The Department (Institute) of Curriculum and Instruction (ICI) at East China Normal University has long committed to advancing the deep integration of high-level scientific research with graduate cultivation, actively encouraging students to present their research on the international academic stage. Recently, a wave of encouraging news arrived from the European Educational Research Association (EERA): 12 papers with ICI students as first authors have been officially accepted for presentation at the European Conference on Educational Research (ECER) 2026 Annual Conference.
The scope of their research spans multiple frontiers, including classroom discourse analysis, scientific literacy cultivation, comparative textbook studies, family education practices, and educational technology applications.
Showcase of ICI First-Author Students & Paper Presentations
1. Authors: Zhao Junhao, Xiao Sihan
Title: Teachers' Indirect Complaints as a Mode of Everyday Resistance: Mechanisms and Rationales
Format: Paper
Abstract: This study explores how teachers construct everyday resistance through humor and indirect complaints. Based on a case study of critical incidents during faculty meetings at a public demonstration kindergarten in Shanghai, the research finds that Teacher Y initiates indirect complaints in the form of jokes (e.g., framing inspections from higher authorities as a "mere formality"). Meanwhile, other teachers validate the complaint and "correct" her "slips of the tongue" through laughter. This collective dynamic transforms individual grievances into communal everyday resistance while maintaining collective safety. The study highlights that the forms of teacher resistance are shaped by both macro-social factors (e.g., career risks brought by declining birthrates) and micro-interpersonal factors (e.g., Teacher Y's deep camaraderie with colleagues). This suggests that everyday resistance relies heavily on the interplay between the individual and the collective, requiring analysis tailored to specific social and interpersonal contexts.
2. Authors: Li Yijie, Sun Meng, Xiao Sihan
Title: Reflect on Human Needs: The Energy-Related Needs in Middle School Science Textbooks in China
Format: Poster
Abstract: As global energy issues become increasingly prominent, the importance of energy education continues to escalate. This study focuses on how human energy needs are represented in textbooks. Utilizing the newly revised Grade 6 science textbooks in Shanghai as the research sample, the study conducts a content analysis anchored in the Theory of Human Needs to sort through and interpret the textual expressions and value orientations regarding human energy consumption within energy-related chapters. The study advocates for a critical review, reflection, and optimization of energy-need content in textbooks. By doing so, it aims to guide students to view their daily lifestyle demands dialectically, establish a scientific concept of energy consumption, and strike a rational balance between living standards and green energy-saving practices.
3. Authors: Wan Jiayi, Gao Wei, Gong Xin
Title: Do After-School Services Create New Urban-Rural Educational Inequalities? An Empirical Analysis of Data from 10 Chinese Provinces
Format: Paper
Abstract: This study focuses on the structural divergence in the implementation of after-school services under China’s "Double Reduction" policy, systematically examining potential qualitative inequalities beneath the surface of administrative equalization. Through an empirical analysis of differences in service supply and governance logic between urban and rural schools, the research reveals a hidden equity dilemma regarding quality within policy practices that have otherwise achieved widespread formal coverage. It serves as a reminder to monitor how public educational services are reshaped across different fields, and the potential risks they carry regarding the reproduction of social stratification.
4. Authors: Wan Jiayi, Gao Wei, Gong Xin
Title: How School Resources Mediate Urban-Rural Gaps in Digital Learning Opportunities: Evidence from China
Format: Paper
Abstract: This study addresses the formation mechanisms of digital learning opportunities for urban and rural students amidst the wave of digital transformation. Shifting the focus from mere technical supply to the actual activation process of resources within educational fields, the study analyzes the efficiency gaps in resource activation between urban and rural schools. The findings reveal a common "disconnection" in rural settings between resource availability and actual learning opportunities due to a lack of supporting ecological environments. This discovery indicates that the digital divide stems not only from disparities in hardware resources but, more fundamentally, from the hidden depreciation and conversion failures that resources undergo under varying institutional and field conditions.
5. Authors: Yang Youdi, Xiao Sihan
Title: Uncovering Hidden Narratives of Science in Chinese and American Middle School Science Textbooks
Format: Paper
Abstract: How science education incorporates narratives to communicate science more effectively to students remains a question worthy of further investigation. This study explores the issue by comparing the hidden narrative elements in Chinese and American middle school science textbooks and the ways they communicate science with prospective readers. Critical discourse analysis indicates that both Chinese and American textbooks act as deliverers of scientific consensus and expert authority. However, they differ in specific narrative components: Chinese science textbooks employ visible narrators and utilize conflict narratives that span across time and space, whereas US textbooks employ invisible narrators, using covert isomorphic narratives to blend science into personal experiences while adhering more strictly to a chronological order of events.
6. Authors: Li Zhiyuan, Chen Shuangye
Title: Frames of Merit: Social-Media Narratives of Model Students at Elite Universities in China and the West
Format: Paper
Abstract: This study presents a comparative analysis of the narrative construction of "model students" on the official social media channels of elite universities in China and the West. Text mining reveals that while both sides convey the core ideology of meritocracy, their emphasis reflects distinct cultural differences, and narrative themes adjust dynamically over time. The study discusses how "excellence" is shaped by elite universities across different cultural backgrounds and explores the underlying controversies, providing a comparative lens for understanding the image construction of "model students."
7. Author: Yang Haoxuan
Title: The Role of the Body: Looking Closely at How Elementary Students Engage with Science Practices
Format: Paper
Abstract: This study demonstrates exactly how elementary school students' bodies participate in scientific practices, as well as the roles and significance the body holds within them. As Baruch Spinoza famously noted, "No one has yet determined what the body can do... or what the body can do solely from the laws of nature insofar as nature is considered close-bodied, and what it cannot do unless it is determined by the mind." We still do not fully understand what powers the body possesses, nor why we should continue to mobilize these physical capacities in education.
8. Author: Yang Haoxuan
Title: The Assembled Body: Elementary Students Engaging in Hands-On Science in the Classroom
Format: Paper
Abstract: Adopting a materiality perspective, this study emphasizes that what a body can do depends on how it is "assembled" by material practices, distinguishing itself from bodily essentialism. Mirroring authentic scientific practices, we observed in elementary science classrooms how students' bodies—when assembled within specific material contexts—are empowered to perform more scientific actions beyond the "official script." Conversely, they may also be restricted to specific actions, rendered incapable of acting, or even find themselves more susceptible to the risks of data fabrication.
9. Authors: Zhuang Yuan, Xiao Sihan, Li Yijie
Title: What Hinders Perspective Taking in Socioscientific Issues Instruction? A Case Study
Format: Poster
Abstract: This study addresses ethical education within science classrooms. Initially, during lessons utilizing socio-scientific issues (SSI) instruction, researchers noticed that although students were required to switch viewpoints to participate in debates, "perspective taking"—the ability to translate abstract moral considerations into sustained ethical care—did not emerge smoothly. The researchers selected specific classroom episodes to analyze their relationship with the "controversial" nature of the issues and the pedagogical methods employed. The findings indicate that fostering students' ethical literacy and perspective-taking capacities in SSI classrooms requires a rigorous alignment between the nature of the issue and the corresponding pedagogical approach.
10. Authors: Rong Jiani, Chen Shuangye
Title: Creating Space for EFL Teachers’ Engagement with AI: A Nudge-Based Experimental Study
Format: Paper
Abstract: As artificial intelligence integrates deeply into educational policy systems, teachers' adoption of related technologies has gradually shifted from autonomous choice to policy-driven mandates. How to stimulate teachers' engagement with AI applications through non-coercive pathways has become an urgent problem in educational reform. Drawing on Nudge Theory, this study conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 138 junior middle school EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers in eastern China to explore effective ways to activate AI usage under a policy-led context. The study reveals that by constructing a low-risk, exploratory space for practice, nudge interventions can effectively drive teachers to proactively experiment with AI. These results provide causal evidence for using flexible strategies to promote teacher engagement against the backdrop of institutionalized AI dissemination, offering practical insights for balancing policy mandates with teacher autonomy in digital educational transformations.
11. Authors: Cheng Chao, Tan Minzhe
Title: Nature, Nurture, and Culture: Unraveling the Global Relationship Between Parenting Styles and Academic Achievement Through Meta-analysis
Format: Paper
Abstract: The debate sparked by Amy Chua's "Tiger Mom" touches on a core question in cultural sociology and developmental psychology: Is the impact of parenting styles on academic achievement universal or culturally specific? This meta-analysis integrates 37 studies involving 229,000 individuals, finding that positive parenting significantly enhances academic achievement (r=0.167), while negative parenting exerts a weak adverse effect (r=-0.082). Culture acts as an asymmetric moderator: the benefits of positive parenting are significantly influenced by cultural dimensions such as power distance and individualism, whereas the harms of negative parenting appear relatively universal. Multilevel regression and meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM) show that cultural influences operate independently of socioeconomic status. This study moves beyond the traditional dichotomy of universalism versus relativism, supporting an integrated framework: the efficacy of positive parenting varies by culture, whereas the negative consequences of negative parenting display greater cross-cultural consistency.
12. Author: Cheng Chao
Title:“I am a Good Mother”: Maternal Performance and the Reproduction of Patriarchy Through Musical Mothering of Chinese Mothers
Format: Paper
Abstract: In contemporary China, children’s piano education has become a critical site where middle-class mothering is morally defined and gendered power dynamics are routinely performed in daily domestic practices. This study examines how Chinese middle-class mothers enact the role of a "good mother" through musical mothering practices and how this contributes to the reproduction of patriarchal power. Drawing on "doing gender" and performativity theories, an interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) was employed, involving participant observations and in-depth interviews with 11 mothers. The study reveals that mothers practice the "good mother" role through three strategies: cultivating cultural taste, high-intensity sacrificial care, and emotional regulation. Although these practices reproduce patriarchal structures—such as yielding educational decision-making power, rationalizing paternal absence, and embracing self-sacrifice—they also contain subtle negotiations and resistance achieved by reinterpreting the moral meaning of a "good mother." The reproduction of patriarchal power is achieved more through the covert moralization of maternal care, love, and sacrifice than through overt coercion.
About the Conference
The European Conference on Educational Research (ECER) is organized by the European Educational Research Association (EERA) and is the largest and most influential educational academic conference in Europe. The ECER 2026 Annual Conference will be hosted at the University of Tampere, Finland, from August 18 to 21, 2026, preceded by the Emerging Researchers’ Conference from August 17 to 18. Centered on the theme "Knowing and Acting: The changing conditions and potentials of education research," this year’s conference focuses on knowledge production and practical translation of educational research in an era of multiple crises. Approximately 2,500 educational researchers from around the globe are expected to gather in Tampere to engage in profound dialogues surrounding education and societal transformation.
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