Yi Ren

Bio: Yi Ren is an academic researcher from Beijing Normal University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Socioeconomic status & Academic achievement. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 4 publications receiving 16 citations.

Family socio-economic status and children's academic achievement: The different roles of parental academic involvement and subjective social mobility.

Abstract: Background Low family socio-economic status (SES) is usually associated with children's poor academic achievement, but the mechanisms underlying this relationship are less understood. Aims The present study examined the mediating role of parental academic involvement and the moderating role of parental subjective social mobility in this relationship with cross-sectional data. Sample and methods A total of 815 fourth- to sixth-grade children were recruited from five elementary schools in China. Family SES (measured by parents' education, parents' occupation and family income) and parental subjective social mobility were obtained directly from parents, parental academic involvement was reported by children, and information on children's academic achievement was collected from their teachers. Results The results showed that (1) both family SES and parental academic involvement were positively correlated with children's Chinese and math achievement, (2) parental academic involvement mediated the relationships between family SES and children's Chinese and math achievement, and (3) parental subjective social mobility moderated the path from family SES to parental academic involvement. The models of children's Chinese and math achievement showed that the association between family SES and parental academic involvement was weak among children's parents who reported high levels of subjective social mobility. Conclusions These findings suggest that there is a pathway from family SES to children's academic achievement through parental academic involvement and that this pathway is dependent on the level of parental subjective social mobility.

Family Socioeconomic Status, Educational Expectations, and Academic Achievement Among Chinese Rural-to-Urban Migrant Adolescents: The Protective Role of Subjective Socioeconomic Status:

Abstract: The adverse impact of a low family socioeconomic status (SES) on rural-to-urban migrant children’s academic achievement has been widely demonstrated. However, knowledge regarding the mechanisms und...

CsSWEET2, a Hexose Transporter from Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), Affects Sugar Metabolism and Improves Cold Tolerance in Arabidopsis

Abstract: Sugars, which are critical osmotic compounds and signalling molecules in plants, and Sugars Will Eventually be Exported Transporters (SWEETs), which constitute a novel family of sugar transporters, play central roles in plant responses to multiple abiotic stresses. In the present study, a member of the SWEET gene family from cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), CsSWEET2, was identified and characterized. Histochemical analysis of β-glucuronidase expression in transgenic Arabidopsis plants showed that CsSWEET2 is highly expressed in the leaves; subcellular localization indicated that CsSWEET2 proteins are localized in the plasma membrane and endoplasmic reticulum. Heterologous expression assays in yeast demonstrated that CsSWEET2 encodes an energy-independent hexose/H+ uniporter that can complement both glucose and fructose transport deficiencies. Compared with wild-type Arabidopsis plants, transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing CsSWEET2 had much lower relative electrolyte leakage levels and were much more resistant to cold stress. Sugar content analysis showed that glucose and fructose levels in the transgenic Arabidopsis plants were significantly higher than those in the wild-type plants. Taken together, our results suggest that, by mediating sugar metabolism and compartmentation, CsSWEET2 plays a vital role in improving plant cold tolerance.

Family Socioeconomic Status, Parental Involvement, and Academic Achievement: The Moderating Role of Adolescents’ Subjective Social Mobility:

Abstract: The correlations between a low family socioeconomic status (SES) and adolescents’ poor academic outcomes have been widely documented. However, the mechanisms through which family SES is associated ...

Family socio-economic status and children's executive function: The moderating effects of parental subjective socio-economic status and children's subjective social mobility.

Abstract: Family socio-economic status (SES) is significantly related to disparities in children's executive function. Children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds perform worse on executive function tasks than their peers from high-SES families. The protective factors in the relationship between SES and executive function have not been sufficiently investigated, especially from the perspective of parents' and children's perceptions and expectations regarding SES. Therefore, this study aimed to examine whether parental subjective SES and children's subjective social mobility separately moderated the relationship between family SES and children's executive function among 885 participants aged 9-13 years. The results showed that family SES was positively related to the three components of executive function (cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, and working memory). Moreover, the relationship between SES and cognitive flexibility was weak among the children with a high level of subjective social mobility or those whose parents had high levels of subjective SES. Among children from families with economic hardship, subjective social mobility is a potential protective factor mitigating the negative effects of low family SES on their cognitive flexibility.

Parental Involvement in Adolescents' Learning and Academic Achievement: Cross-lagged Effect and Mediation of Academic Engagement.

Abstract: Parental involvement in adolescents’ learning has been linked to high academic achievement, yet few studies have examined its reverse relationship at the same time and the potential mechanisms that underly these associations. To address this research gap, this study investigated the reciprocal relationship between parental involvement and academic achievement as well as the mediating role of adolescents’ academic engagement among Chinese adolescents. In addition, the current study explored whether these relationships varied by gender. Using a longitudinal design, a total of 2381 secondary school students (48.8% girls, Mage = 13.38 ± 0.59) participated in the study. The results found significant positive directional effects from academic achievement to parental involvement among total sample, but not vice versa. The cross-lagged effect from academic achievement to parental involvement only existed among adolescent girls. Bootstrap analyses in the total sample revealed that parental involvement was related to academic achievement through the indirect effects of adolescents’ behavioral engagement. In terms of gender differences, behavioral engagement totally mediated the path from academic achievement to parental involvement for boys, while no significant mediation effect was found for girls. These results have provided empirical evidence of the evocative role of adolescents’ academic characteristics on parenting behaviors and the double-edged effect of parental involvement on adolescents’ academic performance, they also suggest that further research is needed to explore effective and appropriate ways for parents to get involved in adolescents’ learning in order to promote their children’s academic achievement.

Family Socioeconomic Status, Educational Expectations, and Academic Achievement Among Chinese Rural-to-Urban Migrant Adolescents: The Protective Role of Subjective Socioeconomic Status:

Abstract: The adverse impact of a low family socioeconomic status (SES) on rural-to-urban migrant children’s academic achievement has been widely demonstrated. However, knowledge regarding the mechanisms und...

Parental Distress and Perception of Children's Executive Functioning after the First COVID-19 Lockdown in Italy.

Abstract: The spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and the consequential first italian lockdown to minimize viral transmission, have resulted in many significant changes in the every-day lives of families, with an increased risk of parental burnout. This study explores the impact of the first COVID-19 lockdown in Italy on parental distress and parental perceptions of children's executive functions (EFs). Participants were 308 Italian parents with children between 4 and 17 years of age; they were recruited through online advertisements on websites and social media, and they were given an online survey. The measures were: the balance between risks and resources (BR2) and the executive functioning self-report (EF). Findings of the study suggest that the most distressed parents perceived their children as less competent in EF, highlighting a cognitive fragility on attention, memory, and self-regulation (Pearson correlation coefficient, p < 0.05); significant differences were found between parents of children exhibiting typical and atypical patterns of development (ANOVA, p < 0.05). The study reinforces the need to provide families with psychological aid to support parental competence in restrictive lockdown conditions.