Yaojiang Shi
Biographic Data
| ID | 3709882 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Yaojiang Shi |
| GIVEN NAMES | Yaojiang |
| FAMILY NAME | Shi |
| SIGNATURE | SHI Y |
| AFFILIATIONS | Shaanxi Normal University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0150-2729 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 55 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 128 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 55 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2004 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 7 |
Associations between government-supported institutional long-term care and health outcomes among socioeconomically disadvantaged older adults in China
INTRODUCTION: Although Long-Term Care (LTC) benefits aging populations, evidence on government-supported LTC for socioeconomically disadvantaged older adults in low- and middle-income countries remains limited. This study examines how government-supported institutional LTC is associated with physical and mental health outcomes among welfare-dependent older adults in rural China. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted among 313 welfare …
From siblings to skills
This study investigates how sibling structure, encompassing sibling size, gender composition, and birth order, shapes academic achievement and non-cognitive development among children in rural Northwest China. Leveraging two-period panel data from 5397 elementary school students across 135 rural schools, we employ ordinary least squares (OLS) regression, propensity score matching (PSM), and instrumental variable (IV) approaches to address endogen…
Early physical development and cognitive abilities
Oral health and nutrition
This study highlights the critical relationship between oral health, dietary quality and nutritional status among socioeconomically disadvantaged older adults in rural China. The findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to improve oral health, dietary intake and nutritional well-being in aging populations with disadvantaged and rural settings
The Effect of Screen Exposure on Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Development of Early Childhood in Rural China
Research Findings: This study explores the relationship between screen exposure and child development by analyzing longitudinal data collected over four waves of surveys, following young children from 4–29 months of age in the Qinba mountainous region of northwest China. Assessments administered to children included the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development III (BSID-III), the Ages & Stages Questionnaires: Social Emotional (ASQ: SE), th…
The influence of parental involvement on students’ non-cognitive abilities in rural ethnic regions of northwest China
Exploring the interplay of living arrangements, social support, and depression among older adults in rural northwest China
Our findings emphasize a significant prevalence of depression among older adults in rural areas, particularly highlighting the vulnerability of those living alone. This underscores the urgent need for government attention to address the mental health challenges faced by the older adults. Future interventions should focus on improving social support networks to mitigate the impact of living alone on depression symptoms among this population
Revisit the one-time subsidies and long-run adoption of health products
Association between ability tracking and student’s academic and non-academic outcomes
Time's ticking! Effects of deadline on the utilization of health services
It all starts at home
Background The educational resources that parents provide at home are crucial to their children's development. In this study, we focused on home reading environment, a key contributor to success rates regarding the mastery of reading skills. We aimed to investigate students' home reading environments and examine its effect on the reading development of primary school students in rural China. Methods We draw on a dataset composed of 10,740 randoml…
Exclusive breastfeeding in rural Western China
Fathers' co-residence is negatively associated with the exclusive breastfeeding rates in rural western China. More skill-based practical and emotional strategies should be considered on father's education to help them better involvement and show more respect to mothers' decisions
The impact of pay-for-percentile incentive on low-achieving students in rural China
Impact of Second-Parent Migration on Student Academic Performance in Northwest China and its Implications
The migration of hundreds of millions of rural Chinese workers to the city has contributed substantially to China’s economic growth since the beginning of the country’s economic reform in 1978. However, this migration has also led to societal issues, including more than 60 million left-behind children. Empirical studies that seek to measure the impact of being left-behind on academic performance have led to inconsistent results, perhaps because t…
Regularity of Clinical Visits and Medication Adherence of Patients with Hypertension or Diabetes in Rural Yunnan Province of China
Chronic diseases can be controlled through effective self-management. The purpose of this study is to explore the regularity of clinical visits and medication adherence of patients with hypertension or diabetes (PWHD), and its association with the first experience with care and individual factors in rural Southwestern China. This cross-sectional study was carried out in Yunnan province in 2018 and recruited 292 PWHD and 122 village clinics from 1…
The Effect of Boarding on the Mental Health of Primary School Students in Western Rural China
Based on the panel data of 20,594 fourth- and fifth-grade students in the western provinces A and B in China, this paper analyzed the effect of boarding at school on the mental health of students using a combination of the propensity score matching (PSM) and difference-in-differences (DID) methods. The results showed that boarding had no significant effect on the mental health of students, but the tendency of loneliness among boarding school stud…
Associations between Maternal and Infant Illness and the Risk of Postpartum Depression in Rural China
This study explored how maternal and infant illness correlated with the risk of postpartum depression in the Chinese Qinba Mountains region. In total, 131 villages comprising 435 families with infants (≤6 months old) were randomly sampled. We collected data on maternal and infant illnesses and maternal health knowledge level. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 was used to measure the risk of postpartum depression. We used descriptive st…
Conditional cash transfers, uptake of maternal and child health services, and health outcomes in western rural China
The CCT program generated modest improvements in the uptake of MCH services and mothers' knowledge of MCH services in poor rural areas of Western China. These improvements, however, did not translate into substantial improvements in child health outcomes for two potential reasons: poor CCT implementation and the low quality of rural health facilities
What Can Children Learn from a Free Trial of Eyeglasses Use? Evidence from a Cluster‐Randomized Controlled Trial in Rural China
Free trial is a widely used business strategy that takes advantage of information asymmetry. However, evidence on what we can learn and how rapidly we can learn from a free trial of health care is limited. This study evaluates the effect of a free trial of eyeglasses on children’s 8 items of perception related to eyeglasses use. An evaluation was conducted alongside a cluster-randomized controlled trial involved 832 myopic children from northwest…
IQ, grit, and academic achievement
Cognitive ability and academic performance among left-behind children
Little attention has been paid to the role that low levels of cognitive development (or IQ) play among both left-behind children (LBCs) and children living with parents (CLPs) in the context of poor educational attainment in rural China. In this paper, we examine how general cognitive abilities contribute to the academic achievement gains of both LBCs and CLPs in poor areas of rural China. We measure the general cognitive ability of the 4,780 sam…
Feeling bad and doing bad
This article reports on research conducted to investigate student confidence in reading by collecting data from 135 primary schools in rural China. In the survey, we adopted the PIRLS scales of confidence in reading and reading skills test items. Our analysis shows that compared to the other countries and regions, rural China ranks last with regard to student confidence in reading and reading achievement. The correlation analysis reveals that in …
Institutions, implementation, and program effectiveness
Parental Migration and Early Childhood Development in Rural China
Nearly one-quarter of all children under age 2 in China are left behind in the countryside as parents migrate to urban areas for work. We use a four-wave longitudinal survey following young children from 6 to 30 months of age to provide first evidence on the effects of parental migration on development, health, and nutritional outcomes in the critical first stages of life. We find that maternal migration has a negative effect on cognitive develop…
Breastfeeding and the Risk of Illness among Young Children in Rural China
Poor rural areas in China exhibit the country's highest rates of child mortality, often stemming from preventable health conditions such as diarrhea and respiratory infection. In this study, we investigate the association between breastfeeding and disease among children aged 6−24 months in poor rural counties in China. To do this, we conducted a longitudinal, quantitative analysis of socioeconomic demographics, health outcomes, and breastfeeding …
Dropping out
Elected leaders and collective land
Parental Migration and Early Childhood Development in Rural China
Nearly one-quarter of all children under age 2 in China are left behind in the countryside as parents migrate to urban areas for work. We use a four-wave longitudinal survey following young children from 6 to 30 months of age to provide first evidence on the effects of parental migration on development, health, and nutritional outcomes in the critical first stages of life. We find that maternal migration has a negative effect on cognitive develop…
China’s Invisible Crisis
This article explores the problem of cognitive delays among toddlers in rural China and the role of their caregivers in producing low levels of cognition (i.e., low IQ). According to the results of a well-tested international scale of child development, the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID), cognitive delays are alarmingly common, and nearly half the toddlers in our sample score an IQ of less than 84 on the BSID test (more than one stand…
The Han-Minority Achievement Gap, Language, and Returns to Schools in Rural China
Although access to quality education in rural China has expanded dramatically over the past 3 decades, significant disparities persist between ethnic minorities and the Han majority. This article compares the academic achievement and determinants of achievement of minority and Han students in rural western China. In a survey of nearly 21,000 primary school students, we find that minority students score significantly lower than their Han peers on …
Survey using incognito standardized patients shows poor quality care in China’s rural clinics
Over the past decade, China has implemented reforms designed to expand access to health care in rural areas. Little objective evidence exists, however, on the quality of that care. This study reports results from a standardized patient study designed to assess the quality of care delivered by village clinicians in rural China. To measure quality, we recruited individuals from the local community to serve as undercover patients and trained them to…
Transfer paths and academic performance
College education and the poor in China
Can Social–Emotional Learning Reduce School Dropout in Developing Countries
An alarming number of students drop out of junior high school in developing countries. In this study, we examine the impacts of providing a social–emotional learning (SEL) program on the dropout behavior and learning anxiety of students in the first two years of junior high. We do so by analyzing data from a randomized controlled trial involving 70 junior high schools and 7,495 students in rural China. After eight months, the SEL program reduces …
Mental health and dropout behavior
Junior high dropout rates are up to 25% in poor, rural areas of China. Although existing studies have examined how factors such as high tuition and opportunity costs contribute to dropout, fewer studies have explored the relationship between dropout rates and mental health in rural China. The overall goal of this study is to examine the relationship between dropout and mental health problems in rural Chinese junior high schools. Correlational ana…
Giving kids a head start
We estimate the impact of two early commitment of financial aid (ECFA) programs—one at the start and one near the end of junior high school (seventh and ninth grades, respectively)—on the outcomes of poor, rural junior high students in China. Our results demonstrate that neither of the ECFA programs has a substantive effect. We find that the ninth-grade program had at most only a small (and likely negligible) effect on matriculation to high schoo…
IQ, grit, and academic achievement
Cognitive ability and academic performance among left-behind children
Little attention has been paid to the role that low levels of cognitive development (or IQ) play among both left-behind children (LBCs) and children living with parents (CLPs) in the context of poor educational attainment in rural China. In this paper, we examine how general cognitive abilities contribute to the academic achievement gains of both LBCs and CLPs in poor areas of rural China. We measure the general cognitive ability of the 4,780 sam…
Do Resources Matter? Effects of an In‐Class Library Project on Student Independent Reading Habits in Primary Schools in Rural China
It is commonly believed that reading challenges should be addressed early to reduce the likelihood that developmental delays will impact students over the long term. However, students in developing countries often have limited access to reading resources. In this study, the authors used a randomized controlled trial of 11,083 fourth‐ and fifth‐grade students in 120 primary schools in rural China to examine the causal effect of an in‐class library…
Exploring the dropout rates and causes of dropout in upper-secondary technical and vocational education and training (TVET) schools in China
Policymakers in many developing countries regard upper-secondary technical and vocational education and training (TVET) as a key element in economic growth and poverty reduction. Unfortunately, there is evidence that upper-secondary TVET programs in developing countries experience high rates of dropout. The overall goal of this study is to examine the dropout rates and reasons for dropout among upper-secondary TVET students in China. To meet this…
Nutrition and Educational Performance in Rural China's Elementary Schools
Despite growing wealth and a strengthening commitment from the government to provide quality education, a significant share of students across rural China still have inadequate access to micronutrient-rich regular diets. Such poor diets can lead to nutritional problems, such as iron-deficiency anemia, that can adversely affect attention and learning in school. The overall goal of this article is to test whether simple nutritional interventions lo…
Feeling bad and doing bad
This article reports on research conducted to investigate student confidence in reading by collecting data from 135 primary schools in rural China. In the survey, we adopted the PIRLS scales of confidence in reading and reading skills test items. Our analysis shows that compared to the other countries and regions, rural China ranks last with regard to student confidence in reading and reading achievement. The correlation analysis reveals that in …
Does taking one step back get you two steps forward? Grade retention and school performance in poor areas in rural China
The relationship between infant peer interactions and cognitive development
Social interactions in infancy have implications for long-term outcomes. This study uses data from a sample of 1412 rural Chinese infants aged 6–12 and 24–30 months to examine the relationship between peer interactions and cognitive development. Over 75% of the infants in this sample had less than three peers and around 20% had no peers in both periods. The prevalence of cognitive delays is high within this sample and increases as infants age. Mu…
Elected leaders and collective land
Anemia in Rural China's Elementary Schools
Despite growing wealth in China, a significant share of children across rural China still have no access to iron-rich foods, vitamins, and other micronutrients. Such poor diets may result in high incidences of nutritional problems, including anemia. The objective of the study was to increase understanding of the extent of anemia, and identify structural correlates of anemia in poor Shaanxi province's primary schools. The article shows that the ov…
Does taking one step back get you two steps forward? Grade retention and school performance in poor areas in rural China
Dropping out
Transfer paths and academic performance
College education and the poor in China
Nutrition and Educational Performance in Rural China's Elementary Schools
Despite growing wealth and a strengthening commitment from the government to provide quality education, a significant share of students across rural China still have inadequate access to micronutrient-rich regular diets. Such poor diets can lead to nutritional problems, such as iron-deficiency anemia, that can adversely affect attention and learning in school. The overall goal of this article is to test whether simple nutritional interventions lo…
Improving the Health and Education of Elementary Schoolchildren in Rural China
We report on the results of a randomised controlled trial conducted among over 2,000 children in 60 elementary schools in rural Shaanxi Province, North-west China. We find that providing children with daily iron supplements for six months improved children’s haemoglobin levels and standardised maths scores. In comparison, educating parents about nutrition and anaemia in a special parents meeting produced a modest impact on children’s haemoglobin …
Response to the Commentary “Reassessing Disparity in Access to Higher Education in Contemporary China”
We thank Anning Hu for carefully reading and commenting on our report “College is a rich, Han, urban, male club: research notes from a census survey of four tier one colleges in China.” We also thank the editor of The China Quarterly for giving us the chance to respond to the commentary. The topic of assessing disparities in college access in China (and other developing countries undergoing major transitions in their higher education systems) is …
Giving kids a head start
We estimate the impact of two early commitment of financial aid (ECFA) programs—one at the start and one near the end of junior high school (seventh and ninth grades, respectively)—on the outcomes of poor, rural junior high students in China. Our results demonstrate that neither of the ECFA programs has a substantive effect. We find that the ninth-grade program had at most only a small (and likely negligible) effect on matriculation to high schoo…
China’s Left-Behind Children
China's rapid development and urbanization have induced large numbers of rural residents to migrate from their homes to urban areas in search of better job opportunities. Parents typically leave their children behind with a caregiver, creating a new, potentially vulnerable subpopulation of left-behind children in rural areas. A growing number of policies and nongovernmental organization efforts target these children. The primary objective of this…
Mental health and dropout behavior
Junior high dropout rates are up to 25% in poor, rural areas of China. Although existing studies have examined how factors such as high tuition and opportunity costs contribute to dropout, fewer studies have explored the relationship between dropout rates and mental health in rural China. The overall goal of this study is to examine the relationship between dropout and mental health problems in rural Chinese junior high schools. Correlational ana…
Exploring the dropout rates and causes of dropout in upper-secondary technical and vocational education and training (TVET) schools in China
Policymakers in many developing countries regard upper-secondary technical and vocational education and training (TVET) as a key element in economic growth and poverty reduction. Unfortunately, there is evidence that upper-secondary TVET programs in developing countries experience high rates of dropout. The overall goal of this study is to examine the dropout rates and reasons for dropout among upper-secondary TVET students in China. To meet this…
Survey using incognito standardized patients shows poor quality care in China’s rural clinics
Over the past decade, China has implemented reforms designed to expand access to health care in rural areas. Little objective evidence exists, however, on the quality of that care. This study reports results from a standardized patient study designed to assess the quality of care delivered by village clinicians in rural China. To measure quality, we recruited individuals from the local community to serve as undercover patients and trained them to…
Teaching the Language of Wider Communication, Minority Students, and Overall Educational Performance
The education of poor and disadvantaged populations, particularly those from minority subgroups, has been a long-standing challenge to education systems in both developed and developing countries. One reason for the underperformance of ethnic minority students might be low competency in the language of wider communication (LWC). This article uses a randomized field experiment in 57 schools (26 treatment schools and 31 control schools) to examine …
The Han-Minority Achievement Gap, Language, and Returns to Schools in Rural China
Although access to quality education in rural China has expanded dramatically over the past 3 decades, significant disparities persist between ethnic minorities and the Han majority. This article compares the academic achievement and determinants of achievement of minority and Han students in rural western China. In a survey of nearly 21,000 primary school students, we find that minority students score significantly lower than their Han peers on …
The gender gap among school children in poor rural areas of western China
Our findings suggest that with the exception of non-cognitive outcomes, anemia and standardized math test scores, the gender gap in our study areas in China appears to be diminishing
Can Social–Emotional Learning Reduce School Dropout in Developing Countries
An alarming number of students drop out of junior high school in developing countries. In this study, we examine the impacts of providing a social–emotional learning (SEL) program on the dropout behavior and learning anxiety of students in the first two years of junior high. We do so by analyzing data from a randomized controlled trial involving 70 junior high schools and 7,495 students in rural China. After eight months, the SEL program reduces …
Impact of Text Message Reminders on Caregivers’ Adherence to a Home Fortification Program Against Child Anemia in Rural Western China
Objectives. To test whether text message reminders sent to caregivers improve the effectiveness of a home micronutrient fortification program in western China. Methods. We carried out a cluster-randomized controlled trial in 351 villages (clusters) in Shaanxi Province in 2013 and 2014, enrolling children aged 6 to 12 months. We randomly assigned each village to 1 of 3 groups: free delivery group, text messaging group, or control group. We collect…
The effect of a micronutrient powder home fortification program on anemia and cognitive outcomes among young children in rural China
ISRCTN44149146 ; prospectively registered on 15th April 2013
The relationship between infant peer interactions and cognitive development
Social interactions in infancy have implications for long-term outcomes. This study uses data from a sample of 1412 rural Chinese infants aged 6–12 and 24–30 months to examine the relationship between peer interactions and cognitive development. Over 75% of the infants in this sample had less than three peers and around 20% had no peers in both periods. The prevalence of cognitive delays is high within this sample and increases as infants age. Mu…
China’s Invisible Crisis
This article explores the problem of cognitive delays among toddlers in rural China and the role of their caregivers in producing low levels of cognition (i.e., low IQ). According to the results of a well-tested international scale of child development, the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID), cognitive delays are alarmingly common, and nearly half the toddlers in our sample score an IQ of less than 84 on the BSID test (more than one stand…
Effect of Parental Migration on the Academic Performance of Left Behind Children in North Western China
China’s rapid urbanisation has induced large numbers of rural residents to migrate from their homes in the countryside to urban areas in search of higher wages. As a consequence, it is estimated that more than 60 million children in rural China are left behind and live with relatives, typically their paternal grandparents. These children are called Left Behind Children (LBCs). There are concerns about the potential negative effects of parental mi…
Impact of a Local Vision Care Center on Glasses Ownership and Wearing Behavior in Northwestern Rural China
Visual impairment is common among rural Chinese children, but fewer than a quarter of children who need glasses actually own and use them. To study the effect of rural county hospital vision centers (VC) on self-reported glasses ownership and wearing behavior (primary outcome) among rural children in China, we conducted a cluster-randomized controlled trial at a VC in the government hospital of Qinan County, a nationally-designated poor county. A…
Health Seeking Behavior among Rural Left-Behind Children
More than 60 million children in rural China are “left-behind”—both parents live and work far from their rural homes and leave their children behind. This paper explores differences in how left-behind and non-left-behind children seek health remediation in China’s vast but understudied rural areas. This study examines this question in the context of a program to provide vision health care to myopic rural students. The data come from a randomized …
China (47 works) · Medicine (40 works) · Geography (32 works) · Psychology (32 works) · Political science (24 works) · Economic growth (19 works) · Environmental health (18 works) · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare (18 works) · Rural area (18 works) · Economics (15 works)