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In this study, we investigate the impact of COVID-19 on academic achievement in Texas public schools. Demographic and Grade 5 STAAR test data were collected from 1155 public school districts for 2018–2019 and 2020–2021. Multiple regression was adopted to analyze the differences between rural and non-rural districts, as well as the impact of demographic characteristics on students' achievement. The results reveal significant differences in demographic characteristics between the two academic years, with non-rural districts exhibiting a greater decline in academic achievement than rural districts. Additionally, the findings suggest that higher teacher salaries correlate with better academic performance across various subjects and that English learners require additional support to acquire content knowledge and skills. We further confirm that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the academic learning experience of Texas students, with rural districts displaying more resilience than non-rural districts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various proteins with antibacterial, anticoagulant, and anti-inflammatory properties have been identified in the buccal glands of jawless blood-sucking vertebrate lampreys. However, studies on endogenous peptides in the buccal gland of lampreys are limited. In this study, 4528 endogenous peptides were identified from 1224 precursor proteins using peptidomics and screened for bioactivity in the buccal glands of the lamprey, Lethenteron camtschaticum. We synthesized four candidate bioactive peptides (VSLNLPYSVVRGEQFVVQA, DIPVPEVPILE, VVQLPPVVLGTFG, and VPPPPLVLPPASVK), calculated their secondary structures, and validated their bioactivity. The results showed that the peptide VSLNLPYSVVRGEQFVVQA possessed anti-inflammatory activity, which significantly increased the expression of anti-inflammatory factors and decreased the expression of inflammatory factors in THP-1 cells. The peptide VVQLPPVVLGTFG showed antibacterial activity against some gram-positive bacteria. The peptide VSLNLPYSVVRGEQFVQA possessed good ACE inhibitory activity at low concentrations, but no dose-related correlation was observed. Our study revealed that the buccal glands of the jawless vertebrate lamprey are a source of multiple bioactive peptides, which will provide new insights into the blood-sucking mechanism of lamprey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coupling of and coordination between science and technology innovation (STI) and sustainable development (SD) is a basic requirement for Anhui Province's economic high-quality development. According to panel data of 16 prefecture-level cities in Anhui Province from 2010 to 2021, the entropy method was applied to quantify the comprehensive development level of the two systems. The models of coupling coordination degree, grey GM (1, 1), and ARIMA prediction were constructed to analyze the spatiotemporal dynamic evolution features of the two systems' coupling coordination. In the time series, the two systems' comprehensive development showed a steady increase, a high level of coupling, and an increasing overall trend of coupling coordination. Moreover, the two systems' coupling and coordination levels show the gradient spatial differentiation characteristics of "central > east > west." The prediction shows that the two systems' coupling coordination degree exhibits a monotonic increasing trend and reaches the optimal coupling coordination state around 2030. This study provides a decision-making reference for the implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy of Anhui Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this systematic review, we explore research on effective interventions and approaches targeting kindergarten English Learners' (EL) English oral language development. A total of seven studies met the inclusion criteria. The review summarizes the common characteristics of a practical intervention that could be applied to support kindergarten Els' English oral language development. In addition, we summarize the measurements that were applied to measure Els' oral language proficiency in English. However, future research using a longitudinal design is needed to determine the long-term impact of quality intervention on ELs', especially those with limited resources, oral language development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire for Chinese adult learners, learning strategy scale (MSLQ-CAL-LS). Data were collected from 2499 college students from 15 Chinese universities. Results from factor analysis suggested satisfactory psychometric properties of MSLQ-CAL-LS. We further identified strong evidence to support the configural, metric, scalar and strict invariance across the gender groups, confirming the appropriate use of MSLQ-CAL-LS that can accurately capture the construct of self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies among both female and male Chinese adult learners. This study provides one step forward to measure SRL outside the Western context. Recommendations for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematics is a core content area in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and is vital to student learning in the other STEM subjects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the math performance of fifth- and eighth-grade students in 1170 Texas school districts. We conducted growth hierarchical linear modeling in SAS 9.4 in order to explore the effects of time, district-level characteristics, and their interaction on student performance as measured by the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) math test across three performance levels (i.e., approaching, meeting, and mastering grade level) over three academic years: 2016–2019. The overall findings indicated that, over time, Texas school districts improved in the percentage of students who approached, met, and mastered grade-level performance on the STAAR math test. The results also indicated that five district-level variables consistently and significantly impacted Grade 5 and 8 students' math achievement at three performance levels. Significant positive factors included the percentage of English learner students and principal years of experience; significant negative factors were the percentage of economically challenged students, student mobility rate, and teacher turnover rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we described and compared an English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher's pedagogical behaviors in traditional and problem-based learning (PBL) classroom settings in a Chinese university. In spring 2019, we collected six 45-min videos, three in each condition, covering three modules: (a) warm-up and vocabulary, (b) essay structure, and (c) writing. The analyses of the teacher's pedagogical behaviors and her interaction with students indicated that the instructor spent most of the instructional time delivering higher-order thinking content in both traditional and PBL classes. The teacher's activity structure influenced students' communication mode. Although the instructor provided students with more group discussion activities in the PBL classroom, lecturing was observed to be the primary delivery method in both classes. These results suggest that the application of PBL strategies in the EFL classroom did not significantly restructure the teacher's pedagogical behaviors, and thus, failed to achieve the goal of providing students with more opportunities for improving their expressive English language proficiency. These findings underscore the need to develop an effective PBL-related curriculum and professional development opportunities for EFL teachers to effectively implement the PBL approach in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compares the science achievement growth trajectories of fifth-grade students in rural and nonrural school districts in Texas. Using a growth hierarchical linear model, we explored the effects of time, school location (rural vs. nonrural), and their interaction on students' science performance as measured by the high-stakes State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) science test over five academic years. We found that rural school students lagged in science at the initial stage when STAAR was first administered in the 2011–2012 school year. With time, the gap between rural and nonrural district students' science performance persisted. We further added eight district-level factors that might influence students' academic performance into the model and found that three variables (i.e., student mobility rate, percentage of students identified ELs, and teacher turnover rate) constantly influenced students' science scores. The implications for teaching pedagogy and research are discussed regarding science education in Texas rural districts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on comparing the growth trajectory of border and non-border school districts regarding their fifth-grade students' performance on a standardized reading test. Using a growth hierarchical linear model, we investigated the effect of time, school location, and their interaction on students' reading performance through the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) reading test in five recent school years. It was found that border school students lagged behind in reading at the initial stage when STAAR was first administered. As time went by, the gap between border and non-border district students' reading performance remained. Implications for teaching pedagogy and research are discussed regarding the preparation of border district students to become bilingual, bicultural, and biliterate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through a quasi-experimental approach, we compared Chinese college students' learning motivation, content knowledge, English language proficiency, and instructor's pedagogical practices between an English-medium instruction (EMI) and the parallel Chinese-medium instruction (CMI) course in a non-traditional discipline. Results indicated that EMI was more effective, as compared to CMI, in motivating students' learning of the focal subject. More specifically, EMI students held a stronger external goal orientation than did their CMI peers. Further, EMI and CMI students performed on par in their final exam in the subject and English after one semester of participation, controlling for their prior performance. The finding suggested that EMI did not carry a detrimental effect on Chinese college students' content area learning. Finally, observation revealed a significantly higher percentage of English language instruction focused on higher-order dense cognitive area in the EMI classroom where students were more engaged in their learning. Implications for policy and research were discussed regarding this educational approach for sustained and optimized student learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]