An effective Australian-Chinese peer education program on HIV/AIDS/STDs for university students in China

IntroductionCurrently, there are at least 850,000 people living with human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in China. Among them 16-29 years old account for about 65%. According to the Chinese health authorities, if the preventive measures are not effective, the figure could reach as many as 10 million by the year 2010[1]. Since there are currently no cure or vaccines for HIV/AIDS, changing people's high-risk behaviors is the main approach that is taken to slow down the epidemic. This can be done through effective HIV/AIDS education, especially for young people. In 1997, a 4-year adolescent HIV/AIDS peer education program was introduced to in Beijing and Shanghai, which was based on a successful Australian model developed by Professor Roger Short, in which senior medical students were trained and used as peer educators to teach their junior peers about HIV/AIDS[2].……

Strangers in a New Land: Rural School Personnel’s Perceptions of the Implementation of an International Student Program

Many high schools in the northeastern United States have suffered from declining enrollment due to a declining population of school-age children in the region.Administrators,counselors and teachers perceive many impacts of the implementation of an international student program at a rural high school.This qualitative case study reveals that the rural high school’s unique nature impacts international student programs,international students influence both school culture and programming,and international students suffer from isolation.School leaders would benefit from considerations in the form of professional development both prior to implementation of an international student program and ongoing throughout its duration.It is important for schools to find ways to respectfully honor student cultures and optimize learning experiences.School leaders would be wise to determine desired size of international student programs and make efforts accordingly to achieve that size for optimal effectiveness for the benefit of both host and international students.Implications and recommendations for future research include further exploration of the perceived experiences of European and Chinese international students,understanding the unique nature of rural high schools and international student experiences,and examination of school practices.

Influence of Physical Activity on Concentration of Macro-and Microelements in Physically Active Students＇ Hair

The aim of the work is to evaluate the influence of physical activity character on concentration of macro-and microelements in hair of physically active students. 127 students of I-IV year of Physical Education program at Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences participated in the research, aged from 20 to 24. They were split into three groups. The first （I） group （n = 48） consisted of endurance sport athletes （skiers, biathlon athletes, middle and long distance runners, rowers and cyclists）. The second group （II） （n = 61） was made up of the basketball, football, handball and volleyball players. The third group （III） consisted of combat sports （wrestling and boxing） athletes （n = 18）. For establishing the concentration of macro- and microelements in hair, x-ray fluorescence method was applied, using CEP-1 ELVAX （MP.MN 3730-2011） device. The results showed that the hair of the students of Physical Education program, practicing endurance sports possessed more calcium, copper, manganese in comparison to the athletes practicing other sports. Concentration of the main elements--zinc, iron, selenium and chromium in the hair of combat sports representatives was statistically significant. Concentration of potassium was also the greatest in this group of the investigated. However, this group of athletes also possessed the greatest values of toxic elements （plumbum, arsenic） in their hair, comparing to the athletes of endurance sport and players. In their hair, hydrargyrum concentration was significantly greater comparing to the values of this element in players＇ hair. The greatest mean values of cadmium were established in players＇ hair.

An Exploration of Reasons for Shanghai’s Success in the OECD Program for International Student Assessment(PISA)2009

The outstanding performance of Shanghai students in the 4th Programme for International Student Assessment(PISA 2009)gained widespread attention at home and abroad.In this paper,the authors attribute this outstanding performance to three traditional factors and six modern factors.The traditional factors are high parental expectations,belief in the power of effort,and the mechanisms of personnel selection.The modern factors are the openness of Chinese education,curriculum and teaching reform,teacher training,improvement of comparatively poor schools,the financial resources allocation mechanism in compulsory education,and the reform of high school enrollment.

Heterogeneity Analysis on the Influence of the Supply of Teachers on the Academic Performance of 15-Year-Old Students:Based on PISA 2018 Samples from Four Provinces and Municipalities in China

The quantitative and qualitative supply of teachers has a significant influence on student academic performance.Based on the samples collected from four provinces and municipalities in China for the Program for International Student Assessment(PISA)2018,this study analyzes the effects of the supply of teachers on the academic performance of 15-year-old students through a hierarchical linear model(HLM)as well as a quantile regression model.The study has found that the shortage of teachers and the proportion of teachers with a master’s degree significantly affect student academic performance,and the supply of teachers with higher degrees has a decreasing marginal benefit on student academic performance;its best marginal benefit on student academic performance is achieved when the proportion of teachers with a master’s degree reaches about 75%.For students in different academic performance subgroups,the marginal benefit of an increase in the proportion of teachers with a master’s degree in schools is higher for“top students”than for“students with learning difficulties.”In terms of the difference between urban and rural areas,the shortage of teachers in rural schools is more prominent than that in urban schools,and teachers with higher degrees tend to cluster in core cities.The marginal benefit of an increase in the proportion of teachers with a master’s degree is higher for improving student academic performance in rural areas.Therefore,it is recommended to design a policy of differentiated compensatory earnings for rural teachers,and efforts should be enhanced to promote programs for supporting high-quality teachers.In addition,the allocation of teachers should follow the principle of“differentiated equity,”and more differentiated teaching strategies should be adopted for students with different academic abilities.

“Screening”or“Meritocracy”:Does the Choice of a Private School Help Students Achieve Higher Academic Performance?-Based on the PISA 2018 Analysis of Four Provinces and Municipalities in China

The introduced policy of“synchronized enrollment of public and private schools”has once again triggered the debate on the effectiveness of public and private schools.Based on the data of the Program for International Student Assessment(PISA)2018 from four Chinese provinces and municipalities,this paper explores whether private schools gain a relative advantage in student academic performance through student“screening”or academic“meritocracy,”through a hierarchical linear model(HLM)and an empirical test of the propensity score matching(PSM).It has been found that the academic performance of students in private schools is significantly better than that in public schools.But with background,metacognitive ability,and learning hours of students in private schools controlled for,such academic performance is not significantly superior,suggesting that private schools rely heavily on student“screening”to achieve a relative advantage in student academic performance.This finding has also verified the scientific nature of the above policy.

How the ICT Development Level Influences Students’Digital Reading Literacy:A Multi-level Model Comparison Based on PISA 2018 Data

The purpose of this study is to systematically showcase and evaluate how students’,schools’,and countries’Information and Communication Technology(ICT)development levels influence students’digital reading literacy by using the data of the Program for International Student Assessment(PISA)2018 and the multi-level model approach.It is found that the ICT development at each level has a significant positive effect on students’digital reading literacy,and there is a significant interactive moderating effect between different levels.The gap in ICT development levels between the countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative(BRI)and developed economies has a“Matthew effect”in widening the digital reading literacy gap in the short term,but in the long run,the faster growth of the countries participating in BRI in ICT development levels will narrow the gap and alleviate the effect.China should make use of its advantages in ICT development to engage in global education governance,facilitate the co-development in both the ICT development level and the digital reading literacy for the countries participating in BRI,and contribute to the development of global education by opening up a new way of development.

Performance Analysis and Future Prospect of China’s Anti-bullying Policy and Practice:Evidence from PISA 2015 and PISA 2018

This paper analyzes the performance of China’s anti-bullying efforts with the data on school bullying in the Program for International Student Assessment(PISA)2015 and PISA 2018.It is found that China has fully demonstrated its high performance in anti-bullying actions with all three key performance indicators dropping dramatically,namely the prevalence of bullying,the index of exposure to bullying,and the percentage of frequently bullied students.Further,from the perspectives of personal characteristics and school features,two rounds of PISA data are adopted to make the longitudinal diachronic comparison and the cross-national horizontal comparison,followed by the analysis of the occurrence and development patterns of school bullying.Five suggestions are put forward for the deployment of China’s anti-bullying action plan.

Experience and Challenge of Basic Education Development in China:Reflections on PISA 2018 Results

The outstanding performance of students in four Chinese provinces and municipalities in the Program for International Student Assessment(PISA)2018 is inextricably linked to local resource support,excellent education traditions,and ongoing curriculum and teaching reform.However,deepening education reform requires attention to existing challenges,including large inter-school gaps,the shortage of teachers in urban and rural areas,as well as students’heavy schoolwork burden and low level of well-being.Therefore,several policy suggestions are proposed accordingly:gaining insight into and developing higher quality and fairer education,pursuing effective actions of education reform,and exploring innovative pathways to address educational problems.

Assessing the Quality and Equality of Hong Kong Basic Education Results from PISA 2000+to PISA 2006

This paper seeks to examine the quality and equality of basic education of Hong Kong based on the first three cycles of the Program for International Student Assessment(PISA).Results from these three assessments suggested that the Hong Kong students have an outstanding performance in mathematics,science and reading.In particular,the performance of reading improves substantially in PISA 2006.As far as equality in education is concerned,the achievement gap of students from different socio-economic backgrounds in Hong Kong is relatively small compared with other countries.However,the academic performance variation between-schools suggest that,there is still academic segregation among secondary schools in Hong Kong although it has been reduced slightly in the PISA 2006.