Poster #23 - SES, Home Learning Environments, Migration Status, and Academic Achievement: An Eight-Year Longitudinal Study in China

• In Event: Poster Session 16

Abstract

A large body of research has illustrated associations between family socioeconomic status (SES), home learning environments (HLE), and child outcomes. This study will examine relations between SES and HLE measured in 2010 when children were between 3 and 5 years, and their academic achievement in 2018 when their ages ranged from 11 to 13 years. It also considered changes in child migration status measured in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018. This is because massive internal migration has affected more than 138 million children in China. About 71 million children have moved along with their parents to more developed cities (migrant children), and about 67 million are left behind in rural areas (left-behind children) when either one or both parents have migrated to cities (New Citizen Program, 2022).

Research conducted in China has revealed negative associations between family SES, parental migration, and children’s academic performance (Liu et al., 2020). However, there is a paucity of research that has used longitudinal designs to explore the relations between SES, HLE, and academic achievement among children with different migration backgrounds in China. This pre-registered study will explore the relations between SES and HLE when children were 3 to 5 years and their academic achievement 8 years later (Figure 1). More importantly, we will compare the mediation effects among migrant, left-behind, and non-migrant children.

We will utilize data from 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 waves of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). CFPS is a nationwide, comprehensive, and longitudinal survey launched by Peking University. It covers 25 provinces, 14960 households, and 42590 individuals, representing 95% of the total population in China. In this study, children who participated in all waves will be included in the final analyses. In 2010, parents reported their education levels, family annual income, HLE (i.e., read stories, buy books, teach literacy, and play outdoor activities), and children’s migration status. Children’s academic achievement were assessed on a standardized mathematics test and a vocabulary test in 2018 when between 11 and 13 years. We will also note whether the migration status changed between 2010 and 2018.

For the analytic plan, first, we will conduct the attrition analysis, descriptive statistics, and bivariate correlation for the studied variables in SPSS 22.0. Second, we will test the grouping mediation model through structural equation modelling (SEM) in Mplus 8.3. We hypothesize that (1) parental education and family income will positively predict children’s academic achievement 8 years later; (2) HLE when children aged 3-to-5 years will mediate the association between family SES and child academic achievement; (3) children being left-behind will have the lowest scores on early HLE among the three migration groups; and (4) children being-left behind will benefit the most if they had an optimal early HLE (M+1SD) will have stronger mediation effect compared to migrant children and non-migrant children.
To conclude, this pre-registered study examines relations among early HLE, migration status and academic outcomes in China. Findings have implications for prevention and intervention strategies to enhance children with a less advantaged background.

Authors

• Rui ZHANG, University of Hong Kong (HKU)
  Presenting Author

• Nirmala Rao, The University of Hong Kong (HKU)