Migrant status, school segregation, and academic achievement in contemporary China

• In Event: 4167 - Section on Children and Youth Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Children & Youth Roundtable 6: Adolescent Education

Abstract

Previous studies have debated whether migrant children are falling behind or becoming better off. This paper aims to solve that academic controversy by showing that both ideas are reasonable within specific contexts. Drawing on the China Educational Panel Survey and multilevel analysis, the results show that migrant children’s education is significantly worse than that of municipal children but similar to that of their urban peers in non municipal cities. Moreover, children’s educational problems in the megacities are mainly attributable to school segregation, while family background becomes more important in other urban areas. The theoretical contributions and policy implications of these findings are discussed.

Author

• Gaoming MA, Zhejiang University