This article studies the determinants of school dropout decisions for western rural China by using the original and unique survey of 6,000 families in western rural China. Special focus is given to the impact of religion on dropout decisions. We find that children from religious families are more likely to drop out of school than other children, especially for those practicing Tibetan Buddhism. In addition, we find that increase in a child’s age, being a boy, and being part of an ethnic minority will increase the dropout probability while an increase in the mother’s education will decrease the dropout probability. Family income and migration status do not have significant impact on the dropout decision in western rural China.
School engagement (SE) refers to the intensity and quality of emotions experienced by students when commencing and carrying out learning activities, and includes behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement. A high SE level promotes academic achievement, reduces students' behavioral problems, and prevents school dropout. This study, whose participants were 819 students from Tibetan areas, explored the impact of teacher autonomy support (TAS) on students' SE and the mechanisms involved in this relationship. The results showed that TAS had a positive impact on SE, while students' self-efficacy had a mediating effect between TAS and SE. On the one hand, TAS affected self-efficacy through academic interest and ultimately influenced SE; moreover, TAS negatively affected academic anxiety, indirectly inhibiting the negative effect of academic anxiety on SE through self-efficacy. The theoretical and practical implications of the study findings are discussed.
Sex-determining region Y-related high-mobility-group box transcription factor 11 (SOX11) is an essential member of the SOX transcription factors and has been highlighted as an important regulator i...