Educational Roles and Identity Formation of Adolescent Firstborns in Chinese Large-Gap Families

• In Event: Academic Outcomes Shaped by Home and School Experiences

Abstract

This study examines how adolescent firstborns in Chinese large-gap families take on quasi-educational roles following the two-child policy. Drawing on interviews and field observations, we find that older siblings often provide caregiving, behavioral guidance, and academic support to much younger siblings. While this fosters responsibility and closeness, it also introduces role conflict, emotional strain, and gendered burdens—particularly for girls positioned as “quasi mothers”. We identify a mechanism of informal educational redistribution within families, shaped by policy shifts and cultural norms. These findings call for renewed attention to sibling roles as both sites of socialization and sources of hidden developmental pressure. This research contributes to understanding intrafamilial pedagogy and youth identity formation in a post–one-child China.

Author

• 可可 玉, East China Normal University