The present longitudinal study examined whether extracurricular activities in the arts and corresponding scores in art classes have a positive association with general academic performance. Data were collected from 488 seventh-grade children (259 boys and 229 girls) for over two years. Information regarding their participation in extracurricular…

The Big Five personality traits are established predictors of school grades. However, the mechanisms underlying these associations are not yet well understood. Effects of personality on grades might arise because behavioral tendencies facilitate learning and increase subject-specific competencies. Alternatively, personality effects on grades might…

Based on data from the China Education Panel Survey in the academic years of 2013-2014 and 2014-2015, this article sought to investigate whether shadow education can yield the "theater effect" and whether the "theater effect" of shadow education is heterogeneous between families of different socio-economic status as well as…

We investigate the effects of 'lecture-based' (LBT)--i.e. individual work and rote learning--vs. 'discussion-based' (DBT)--i.e. participative and focused on student-centred learning--teaching styles on the test scores and socio-economic inequality of middle-school students randomly assigned to classes using data from the China Education Panel…

This study examined whether adolescent students' externalizing behavior and prosocial behavior affects their academic achievement (i.e., school grades and standardized test scores) in two major academic domains (i.e., mathematics and German) over and above well-established determinants of school achievement (i.e., prior achievement, intelligence,…

Background: The control-value theory of achievement emotions postulates that it is possible to affect achievement emotions by decreasing or increasing control and value appraisals. This implies that changes in the latter should result in changes in the former. However, the assumption has been rarely tested. Aims: This study aimed at verifying…

The aim of this paper is to examine the attitudes of upper grades of middle school towards the STEM field depending on several variables. An empirical-non-experimental research was conducted without any treatment on participants. The research included 246 students of seventh, eighth and ninth grade students (ages between 12 and 15) from one public…

While there is evidence suggesting school-based transitions impact student mental health and academics (Lester et al., 2013), it is unknown how these transitions specifically impact the domains of social, academic, and emotional behavior, as measured via the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener (SAEBRS). The purpose of this study…

The advantages and disadvantages of ability grouping for student achievement are strongly contested, with studies presenting different results. However, much of this research has focused on class-level or subject-level ability grouping. Relatively less research has focused on school-level ability grouping. More importantly, the role of teacher…

The ability to solve complex problems successfully represents a key competence for students' educational success and beyond. While strategy application and metastrategic knowledge constitute two underlying components that drive successful complex problem solving (CPS), little is known about how these two facets develop individually and jointly in…

The present study examined relations between concern for mianzi, or the social perception of one's prestige and standing in the group, and adjustment in Chinese adolescents. Participants were seventh- and ninth-grade students in rural and urban regions of China (n = 794, M[subscript age] = 14 years). Data were obtained from multiple sources…

Relative age effects (RAEs), where older children within an age-based group have better academic, sporting, self-concept and mental health outcomes than their younger peers, have been demonstrated in multiple countries. Australian research has found self-concept and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder RAEs, but academic RAEs have not been…

The Chinese education system is characterized as highly meritocratic and examination-oriented. Scores in high-stakes public standardized examinations mainly determine upward educational transitions. Private tutoring classes (PTCs) are a typical measure to boost students' academic achievement. Mental health is also assumed to affect one's behaviors…

Loneliness has previously been linked to cognitive and attentional bias, and such biases may have a detrimental impact on perceived scholastic self-beliefs. Little is known about the relationship in school-aged adolescents. The current study examined the association between loneliness and scholastic self-beliefs in a nationally representative…

The purpose of this study was to examine in detail the relationship between perceived parental involvement in homework (content-oriented and autonomy-oriented forms of involvement) and students' homework behavior (homework time, homework time management, and amount of homework completed). The study also looked at how the relationships between…