The development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and the demand for general-subject teaching give birth to general-subject AI teacher-led courses. In this study, 79 fourth-grade pupils from two classes in a primary school in Guangzhou City are selected as the samples. The research methods of interview, classroom observation, and questionnaire survey are used to explore the effects of the AI general- subject teacher on pupils’ learning effectiveness based on the framework of anthropomorphic learning process theory. The results show that the AI general-subject teacher can significantly enhance pupils’ learning motivation (including intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation), increase pupils’ learning engagement (including behavioral engagement, cognitive engagement, and emotional engagement), and improve pupils’ learning outcomes (including knowledge and skills, process and method, emotional attitude and values). The findings confirm the important role of the AI general-subject teacher as the main instructor to promote pupils’ efficient learning and provide a significant reference for solving the shortage problem of excellent teachers and reducing the burden on teachers.

In recent years, China has been issuing artificial intelligence (AI) education policies to promote the deep integration between AI and education. Setting AI courses at the basic education phase can cultivate students’ AI literacy and enhance the country’s science and technology competitiveness in the future. However, due to shortages of AI teachers and inadequate conditions for practice, the current AI courses in primary and secondary schools are not enough in effectiveness. In light of current problems, this study, based on the foundation of university-enterprise cooperation, integrates the “competition and education” mechanism into informal AI course design and practice. Using a design-based research paradigm, the study proposes the design framework from four dimensions: goals, themes and content, methods and steps, and evaluation, and then further refines the framework through two rounds of iterations, to provide a reference for the development and practice of AI courses.

With the application of the internet, big data, and artificial intelligence (AI) in education, a new form of textbook construction has been developed, promoting digital textbook development. However, problems during digital textbook construction still exist. This study analyzes the necessity of intelligent textbook development and explains the educational characteristics of intelligent textbooks, such as intelligent adaptation learning, intelligent guidance, accompanying evaluation, and in-depth learning interaction from the perspective of instruction theory. Moreover, combining the technical advantages of AI, including knowledge mapping, learning analysis, online tracking, learner digital profiles, and in-depth interaction, and taking existing achievements for reference, it describes the methods and strategies of intelligent textbooks to achieve corresponding educational functions and also makes interpretation with specific cases. Given the educational and engineering characteristics of intelligent textbooks, this study analyzes the strategies for promoting the construction of intelligent textbooks from adhering to the instruction theory, paying attention to the iteration of practice, and adopting technical methods to supervise and regulate.

Under the background of “emerging engineering education,” the engineering education with national defense characteristics, has put forward higher requirements for the engineering practice training of college students. Based on this, focusing on three characteristics of virtual reality (VR) technology, this paper puts forward the construction ideas of VR technology applied in engineering practice training courses. Then, by taking Northwestern Polytechnical University’s “VR Assembly Composite Practice Training Course” for example, this paper designs the teaching process of the practice training course and analyzes the teaching effect through questionnaires. It finds that VR technology can avoid teaching risks, improve teaching quality, and have a high promotion value in the existing engineering practice training courses. Finally, three suggestions on the VR technology applied in engineering practice teaching are put forward.

By comparing the changes from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s results of Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 and 2022, it is found that 15-year-old students in East Asian countries and economies maintain a commanding lead in reading, mathematics, and science. These students from regions such as Singapore, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Hong Kong (China), Macao (China), and Chinese Taipei not only sustain their academic excellence but also experience improvements in learning efficiency and their sense of belonging at school. Drawing on the PISA 2022 data, this study analyzes students’ learning time investment, out-of school-hours (OSH) services, and their relationship with student academic performance. The results show that the above countries and economies have achieved encouraging results in academic burden reduction by decreasing learning time in regular school lessons, controlling homework time, and providing OSH services. These distinctive policy interventions can serve as valuable reference points for the Chinese Mainland’s ongoing implementation of the “double reduction” policy while facilitating an informed judgment of potential risks.

Assignments are an important tool to evaluate learners’ learning effectiveness in online courses. Clarifying assignment design strategies is of great significance for promoting the quality construction of online education courses. This paper uses Bloom’s taxonomy framework revised by Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) as a reference to label the knowledge types and cognitive dimensions in the assignment context of eight courses. Combined with a literature review, a discipline–objective–schedule (DOS) threedimensional analysis framework based on the achievement of curriculum objectives, the design of chapter schedule, and the heterogeneity of disciplines is constructed to conduct an in-depth analysis of online course assignment design strategies. The research findings show that the online course assignment design strategy has an obvious curriculum objective orientation, follows the gradual learning rule, and presents typical disciplinary differences. The study finds that the current assignment design of online courses has three issues: first, a mismatch between assignment design and curriculum objectives; second, a lack of diversity in assignment formats; and third, insufficient comprehensiveness of some subject assignments. Based on the above discussions, corresponding suggestions are provided.

Book Excerpt

Conflicting results have existed in research on the relationship between screen exposure and behavior problems among preschoolers, so it is necessary to clarify the relationship and provide guidelines regulating their screen usage. Through searching and screening of literature, 48 independent samples from 43 quantitative studies are included in the meta-analysis, with 76,049 participants. The results show a weak positive correlation between screen exposure and behavior problems among preschoolers (r = 0.169). The findings show that preschoolers’ age and length of exposure have a significantly moderate effect on the relationship between screen exposure and behavior problems among preschoolers, while media types and study design do not. Additionally, a stronger correlation is observed between excessive screen exposure and behavior problems among preschoolers aged 0–3. Recommendations for the appropriate use of digital media among preschoolers and media education are also presented.

Abstracts

Teachers play a vital role in the implementation of social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum. This study focuses on the Second Step program of the Committee for Children (CFC) and its roll-out at two kindergartens in Shanghai. It aims to assess how Chinese preschool teachers effectively put into action the SEL curriculum, considering knowledge, emotions, perception, and behavior dimensions. Utilizing NVivo12 software, interviews with 10 teachers are analyzed, revealing that advancements in teachers’ social and emotional competencies correlate with their ability to transform SEL knowledge into practice. Teachers’ perceptions of SEL significance reflect their level of SEL knowledge and influence their daily practice. Moreover, education integrating knowledge with emotions is achieved by combining knowledge, emotions, and perception. The findings highlight the following approaches to be adopted for better SEL curriculum outcomes, suggesting enhancing teachers’ cultural sensitivity and exploring SEL within the Chinese cultural context, establishing a community of SEL practices to facilitate dialogue between teachers’ personal knowledge and authoritative knowledge, and providing targeted support for teachers’ work integrating knowledge with emotions.

Book Description

The “double reduction” policy has shown initial success over the past three years. However, parents and off-campus training institutions continue to influence the policy implementation significantly. Aiming to investigate the correlation between private tutoring and academic performance, as well as identify key moderating variables, this study conducted a meta-analysis on 21 primary studies, encompassing 54 independent samples, 79 effect sizes, and 242,601 participants. The findings revealed a low correlation between private tutoring and the academic performance of students. The impact of private tutoring on academic performance was insignificant after the application of the trim-and-fill method. Among the nine moderating variables analyzed, student gender, educational stage, family socioeconomic status (SES), region, tutoring subject, tutoring duration, and type of tutoring class did not significantly influence the effectiveness of private tutoring. The conclusions clarify the common one-sided perceptions people have about the role of private tutoring, offering new insights for education policymakers, researchers, teachers, parents, and students.

Teachers’ language modeling behaviors, including frequent conversation, open-ended questions, repetition and extension, self- and parallel talks, and advanced language, have significantly impacted young children’s language learning and development. This study examined 60 classrooms from 20 kindergartens in Guangzhou, China, and analyzed 62 films of daily activities and 57 videos of free play. It aims to address the research gap in existing research that pays little attention to teachers’ language modeling behaviors in daily activities and free play. The results indicate that the more frequent teachers’ language modeling behaviors, the larger the vocabulary young children use and the better their performance in lexical richness. However, such behaviors in daily activities and free play are infrequent and superficial, failing to guide young children’s language development effectively. To optimize teachers’ language modeling behaviors in daily activities and free play, they are expected to establish positive emotional bonds with young children in a kind and respectful manner and receive training. Teachers are also encouraged to frequently communicate and engage in dialogues with young children, create contexts that facilitate the use of language, increase the frequency of stimuli for vocabulary learning, and guide and encourage young children’s advanced language.

Bibliography

Using data from the China Education Panel Survey, this study examines the impact of homework time on academic performance among Chinese junior high school students. The findings show that seventh and ninth graders spend 2.28 and 2.67 hours daily on homework, respectively, exceeding the 90-minute limit stipulated by the “double reduction” policy. Homework time significantly varies by gender, grade, and region. The relationship between homework time and the academic performance of junior high school students follows an inverted U-shaped pattern. Ordinary Least Squares analysis indicates that the optimal homework time for maximizing academic performance is less than 0.96 hours per day. Beyond the threshold, the positive effect diminishes, and when homework time exceeds 4.07 hours, it negatively impacts academic performance. Mediating effect analysis shows that excessive homework time leads to negative emotions, such as boredom, unhappiness, frustration, and sadness while depriving students of necessary sleep for healthy growth. It is concluded that optimal daily homework time is about 1 hour, aligning with the “double reduction” policy guidelines.

This study utilized a longitudinal design to examine the relationships between the specific components of executive function (EF) and the internalizing and externalizing behavior across different genders and contexts in Chinese cultural background. Inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and working memory of EF based on 101 preschool children’s (48 boys and 53 girls) (MT1 = 4.25, SD = 0.76) performances were measured when completing tasks in NIH Toolbox. Twelve months later, boys’ and girls’ internalizing and externalizing behavior in home- and school-settings was assessed through mother’s feedback on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and teachers’ reports of the Child Behavior Rating Scale. The results show that boys’ inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and working memory negatively predict their externalizing behavior in the home context, while their cognitive flexibility negatively predicts externalizing behavior in the school context. Additionally, boys’ inhibition positively predicts their internalizing behavior only in the school context. For girls, their cognitive flexibility positively predicts externalizing behavior only in the school context. No significant relationship is found among the girls between EF and problem behavior in the home context. These findings suggest that gender differences and a shift in contexts could alternate the relationship between EF and children’s problem behavior. This study sheds light on targeted preventions and interventions based on contexts and gender.

Intensive parenting is becoming a prevalent parenting style in China. Parents invest tremendous time, energy, and money in childrearing, whereas the effectiveness of intensive parenting in helping children obtain developmental advantages remains controversial. Using the questionnaire survey, the present study investigates 388 mothers of preschoolers in Shanghai and Jinan, Shandong province, to explore the associations between the intensiveness of mothering, maternal psychological well-being, and preschoolers’ emotional and behavioral competence. Four distinct patterns of the intensiveness of mothering are identified using latent profile analysis: high-endorsement & high-practice, medium-endorsement & medium-practice, low-endorsement & low practice, and selective-endorsement-and-practice. Maternal psychological well-being suppresses the relationship between the intensiveness of mothering and preschoolers’ emotional and behavioral competence. The intensiveness of mothering is positively related to preschoolers’ emotional and behavioral competence after excluding the indirect effect of maternal psychological well-being. In addition, mothers from profiles showing higher levels of the intensiveness of mothering have worse psychological well being, and their preschoolers have lower levels of social-emotional development. The two pathways counteract each other, resulting in a non-significant overall relationship between the intensiveness of mothering and preschoolers’ emotional and behavioral competence. The present study suggests that mothers may adjust their attitudes and practices toward intensive parenting, actively mediate their psychological well-being, and create a supportive environment for children’s social-emotional development. Families, preschools, and society as a whole are recommended to establish collaborative mechanisms to support mothers’ childrearing and reduce their parenting stress.

Social support is an essential source of support for preschool children’s fathers to alleviate parenting anxiety, deal with parenting pressure, improve parenting methods, and enhance parenting sense of competence. Psychological capital serves as a critical psychological resource for preschoolers’ fathers, helping them cope with parenting stress and enhancing parenting efficacy. To explore the mediating mechanism of psychological capital between social support and the parenting sense of competence of preschoolers’ fathers, this study employs stratified sampling to survey 678 fathers from three cities of Henan province in China. The survey instruments mainly consist of the Social Support Rating Scale, Psychological Capital Questionnaire, and Parenting Sense of Competence Scale. Research findings show that social support, psychological capital, and fathers’ parenting sense of competence are at the middle level. Significant positive correlations exist among social support, psychological capital, and parenting sense of competence. Social support can positively predict fathers’ parenting sense of competence, while psychological capital partially mediates between social support and parenting sense of competence. Therefore, it is possible to increase social support for preschool children’s fathers and improve their psychological capital to relieve their parenting pressure, enhance their parenting participation, and strengthen their parenting sense of competence.

Does enrolling children aged 0–3 in early childhood education (ECE) classes continuously empower their learning and development after entering kindergarten? Based on the tracking survey data of 664 children aged 3–6 in 2017 and 367 children aged 3–6 in 2018, this study uses Propensity Score Matching to analyze this issue. The findings reveal that children’s family socioeconomic status is a key factor influencing their participation in ECE classes. The baseline data show that participation in ECE classes does not significantly improve children’s learning and development. However, the follow-up data show that participation in ECE classes plays a significant negative role in motor development for children moving to their second year of kindergarten, but subsequently plays a positive role in language development, health, and safety for those entering their third year of kindergarten. Overall, participation in ECE classes plays no continuous positive role in children’s learning and development after they enter kindergarten. Based on these findings, it is suggested that parents should respect the natural laws of child development instead of blindly following the trend of attending ECE classes, and high-quality parental companionship is crucial. The Chinese government is supposed to implement policies such as “double reduction” to regulate ECE institutions that fail to operate in good faith.

Since the birth of civilization, play has been an important part of human life, especially during childhood. Both traditional play and today’s electronic games are valuable for child development in multiple aspects. It is a classic research topic in child development to analyze the significance of different types of play for children and create activities and spaces that embody the spirit of play. Moreover, it is important to recognize that play encompasses various activities and extends into cultural phenomena. More insight can be gained into children’s culture in a specific historical period and the cultural development of the entire society by observing how they play.

This study analyzed the effect of primary and secondary school students’ on-campus out-of-school-hours (OSH) tutoring participation on private tutoring participation using the two-level Bernoulli model based on the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) data in 2018. The results revealed that students’ on-campus OSH tutoring participation did not decrease the likelihood of their private tutoring participation, while low-achieving students or students from disadvantaged family socioeconomic status (SES) were more likely to continue to participate in private tutoring after receiving OSH tutoring. This may be due to the following: Firstly, on-campus OSH tutoring was less targeted and personalized before the implementation of the “double reduction” policy; secondly, private tutoring institutions conducted misleading marketing and offered private tutoring in the time for on-campus OSH tutoring; and thirdly, students with disadvantaged family SES had fewer opportunities to receive high-quality OSH tutoring. Therefore, it is suggested that concerted efforts be made to provide more targeted and personalized on-campus OSH tutoring and prohibit academic private tutoring institutions from entering campuses. Additionally, it is necessary to enrich the supply of OSH service resources for interest and quality development, optimize the allocation of on-campus OSH tutoring resources, and facilitate the balanced, quality-oriented development of OSH tutoring among different schools and regions.

Promoting the online flow of high-quality teacher resources has emerged as an important way to pursue coordinated progress in burden reduction and quality improvement under the “double reduction” policy. Based on the Open Online Tutoring Program of Secondary School Teachers (hereinafter referred to as “the open tutoring program”) in City A, China, this study examined the factors influencing teachers’ continuance intention to participate in the open tutoring program and their structural relationships, using a structural equation modeling analysis based on 1,159 sample data. The results show that: Firstly, teachers’reputation enhancement, perceived playfulness, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use have a positive effect on teachers’continuance intention to participate in online after-school teaching services. Secondly, online teaching efficacy has no direct effect on teachers’ continuance intention, but rather impacts their reputation enhancement and beliefs about the value of the open tutoring program. Thirdly, social influence has a positive effect on teachers’ reputation. Fourthly, perceived ease of use has a positive effect on teachers’ perception of the value of the open tutoring program. In light of the above, relevant suggestions are proposed to encourage teachers to continue participating in online after-school teaching services.

Based on the survey data of 4,739 infants and young children (IYC) under 3 years old, the study uses the propensity score matching (PSM) method to examine the role of family migration in infant and young child development (IYCD). The study finds that the development of migrant IYC is significantly behind that of non-migrant IYC in the real world situation. After controlling for confounders at the individual and family levels, there is no significant statistical difference in early development between migrant IYC and non-migrant IYC. Moreover, family migration does not play a significant role in IYCD in different subgroups after PSM. To protect the rights of migrant families and IYC in accessing public services, the Chinese government should build a social security policy system for migrant families and ensure starting point fairness for migrant IYC.

It is essential to ensure that teachers allocate adequate attention to homework evaluation and effectively carry it out in order to successfully implement the “double reduction” policy. From the perspective of teachers’ attention allocation, this study employed the NVivo 12 software to conduct text analysis on 39 cases of homework evaluation reform practices in primary and secondary schools in City N, China, from 2017 to 2021. The findings indicate that homework evaluation reform in these schools is a practical problem-oriented behavioral decision, and implementing the “double reduction” policy enhances teachers’ attention allocation on homework evaluation. The attention allocation of teachers encompasses multiple aspects, such as determining the purpose of evaluation, setting evaluation content, and selecting evaluation subjects and methods. Following the implementation of the “double reduction” policy, teachers allocate more attention to reducing the homework burden on students. However, certain issues persist in the practices of homework evaluation reform, including inadequate consideration of constraints, an unbalanced content structure, and a lack of process coordination. Therefore, under the “double reduction” policy, it is imperative to improve school incentive systems, enhance teachers’ evaluation capabilities, and alleviate their workload. These measures can guide teachers to allocate more attention to homework evaluation, thereby enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of attention allocation and fully realizing the educational function of homework evaluation.

been an essential development task for preschool children. This study analyzes preschool children’s discourse in the project-based learning (PBL) process and presents the following findings. Firstly, in the collaborative dimension, the frequency of children’s discourse on establishing and maintaining shared understanding (U) and taking appropriate action to solve the problem (A) is relatively high, while that on establishing and maintaining team organization (O) is relatively low. Secondly, in the problem solving dimension, the frequency of children’s discourse on planning and executing (P&E) is the highest, while that on monitoring and reflecting (M&R) is the lowest. Thirdly, in terms of turn taking patterns, self-selection accounts for a significantly higher proportion than allocation and continuation. Overall, preschool children’s CPS is characterized by loose collaboration and multilinear problem solving. They are usually keener to strive for opportunities to express their views but lack attention to others’ speeches. At the same time, they can constantly come up with new problem solving plans and actions but rarely reflect on their feasibility and actual effects. In addition to children’s collaborative role, teachers’ intervention can also impact the CPS processes. Therefore, teachers are recommended to provide children with opportunities for CPS and strengthen monitoring, guidance, and support in children’s CPS processes to facilitate better child engagement in CPS.

In this study, 990 preschool children of 3- to 6-year-old were selected as participants to explore the influence of shyness and unsociability on peer play behavior in preschool children, focusing on the mediating and moderating roles of playfulness. The study employed the Child Social Preference Scale, Children’s Playfulness Scale, and Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale to assess the variables. The findings indicate that preschool children’s shyness and unsociability negatively predict their play interaction and positively predict their play disruption and play disconnection. Playfulness partially mediates and moderates the relationships between shyness and unsociability with peer play behavior. To promote the social development of shy and unsociable preschool children, it is imperative for teachers and parents to respect and accept the characteristics of children, guide them in adopting positive problem-solving strategies, and improve their playfulness.

As a major branch of children’s studies and a clear manifestation of adherence to a child-oriented position, research on children’s peer cultures is of significant value for understanding the true world of children. Following an ethnographic approach, this study conducts in-depth field observations in three kindergartens to explore how preschool children create their peer cultures. The results indicate that the children in three kindergartens created a series of meaningful symbols within their respective kindergarten settings during peer interaction and formed their peer cultures. The study finds that: Firstly, children’s peer cultures encompass five core themes, namely, self-presentation, friendly interaction, conflict and segregation, collective play routines, and secondary adjustments to classroom rules. Secondly, the development of children’s selves, shared play among children, interpretive reconstruction of adult cultures, and inclusiveness of school cultures are inherent sources of strength, core driving force, mechanisms for the path, and external environmental factors of the formation of children’s peer cultures. Thirdly, children gain membership in the cultures to which they belong through collective participation in social life. Fourthly, children produce peer cultures and contribute to the renewal of adult cultures by creatively appropriating information and knowledge from the adult world. In this connection, it is essential for kindergartens to support the development of children’s peer cultures.