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In addition to family and school factors, adolescent academic performance can also be influenced by the surrounding peer groups. Based on the data from China Education Panel Studies (CEPS) between 2013 and 2014, this paper examined the association between peer deviant behaviour and adolescent academic performance. It is found that peer deviant behaviour negatively predicted adolescent academic performance, and the negative association between peer deviant behaviour and academic performance in migrant and school-boarding adolescents was obviously weaker than that in native and home-resident adolescents. This negative association was slightly reduced but still significant after controlling for potential selection bias. More peer deviant behaviours reduced adolescent academic performance by increasing their own deviant behaviours and reducing their own educational expectation. Therefore, it is necessary to guide peer behaviours and interactions and regulate adolescent deviant behaviours from a global perspective to avoid negative peer effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hedonia and eudaimonia have been proposed as pathways to well-being. However, the direction of the causal relationship between them remains unclear. This study examined if happiness motivations may be resources leading to a happy life, or vice versa. Cross-lagged associations between happiness motivations (i.e. hedonic motivation and eudaimonic motivation) and subjective well-being (i.e. positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction) were tested. Four hundred and ninety-four Chinese adolescents (233 males; mean age 13.26 ± 0.70 years) participated in a two-wave paper and pencil study. The cross-lagged analysis showed that eudaimonic motivation was a significant predictor of positive affect and life satisfaction over time. No cross-lagged effects between eudaimonic motivation and negative affect, or between hedonic motivation and subjective well-being components were established. The results highlight the predictive power of eudaimonic motivation on adolescents' subjective well-being later on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies on reading engagement have generally used variable‐centred approaches to examine whole‐sample averages. Few have assumed a person‐centred approach, especially latent profile analysis (LPA), to examine students' reading engagement profiles. Although one study employed LPA to identify the reading engagement profiles of Chinese adolescents, how engagement dimensions combine within individuals was not clear from its results. Methods: This study used LPA to examine the reading engagement profiles of 12,058 Chinese adolescents based on their patterns of behavioural, cognitive and emotional engagement. Additionally, how profile membership relates to self‐concept and reading literacy was examined. Results: Four reading engagement profiles were identified: engaged (moderate to high on all three dimensions), moderately engaged (moderate on all three dimensions), disengaged (low on all three dimensions) and moderately cognitively engaged (moderate cognitive engagement/low behavioural and emotional engagement). Students with a higher reading self‐concept were more likely to exhibit a pattern of moderate to high engagement. Students with higher engagement patterns attained higher reading achievement. Conclusions: Chinese adolescents showed multiple reading engagement profiles that were differently related to self‐concept and reading literacy. Teachers should be aware of subgroups of students displaying different reading engagement patterns and be able to evaluate and then address them with appropriate instructional practices. Highlights: What is already known about this topicReading engagement is a multidimensional construct consisting of behavioural, affective and cognitive dimensions.Reading engagement profiles have been found to include consistent patterns characterised by high or low reading engagement and inconsistent patterns characterised by heterogeneous engagement among the three dimensions.Reading engagement profiles have different adaptive values with respect to related variables such as self‐concept and reading achievement. What this paper addsIt identified four reading engagement profiles: the engaged, moderately engaged, disengaged and moderately cognitively engaged profiles.Profiles with higher self‐concepts generally manifested patterns of higher engagement.Profiles characterised by higher engagement were associated with higher reading achievement. Implications for theory, policy or practiceFuture research should continue to employ person‐centred approaches to investigate more detailed profiles of reading engagement, as well as their relations to multiple contextual antecedents and educational outcomes.Teachers should be aware of subgroups of students with different engagement patterns and tailor effective instructional practices.The results highlight the need to intervene with the disengaged group, as well as with those not typically identified as at‐risk by teachers, such as the moderately cognitively engaged group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although theories and research emphasize the importance of adolescent life skills, different stakeholders' perceptions of the related issues have not been systematically investigated, particularly in Chinese contexts. This paper presents and integrates findings from four studies examining perceptions of different stakeholders on the need for and adequacy of life skills education and perceived adolescent life skills in Hong Kong. Data from four studies were used, including a longitudinal study with senior high school students (N = 3328+) and three cross-sectional studies based on students (N = 2474), teachers (N = 568) and parents (N = 431). Participants responded to measures on their perceptions of the need for life skills education and adequacy of related education in the formal curriculum. They also rated adolescent life skills in different domains, including emotional competence, moral competence, resilience, problem-solving, life meaning, gratefulness, social competence, and integrity. Consistent across the four studies, while many stakeholders regarded life skills as important for adolescents, a majority of them also perceived life skills education as insufficient in the school curriculum. There were also views suggesting that adolescent life skills development was incomplete. Compared with teachers and parents, adolescents perceived higher levels of life skills in themselves and adolescents in Hong Kong. There is a strong perceived need to step up life skills education in adolescents, particularly in Hong Kong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With reference to the Project P.A.T.H.S. in Hong Kong, we developed the Tin Ka Ping P.A.T.H.S. Project in mainland China. To understand the perceptions of the high school students of the programs in this project, we collected diaries from students after completion of the program. In this paper, we present findings based on diaries of 48 high school students in mainland China in the context of a junior researcher mentorship program involving three Hong Kong high school students who were trained to analyze the diaries. Results showed that the overall tone of the diaries was positive, with students showing positive views of the program content, teaching process, and teachers. Besides, students perceived that they benefited from the program in the areas of intrapersonal, interpersonal, familial and societal domains. The present study underscores the value of Tin Ka Ping P.A.T.H.S. Project in nurturing positive development of Chinese adolescents in mainland China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effects of journaling-based interventions on perceived relationship quality (i.e., mother-adolescent interactions and conflict) and gratitude among Chinese adolescents (ages 12–14 years) and their mothers (N = 339 dyads). Mother-adolescent dyads were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (i.e., gratitude, affection, and control), and kept a daily journal on assigned topics for 21 days. Participants' mother-adolescent relationship quality and level of gratitude were measured before and after the 21-day period. The findings showed that both the gratitude and affection interventions had positive impacts on mother-adolescent relationship quality (i.e., more positive mother-adolescent interactions and less conflict) with a small to medium effect size for adolescents but no impact for mothers. Gratitude did not change from pre-to post-intervention. The current study provides some preliminary support for implementing gratitude and affection interventions with Chinese adolescents to promote relationship quality, but suggests that the intervention works better for adolescents than mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a consensus that both nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidal ideation as risk factors for suicidal behavior have a strong connection. However, a lack of longitudinal information has limited the clarification of the concrete relationship between them. Aims: This study aimed to examine the specific mechanism between NSSI and suicidal ideation over time, during adolescence. Method: A longitudinal study was conducted with 193 Chinese adolescents. NSSI and suicidal ideations were examined over the course of a 1year followed-up, and three waves of data were collected. Results: The NSSI at time T1 significantly positively predicted suicidal ideation at time T2; Suicidal ideation at time T2 also significantly positively predicted NSSI at time T3. Limitations: Given that the small number of participants with suicidal ideation and NSSI, the findings of the study should be interpreted with caution and a lager sample is needed in the future. Conclusion: It was suggested that NSSI may occur before suicidal ideation, which in turn would strengthen NSSI, so interventions should be carried out from two aspects (behaviors and thoughts) to improve adolescents' mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Choosing a school that can best assist children's development has become one of the major concerns of Chinese parents. To categorize schools by where students stay after school, this paper consider boarding schools or day schools as two major school types. This study examined the relationships among emotional intelligence (EI), perceived social support (from friends and family), and resilience for 493 Chinese adolescents (male = 249, female = 244; mean age = 13.9, SD = 0.71), and investigated how school type difference impacts these relationships. This research first used a moderator analysis to investigate the effects of trait emotional intelligence on resilience by perceived social support from family and friends, respectively. Results show that social support from family was non-significant, while support from friends was significant in moderating the relationship between EI and resilience. Furthermore, a moderated moderation analysis was used to understand if moderation by school type of perceived social support differs in the effect of trait EI on resilience. Results indicated that the magnitude of the moderation by social support from friends depended on school type. For students who have lower perceived friend support, boarding school experiences provided a stronger positive relationship between trait EI and resilience than day school experience. Ways to enhance students' perceived social support are discussed, along with the limitations of the current research and recommendations for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tin Ka Ping P.A.T.H.S. Project is a large-scale curricula-based positive youth development (PYD) program aiming to promote holistic development among adolescents in mainland China. In view of the great success in the full implementation phase between the academic year of 2015 and 2018, a new phase of "Building the 'Tin' Homeland Together" has been embarked afterward. The present paper evaluated the effectiveness of the Tin Ka Ping P.A.T.H.S. Project on the program participants through the perspectives of program implementers in individual interviews. The results showed that the implementers in general perceived the program as useful and practical for students in terms of their developments in intrapersonal (e.g., self-confidence), interpersonal (e.g., bonding) and academic (e.g., promoted engagement and motivation) fields. The implications of present findings to the future development of PYD in mainland China are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While family functioning is crucial to adolescent developmental outcomes, the mediating role of spirituality in the relationship between family functioning and academic-related outcomes of adolescents has been sparsely explored, particularly in non-Western contexts. To address this gap, based on a short-term longitudinal study, we examined the influence of family functioning on the academic values and academic anxiety of 4,981 Chinese adolescents in Sichuan, China, with spirituality as the mediator. We gathered data from students aged 11 and above at Wave 1 and at six months later (Wave 2). Analysis utilizing structural equation modeling indicated that prior family functioning positively and negatively predicted subsequent academic values and academic anxiety respectively, with spirituality as a significant mediator. Theoretically, this study helps to build up a conceptual model on how family functioning and spirituality of adolescents shape academic values and academic anxiety of adolescents. Practically, the present findings highlight the significance of enhancing family functioning and adolescent spirituality to help adolescents strive for academic success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although abundant evidence has confirmed cyberbullying as a global online risk, little is known about the coping strategies employed by victims and those who experiencing bullying. A validated scale for coping with cyberbullying could inform evidence-based social services and enable comparative studies of this phenomenon among victims from different backgrounds. This study aims to validate the Coping Strategies for Victims of Cyberbullying (CSVC) scale among Chinese adolescents and to compare its effectiveness between victims and bully-victims (individuals with dual roles). Methods: A 25-item CSVC scale was translated and adapted for cultural relevance in the Chinese context. A sample of 1,716 adolescents, aged 13–18 years, from two middle schools and one high school in China, was recruited. Both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted. Results: The EFA revealed that the Chinese version of the CSVC scale had satisfactory validity. The CFA demonstrated a good fit for the eight-factor model in assessing different coping strategies for cyberbullying. Differences in the selection of coping strategies were observed between the general adolescent population and sexual and gender minorities. Conclusions: Future intervention studies may use this validated scale to educate adolescents, both those affected by cyberbullying and those who are not, to learn a broader range of coping strategies and to choose more effective ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although previous studies have found that parenting style significantly predicts emotional and behavioral problems (EBPs) among Chinese adolescents, the mechanism between different parenting styles and EBPs requires in-depth investigation. In our study, we aimed to investigate the mediating effect of resilience, a positive psychological characteristic, between parenting style and EBPs among Chinese adolescents. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we used a multistage stratified cluster random sampling method to collect data in Shenyang, Liaoning Province from November to December 2019. Self-developed questionnaires were distributed to 1028 adolescents aged 10–18. Finally, the study consisted of 895 participants. The bootstrap method was used to investigate the role of resilience as a mediator in the relationship between different parenting styles and EBPs from a positive psychology perspective. Results: The mean score of EBPs was 12.71 (SD = 5.77). After controlling for variables such as gender, age, left-behind children, family type and family income, resilience partially played a mediating role in the associations of paternal rejection (a × b = 0.051 BCa95%CI:0.023,0.080), maternal rejection (a × b = 0.055 BCa95%CI: 0.024, 0.086), paternal emotional warmth (a × b = -0.139 BCa95%CI: -0.182, -0.099) and maternal emotional warmth (a × b = -0.140 BCa95%CI: -0.182, -0.102), with EBPs. The effect sizes were11.28%, 11.51%, 40.76%, and 38.78%, respectively. Conclusions: Resilience could partially mediate the relationship between parenting style and EBPs, highlighting that parents should adopt a positive parenting style and that resilience improvement could be effective in reducing EBPs among Chinese adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the cross-sectional relationships between reading-related affective and cognitive factors and reading skills among adolescents with and without dyslexia. Participants were 120 Chinese-speaking eighth graders, including 60 adolescents with dyslexia and 60 typically developing adolescents from Hong Kong, China. Adolescents completed questionnaires on general anxiety, reading anxiety, and reading self-concept. They were also assessed on measures of rapid digit naming, verbal working memory, word reading, reading fluency, and reading comprehension. The results showed that readers with dyslexia reported higher levels of general anxiety and reading anxiety and lower levels of reading self-concept than typical readers. They also showed difficulties in rapid digit naming and verbal working memory. Importantly, controlling for rapid digit naming and verbal working memory, reading self-concept was uniquely associated with word reading and reading fluency for readers with and without dyslexia. Furthermore, reading anxiety and reading self-concept were uniquely associated with reading comprehension for the two groups of readers. The findings point to the importance of considering affective factors when examining the reading skills of Chinese readers and the utility of targeting these factors when supporting the learning of adolescents with and without dyslexia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humans need to accurately infer the intentions and feelings of others to engage in successful social interaction. However, the application of artificial intelligence technology in Education (AIEd) forms a human–machine collaborative environment which changed the interaction relationship of individuals, it may have an affect on them. This study aimed to explore whether AIEd affects adolescents' emotional perception. Combined with the actual teaching situation and the result of the questionnaire, 1332 students recruited through random sampling from AI Curriculum Reform Demonstration Schools in Guangzhou participated in this study. Different emotional priming stimulative materials (sentences and situational pictures) were used in the experiments. The task was designed to investigate adolescents' reaction time to emotional faces (positive, negative). After eliminating blank data and invalid data with response time greater than 150 ms, 977 and 962 valid data were included in the statistical analysis in experiment 1 and experiment 2 respectively. Results show that AIEd has a negative effect on adolescents' emotional perception. Prior research has focused on theory to the exclusion of practical applications and the psychological impact of AIEd, thus this study makes an innovative contribution in exploring the impact of the application of artificial intelligence technology in education on adolescents' physical and mental development by using empirical research methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the evaluation findings of the B.E.S.T. Teen Program which aimed at promoting behavioral, emotional, social, and thinking competencies in primary school students, it is argued in this paper that promotion of psychosocial competence to prevent addiction in primary school students is a promising strategy. A total of 382 Primary 5 (Grade 5) and 297 Primary 6 (Grade 6) students from five primary schools in Hong Kong participated in the program. Different evaluation strategies were adopted to evaluate the program. First, objective outcome evaluation adopting a non-equivalent group pretest-posttest experimental-control group design was conducted to examine change in the students. Second, to gauge students' perceptions of the program, subjective outcome evaluation was conducted. The evaluation findings basically converged to tentatively suggest that young adolescents benefited from participating in the program. Implications on the development, implementation, and evaluation of addiction prevention programs for teenagers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moral education is a practice to promote the moral competence of adolescents, particularly in nurturing their moral judgement and moral behaviour. In China, under the rapid development of social work practice at schools, moral education could serve as a collaborative point between teachers, school counsellors, social workers and policymakers to promote the moral, holistic and healthy development of students. However, moral education is not as yet widely and systematically evaluated? particularly the details of relevant policy, curriculum, textbooks, teaching and learning approach, examination and evaluation. This paper takes an initiative to conduct a comprehensive literature review and theoretical discussion on the subject ‘Moral and Character Education’ (Sixiangpinde????) which is a mandatory moral education subject for Grade 7–9 students in junior high schools in China. It also provides reflections and suggestions on how the subject and moral education could be promoted under the contexts of promotion of adolescent holistic development and involvement of social work practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary What is known on the subject? The TAS-20 is the most widely used self-reported questionnaire to assess the level of alexithymia in students and community and clinical samples., What this paper adds to existing knowledge? The TAS-20-C exhibited high levels of reliability and validity, indicating that it is appropriate for the assessment of alexithymia in Chinese adolescents., What are the implications for practice? Screening adolescents who are at risk of alexithymia through the TAS-20 could help to perform necessary and effective precautions to decrease the adverse effects of alexithymia, such as the risks of developing depressive mood and behavioral problems., Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20-C) in a sample of Chinese adolescents. Method Adolescents ( n = 1260) recruited from three schools in mainland China completed the TAS-20-C, the somatization subscale of the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Five different factorial models of the TAS-20 were tested using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Cronbach's α, mean inter-item correlations and predictive validity were also evaluated. Results Among those five different factorial models, the four-factor structure model was suitable and invariant across gender and age in this sample. The TAS-20-C demonstrated adequate internal reliability. Gender and age accounted for insignificant amounts of variability in total TAS-20-C and factor scores. TAS-20-C total and subscale scores were correlated significantly with SCL-90 somatization subscale and CES-D. Girls scored higher than boys on difficulty identifying feelings (DIF) and pragmatic thinking (PR) subscales. DIF and lack of subjective significance or importance of emotions (IMs) subscale scores were higher among younger than among middle and older adolescents. Implications for Practice Validating the TAS-20 in adolescents is quite important to use it in evaluating adolescents' alexithymia, and screen those at risk of alexithymia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the advent of the new media era, the understanding of adolescent internet addiction needs to be enriched. It is also necessary to distinguish the related factors of adolescent internet addiction at different levels to clarify the mechanisms of this phenomenon. Methods: This study used hierarchical linear model analysis to explore the effects of student-level factors and school-level factors on adolescent internet addiction, along with cross-level moderating effects. A total of 1,912 students between the 4th and 8th grades in China participated in the study. Participants completed the Self-Esteem Scale, Parents Phubbing Scale, Classroom Environment Scale, and the Diagnostic Questionnaire of Internet Addiction. Results: Correlational analyses revealed that internet addiction was found to be negatively correlated with both self-esteem and the teacher-student relationship (p < 0.01), while father phubbing, mother phubbing, and learning burden were shown to positively correlate with internet addiction (p < 0.01). Hierarchical linear model analysis suggested that student-level variables, including self-esteem, and mother phubbing, were significant predictors of internet addiction (β = −0.077, p < 0.001 and β = 0.028, p < 0.01, respectively). At the school level, learning burden significantly and negatively predicted internet addiction (β = 0.073, p < 0.05). Furthermore, the relationship between self-esteem and internet addiction was significantly moderated by learning burden (β = −0.007, p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the teacher-student relationship also had a significant moderating effect on the association between mother phubbing and internet addiction (β = −0.005, p < 0.01). Conclusions: This study revealed the relationships between self-esteem, parental phubbing, and classroom environment with adolescent internet addiction, and these findings could provide insights into reducing adolescent internet addiction from the perspective of individuals, families, and schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is a transdiagnostic risk factor for mental disorders. However, reliable and valid measurements of IU among Chinese adolescents are still lacking. This study aimed to develop and validate the Intolerance of Uncertainty Index-A for Children (IUI-A-C) in a large sample of Chinese adolescents. Methods: A total of 108,540 adolescents provided data regarding sociodemographic information, IU, and other constructs theoretically related to IU via an online platform. Item analyses, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, validity analyses, reliability analyses, and measurement invariance analyses were used to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the IUI-A-C (CIUI-A-C). Results: Eight items of the CIUI-A-C with poor psychometric properties were discarded, yielding the revised 7-item CIUI-A-C (RCIUI-A-C). Factor analyses revealed and supported a one-factor structure for the RCIUI-A-C, which also evidenced robust reliability as well as satisfactory convergent validity. Furthermore, measurement invariance analyses indicated that the one-factor structure was stable across gender and age. Conclusions: The RCIUI-A-C is a valid and reliable measurement for Chinese adolescents of different genders and ages, which allows for efficient and rapid evaluation of IU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated 195 Chinese adolescents' (Mage = 15.9, SD = 1.46, 56% female) everyday secret-keeping behaviors and their rationale for their behaviors as reported in a two-week daily diary. A total of 860 secrets were reported. Chinese adolescents primarily kept secrets involving personal activities, followed by academic events and events concerning interpersonal relationships and electronic use. Justifications for their secretive behaviors mainly included reports of fear of parental disapproval in all types of events, particularly in personal events. Adolescents' fear of parental disapproval was often referenced in the context of adolescents' belief that their parents differed when it came to the value of doing activities outside of academics and attitudes towards adolescents' academic successes and failures. Our findings highlighted the significance of academic events and achievement in Chinese adolescents' secret-keeping behaviors and the central role of avoiding parental punishment or criticism in their justifications across all types of events. Girls reported a greater proportion of secrets concerning personal activity and a smaller proportion concerning electronic use than boys. Developmental differences were also found in the reporting of keeping secrets in personal activity and electronic use, i.e., adolescents reported more secrets in personal activity but fewer secrets concerning electronic use when they grew older. The findings highlight the importance of balancing adolescents' needs for autonomy development and academic achievement in adolescent-parent relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACTIn addition to family and school factors, adolescent academic performance can also be influenced by the surrounding peer groups. Based on the data from China Education Panel Studies (CEPS) between 2013 and 2014, this paper examined the association between peer deviant behaviour and adolescent academic performance. It is found that peer deviant behaviour negatively predicted adolescent academic performance, and the negative association between peer deviant behaviour and academic performance in migrant and school-boarding adolescents was obviously weaker than that in native and home-resident adolescents. This negative association was slightly reduced but still significant after controlling for potential selection bias. More peer deviant behaviours reduced adolescent academic performance by increasing their own deviant behaviours and reducing their own educational expectation. Therefore, it is necessary to guide peer behaviours and interactions and regulate adolescent deviant behaviours from a global perspective to avoid negative peer effects.

Although school climate plays an important role in the development of adolescent prosocial behaviors and problem behaviors, little is known about the mechanisms underlying school climate's impact on such behaviors, particularly in Chinese adolescents. This study used a multi‐informant approach to investigate the mediating role of social‐emotional learning (SEL) competencies on the association of school climate with prosocial behaviors and problem behaviors (i.e., internalizing and externalizing behaviors) among Chinese adolescents. A total of 699 students (Mage = 12.89 years, SD = 0.70) in 7th and 8th grades from three middle schools in Chengdu, China completed measures of perceived school climate and SEL competencies. Their guardians also completed ratings on adolescent prosocial and problem behaviors. As predicted, while perceived school climate was positively associated with adolescent prosocial behaviors, it was negatively related to adolescent internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Analyses using PROCESS further showed that SEL competencies mediated the relationship between perceived school climate and adolescent behaviors. The findings underscored the importance of promoting positive school climate as well as SEL competencies to foster positive adolescent development. Practitioner Points: Perceived school climate was positively associated with adolescent prosocial behaviors.Perceived school climate was negatively related to adolescent internalizing and externalizing behaviors.Social‐emotional learning (SEL) competencies mediated the association of perceived school climate with adolescents' prosocial, internalizing, and externalizing behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]