situation has worsened under the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides focusing on tertiary and secondary prevention strategies, there is an urgent need to enhance the well-being of adolescents through primary prevention programs. During the pandemic, a positive youth development program entitled “Tin Ka Ping P.A.T.H.S. Program” was implemented in schools in mainland China. In 2022/23 academic year, students were invited to write a weekly diary on their experience about the program after completion of the program (N = 2,337). Qualitative evaluation showed that 98.2% of the students perceived the program was beneficial to their well-being in different domains. Specifically, students perceived the program enhanced their sense of community, school and academic adjustment, interpersonal relations (family relations and peer relations), and intrapersonal competence (including optimism, resilience, positive coping with stress, spirituality, life meaning and cherishing one’s life). In conjunction with other quantitative and qualitative evaluation findings, the triangulated findings strongly suggest Tin Ka Ping P.A.T.H.S. Program is a promising program that enhances the psychosocial competence and quality of life of adolescents.

The enactment of positive emotions via teacher scaffolding: The case of Chinese high school EFL learners’ engagement with teacher written feedback

With the flourishing of positive psychology, there is a heightened emphasis on the value and significance of engagement. Although recent years have witnessed the growing interest in learner engagement with feedback in L2 writing, little attention has been towards understanding the role of teachers in fostering their students' engagement. To fill this gap, our exploratory study examined the effects of teacher scaffolding on EFL learners' engagement with teacher written feedback. Anchored in a high school in mainland China, our study employed a mixed-methods design, collecting data from multiple sources (i.e., questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, teacher written feedback, and first as well as revised writing samples) over a semester. The findings revealed that the teacher adhered to the key tenets of positive psychology and implemented positive pedagogical practices to facilitate students’ revision. Both quantitative and qualitative data showed that with teacher scaffolding Chinese high school EFL learners actively engaged with teacher written feedback from affective, behavioral, and cognitive perspectives. Our study concludes with the important pedagogical implications.

Predictors of Chinese reading in Chinese monolingual and Chinese–English bilingual children in Mainland China

AbstractThere is a growing number of children learning to read in bilingual environments, yet research on the uniqueness of reading acquisition in these bilingual children, particularly L1 majority bilinguals, is limited. With a sample size of 690 4th-grade students, this study investigated predictors influencing L1 Chinese reading in Chinese–English bilingual children (n = 345) attending Chinese–English bilingual schools in mainland China and made comparisons with their monolingual counterparts (n = 345). The results of a multi-group path analysis revealed both similarities and differences between the two groups. In terms of Chinese reading comprehension, word reading and linguistic comprehension were significant predictors for both groups, but their relative importance differed. While there was no difference in the predictive power between the two predictors in the monolingual group, word reading held a greater contribution in the bilingual group. Regarding Chinese word reading, both morphological and orthographic awareness emerged as significant predictors in the monolingual group, whereas in the bilingual group, only morphological awareness was significant, and the contribution of phonological awareness was insignificant in either group. These findings underscore the distinct relationship between reading and its predictive constituents in bilingual students when compared to their monolingual counterparts.

Developing and evaluating a mobile app with a self-regulation scheme to facilitate primary students’ self-regulated vocabulary learning

This article reports on the development of Vocab+, a mobile app embedded with a self-regulation scheme that supports primary students’ whole process of self-regulated vocabulary learning (SRVL) across in-class and real-life contexts, and evaluates its impact on primary students’ perceived SRVL skills and vocabulary learning outcomes. The study lasted four months. A total of 129 Grade 4 students from three classes in a primary school in Mainland China were involved. The three classes were randomly assigned to three groups. In after-class learning contexts, Group 1 (44 students) used the Vocab + app with the self-regulation scheme, Group 2 (43 students) used the app without the self-regulation scheme, and Group 3 (42 students) did not use the Vocab + app. Data collection involved pre-and post-vocabulary tests, pre-and post-questionnaires and three focus group interviews (each involving five students) about students’ experience of using the Vocab + app for vocabulary learning. Both quantitative and qualitative data analyses were performed. The findings indicate that the learners using the Vocab + app with the self-regulation scheme exhibited significantly better SRVL skills and vocabulary learning outcomes than those using the Vocab + app without the self-regulation scheme and those not using the app. The implications of these findings are explored.

Coping styles and the developmental trajectories of anxiety symptoms in children during transition into early adolescence.

The study investigated how active and avoidant coping styles predicted the trajectory membership of anxiety symptoms during the transition into early adolescence. A total of 321 Chinese children aged 9 to 10 years were recruited from a primary school in mainland China. Self-reported trait anxiety, coping styles and anxiety symptoms were assessed at baseline. After 6 months, self-reported anxiety symptoms were measured at three follow-up assessments with an interval of 6 months. Latent class growth modelling revealed high (18.7%) and low (81.3%) trajectories of anxiety symptoms in children during the transition into early adolescence. After controlling for trait anxiety, depression and sex, high active coping style predicted the trajectory of high anxiety symptoms, which was not moderated by trait anxiety. Before controlling for these covariates, the relation between active coping style and anxiety symptoms was in the opposite direction. A high avoidant coping style showed a trend to predict the trajectory of high anxiety symptoms only for children with low trait anxiety. These findings add a developmental context to the relationships of active and avoidant coping styles to anxiety symptoms and suggest that trait anxiety may moderate these relationships.

Formative Writing Assessment: An EFL Teacher’s Beliefs and Practices

ABSTRACT Although the literature widely acknowledges the benefits of formative writing assessment in daily teaching, there is limited understanding of how frontline teachers implement it and the reasons behind their approach, particularly in EFL secondary school contexts where assessment has predominantly served selective purposes. Drawing on interviews, voice memos, document, and relevant artefacts, this study examined how a teacher implemented formative writing assessment and what influenced her decision-making process in a public secondary school in mainland China. The research findings shed light on how teachers working with beginner-level students can draw on formative writing assessment to develop students’ L2 writing skills and on factors that might influence the realisation of formative writing assessment. The study also offers pedagogical recommendations for teachers and teacher educators and suggestions for future research.

Secondary students’ L2 writing motivation and engagement: the impact of teachers’ instructional approaches and feedback practices

Abstract Although there has been a great deal of research on L2 writing in higher education over the past few decades, limited attention has been given to secondary students’ writing motivation and engagement in L2 writing contexts. The present study aims to examine the association between writing instructional approaches and student writing motivation and engagement in the Chinese EFL context, and investigate the mediating role of writing feedback in this relationship. 2,169 students from 35 secondary schools in mainland China participated in this study. Results showed that product-oriented teaching approach related positively to the three indicators of maladaptive motivation (i.e., anxiety, failure avoidance, and uncertain control) and process-oriented teaching approach related positively to the two indicators of adaptive engagement (i.e., task management, persistence). While genre-oriented teaching approach related positively to adaptive motivation and engagement, and related negatively to maladaptive motivation and engagement, cooperative multimedia writing teaching approach related negatively to adaptive motivation and one factor of adaptive engagement (i.e., task management), and related positively to two factors of maladaptive motivation (i.e., anxiety, failure avoidance) and maladaptive engagement. This study also identified the mediating role of four feedback practices (i.e., learning-oriented feedback, expressive feedback, computer-mediated feedback, and peer and self feedback) in the associations between writing instructional approaches and student writing motivation and engagement. This study provides insights into our understanding of the complex relationship among teachers’ instruction, classroom feedback practices, and student writing motivation and engagement in L2 school contexts.

A Cross-cultural Comparison of ELT Curricula of Senior Secondary Schools in Mainland China and Hong Kong

English holds significant importance as a foreign language in Mainland China and Hong Kong, where ongoing curriculum revisions are shaped by economic and sociocultural advancements. Previous research on English Language Teaching (ELT) curriculum comparisons in Asia has frequently overlooked the exploration of underlying sociocultural and socio-political factors that contribute to the observed similarities and differences. Adopting a governmentality Perspective informed by Dean's analytics of government theory, this cross-cultural comparative study investigates the ELT curricula in senior secondary schools in Mainland China and Hong Kong. Through this analysis, the study explores how sociocultural and socio-political factors interact to influence the educational landscapes. By examining the dimensions of problematizations, rationalities, techne, and teleology within the curricula, the research uncovers common challenges, rationales, approaches, and objectives, as well as distinctions arising from the unique sociocultural, political, and economic contexts of Mainland China and Hong Kong. This examination underscores the profound impact of these contextual factors on ELT curriculum design, contributing valuable insights to the cross-cultural discourse. Furthermore, the findings lay the groundwork for future research and policy development in the realm of ELT curricula, emphasizing the need for additional studies employing diverse methods and focusing on the implemented and experienced curriculum in senior secondary schools to provide a comprehensive understanding of English language education in both Mainland China and Hong Kong.

The perceived teacher support scale (PTSS) for students: Development and psychometric studies

This study developed a brief student-reported Perceived Teacher Support Scale (PTSS) to assess how well students felt supported by their teachers. Using a theory-driven approach, the PTSS with instrumental, emotional, informational, and appraisal support subscales was developed based on the framework of social support. A total of 1,138 middle school students in grades seven to ten from middle schools in mainland China participated in this survey. The psychometric features of the PTSS were studied using factor and Rasch analyses. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a three-factor model while confirmatory factor analysis supported three- and four-factor solutions. The Rasch analysis further demonstrated the psychometric quality of the four subscales: scale dimensionality, rating scale functioning, and item fit. Measurement invariance across gender was confirmed. The final PTSS had 25 items in four subscales evaluating students’ perceived teacher support: instrumental, emotional, informational, and appraisal support. The correlation between the PTSS and student engagement supported concurrent validity. Finally, the study’s limitations and implications are discussed. In general, the PTSS scale is a more effective tool for measuring students’ perceived teacher support. It can be used to understand the situation of teacher support in different dimensions, and can also be used to conduct relevant cross-sectional and longitudinal research experiments.

Teachers’ conceptions of gratitude and its cultivation in schools in China

ABSTRACT Gratitude has recently received increasing scholarly attention as a moral value and virtue important for individual and social functioning and therefore worth cultivating in schools. However, previous research has often been based on experiences in western societies, while moral values and moral cultivation are understood in different ways across cultural contexts. This exploratory qualitative study examines teachers’ conceptions of gratitude and their experiences of cultivating gratitude in schools in mainland China. Based on semi-structured interviews, the findings highlight Chinese teachers’ culturally distinctive conceptions of gratitude and its cultivation, namely its role in developing relationships and maintaining social harmony, and the importance of acts of reciprocity. This empirical study develops a more substantive cross-cultural understanding of the nature of gratitude and practices of moral cultivation in schools.

A large-scale database of Chinese characters and words collected from elementary school textbooks.

Lexical databases are essential tools for studies on language processing and acquisition. Most previous Chinese lexical databases have focused on materials for adults, yet little is known about reading materials for children and how lexical properties from these materials affect children's reading comprehension. In the present study, we provided the first large database of 2999 Chinese characters and 2182 words collected from the official textbooks recently issued by the Ministry of Education (MOE) of the People's Republic of China for most elementary schools in Mainland China, as well as norms from both school-aged children and adults. The database incorporates key orthographic, phonological, and semantic factors from these lexical units. A word-naming task was used to investigate the effects of these factors in character and word processing in both adults and children. The results suggest that: (1) as the grade level increases, visual complexity of those characters and words increases whereas semantic richness and frequency decreases; (2) the effects of lexical predictors on processing both characters and words vary across children and adults; (3) the effect of age of acquisition shows different patterns on character and word-naming performance. The database is available on Open Science Framework (OSF) ( https://osf.io/ynk8c/?view_only=5186bd68549340bd923e9b6531d2c820 ) for future studies on Chinese language development.

Effectiveness of an integrated motivational cognitive-behavioral group intervention for adolescents with gaming disorder: a randomized controlled trial.

The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of the integrated cognitive-behavioral therapy with a strength-based motivational approach [integrated cognitive-behavioral therapy (ICBT)] intervention to change gaming disorder (GD) symptoms and other outcomes and to study the therapeutic mechanism. A two-arm parallel randomized waiting-list controlled trial with 3- and 6-month follow-ups were conducted in a secondary vocational school in mainland China. Participants comprised 77 Chinese adolescents with GD symptoms with a mean age of 16.36 years [standard deviation (SD) = 0.93]; 88.3% were male INTERVENTIONS: Participants were randomized into an ICBT group (n = 38) and a waiting-list control (WLC, n = 39) group. ICBT intervention comprised eight weekly sessions to encourage participants to identify their interests and strengths and set goals for developing personally meaningful real-life activities. The outcomes were measured at pre-treatment (t0 ), post-treatment (t1 ), 3-month (t2 ) and 6-month (t3 ) follow-ups. The primary outcome was GD symptoms at t3. Secondary outcomes included GD symptoms at t1 and t2 , and gaming motivation, maladaptive gaming cognition, depression and anxiety symptoms at t1 , t2 and t3 . With the intention-to-treat principle, the GD scores at t3 were significantly different between the CBT and WLC groups [mean difference 62.08 (SD = 10.48) versus 73.64 (SD = 11.70); Hedges' g = 1.15, 95% confidence interval = 0.67-1.62]. Linear mixed-effects modeling showed significant group × time interaction for the secondary outcomes (P < 0.01), with a moderate to strong between-group effect size in the reduction in depression symptoms (g = 0.67-0.84) and anxiety symptoms (g = 0.6-0.64). Path analysis shows ICBT leads to GD reduction through reducing gaming motivation and maladaptive gaming cognition. An integrated cognitive-behavioral therapy with strength-based motivational approach intervention reduced gaming disorder symptoms and time spent gaming over a 6-month period by decreasing maladaptive gaming motivation and cognition.