Volume 6

Syntactic priming is an important paradigm for the study of sentence production. It refers to the tendency to repeat previously used sentence structures in the process of language production and comprehension. Field independent-dependent dimension, as an essential dimension of cognitive style, has different effects on individual perception, thinking and other cognitive processes. The nine-year compulsory education that most Chinese students receive is an exam-oriented education, which includes English learning. The effect of exam-oriented education on second language syntactic priming is unclear. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of the field independent-dependent dimension of cognitive style and exam-oriented education on second language syntactic priming. In this study, field dependent-independent cognitive style is measured by Embedded Figure Test, and second language syntactic priming is measured by picture description. The results show that field independent-dependent cognitive style has no effect on second language syntactic priming. While exam-oriented education inhibits second language syntactic priming for English learners at different levels. Future studies may use different methods of syntactic priming and cognitive style to measure and refine the thresholds for second language level in syntactic priming studies.

Show more

In the progress to understand the formation of feminine identity in education, a consequential yet often neglected aspect is the role of idols. Educational idols are abundant in textbooks and are given high esteem both in and outside of the educational environment, despite the primary role of textbooks as being a record of objective knowledge while idols are subjective and relatively personal. This article will consider the various ways idols influence the formation of feminine identity and analyze the delicate interplay between social horizons and the historical nature of textbooks. The method of literature is applied in this paper to explore the extent and mechanism by which textbook idols influence the formation of feminine identity. Sources of materials include published articles, papers, and statistics produced in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The five aspects of identity as proposed by Rorty and Wong will be analyzed along with the dualist theory of gender formation based on social horizons and personal interaction or experience. Moreover, the digitalization of textbooks, which occurs on a large scale in our information age, will play a pivotal role in our analysis, as the nature of textbooks undergoes fundamental changes in reactivity, fluidity, and personalization due to this advancement in communication technology. This increase in connection and reactivity ultimately leads to idols having an impact more comprehensive in coverage yet positive on the formation of feminine identity. Consequently, idols play a substantial role in the formation of feminine identity and, when seen in the light of digitalization, influence the majority of students in a constructive and positive way.

Show more

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in January 2020 in China, the Chinese government has been implementing zero-covid policies and strict city lockdown regulations to control the spread of the pandemic. Nevertheless, the emergence of a new strain of virus – the Omicron - has changed the situation. According to the WHO, the Chinese government’s zero-covid approach is not “sustainable” facing the more transmissible Omicron variant. Therefore, in order to confront and adapt to new circumstances of the pandemic, it is imperative to evaluate and reconsider the zero-covid policies and lockdown regulations and inspect their harms and benefits on the society. Besides huge economic loss due to lockdowns and quarantines, lockdown policies have detrimental impacts towards the psychological well-beings and cognitive development of children and adolescents. From the standpoint of children and adolescents, this paper is going to evaluate the zero-covid policies through Cost-Benefit Analysis. Moreover, the pandemic is perceived by many governments, especially the Chinese governments,as involving a moral dilemma: the Trolley Problem, which involves either sacrificing a group of people or one person. The Cost-Benefit Analysis of this paper is going to expand around the framework of the Trolley Problem and discuss the impacts of zero-covid policies of the Chinese government, especially on the two groups of people: the children and adolescents and the elderlies.

Show more

This paper analyzes the causes of Chinese adolescents' learning-weariness. Through consulting and summarizing a large number of previous studies, including the study of the causes and effects of learning-weariness. The influencing factors of adolescents’ learning-weariness come from many aspects. Some studies analyze the reasons from policy, and some studies analyze the influence on adolescents themselves. This paper has been classified and summarized. The conclusion is: the causes include social factors such as the One-child policy and the conflict between teachers and students, and adolescents’ individual factors such as rebellious during puberty, learning motivation unknown, strong sense of inferiority, poor self-control and low learning ability. Finally obtain the corresponding solutions or mitigation plans.

Show more

As technology advances, social media has become an integral part of people's lives. Meanwhile, individuals' lifestyles have changed dramatically today when COVID-19 is rampant. In the epidemic control, home isolation has become the norm in China. The current study explored the mediating role of time perspective (TP) between social media use and internalizing symptoms during the pandemic. In this study, we used Swedish Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (S-ZTPI), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and other correlation questionnaires. Participants (n=503) were asked to finish a series of tests. The findings suggest a link between problematic social media usage (PSMU), TP, and depression and anxiety. The link between PSMU and Internalizing symptoms is totally mediated by TP.

Show more

According to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), child labor directly indicates work inequality. Mainstream opinions towards this issue argue that underage labor participation is detrimental to the educational development of child workers. Their indispensable vulnerability, especially in highly intensive workplaces, places a greater possibility for injuries, disabilities, and even casualties. The essay contrives points through close-up observation of the Chinese society and governmental system by examining multiple measurements, documents, and phenomena. Placing too much attention on economic development, the central government of China inevitably falls short of the experience of child labor regulations. Legal and regulatory documents pertinent to this topic are still at the phase of literal recognition, instead of solid and feasible clauses meticulously designed for employment management. Private sectors, along with the specialized institutions for underage prospective workers, have been cooperating to jointly suppress adolescents by misinterpreting child labor regulations. Additionally, labor education and internship receive heated debates throughout the years, for some companies are taking advantage of this policy to circumvent punishment for employing child laborers. Participants of the programs are forced to work overtime under hazardous conditions, with only the minimum wage income or a null return – several treaties for internship unilaterally deprive their rights for returns. Insufficient awareness of both the low-income parents and the overall society is probably to blame for forming and sustaining the operation of such a system.

Show more

Recently, there is an extensive body of literature investigating instructional practices for preschool-level English-Language-Learners (ELLs) in China. However, not many of them took into consideration early childhood teachers’ perspectives on the English-teaching practices that are widely implemented in the country, as well as their visions of “ideal” English-teaching practices that may or may not be already implemented in real classrooms. This qualitative study aims to understand Chinese kindergarten teachers’ opinions about the widely used pedagogical practices for ELLs, their ideas about what “ideal” English-teaching practices should be like, and their suggestions for filling the ideal-actual gap. Thirty teachers working at three Shanghai bilingual kindergartens will be surveyed and interviewed. The study is expected to yield the following findings: 1) Teachers prefer solo-teaching than co-teaching for a more efficient lesson planning process; 2) Teachers believe that ideal English-learning activities are ongoing, consistent, and routinized; 3) Teachers render ideal English-teaching practices to be authentic and immersive. The study results have important implications for curriculum designers, kindergarten English teachers and organizations that provide trainings for pre-and-in-service early childhood educators.

Show more

Toxic masculinity has been a hot topic since people's self-awareness rose, still, in large of film and television works, a lot of conversation and characterization indicated toxic masculinity implicitly. A hit American TV series, Euphoria, shows toxic masculinity and its potential impact on people around, which reveals a new perspective about the causes of toxic masculinity and how harmful it is. By coding the violent scenario and analyzing the conversations in the episodes, data shows that the main characters with toxic masculinity suffered from peer pressure, American culture and social certain expectation, and the major victims in related violent clips are the female and the queer group. The results turn out that peer pressure, American culture and people's expectation of males can be vital factors in toxic masculinity formation, and the poisonous personality will directly influence female and queer groups around them.

Show more

We tried to determine whether the analyst's physical attractiveness correlated with job performance. We found that analysts with superior appearances tended to produce more accurate analyses than less attractive analysts. Moreover, they could more easily enter a job and get more resources in the short run. The case analysis shows that analysts with excellent appearances usually have a closer relationship with investors and media; their performance level and income also significantly differ from others. However， beauty premium still exists as a problem that should be solved.

Show more

The mental health of the elderly has increasingly become the focus of academic attention. By summarizing the literature, this paper discusses the mechanism of interest and hobby on the emotional regulation of the elderly from the perspective of physiological psychology and cognitive psychology. The results showed that positive hobbies can help the elderly produce more dopamine, adjust breathing and heart rate, relax body joints, and at the same time, it can also help the elderly improve their social participation and obtain a sense of belonging; Bad hobbies would affect the health of the elderly, and excessive immersion in them was not conducive to the regulation of negative emotions. Therefore, moderate use of positive hobbies can help regulate negative emotions. It is an ideal way to choose positive hobbies when the elderly need to regulate emotions.

Show more