The peer effect of migrant children on students’ non-cognitive outcomes: Evidence from China

Zhang，Jianshun1; Zhou，Yao2,3

2023-11-01

10.1016/j.ijedudev.2023.102883

International Journal of Educational Development   Impact Factor & Quartile

0738-0593

1873-4871

Promoting education equity and ensuring education quality may conflict in some cases. This article examines the peer effect of migrant children on students’ non-cognitive outcomes in the context of China where many internal migrant children are enrolled in local public schools. We identify the peer effect by focusing on the students randomly assigned to classes based on a nationally representative survey of middle schools in China. We construct non-cognitive measures based on the Big Five personality theory using principal component analysis (PCA). The results show that having a higher proportion of migrant children in class impairs students’ non-cognitive outcomes, which mainly work by negatively affecting the classroom atmosphere and reducing teacher-student interactions. Further analysis reveals that improving teacher quality and increasing the frequency of parent-child communications can alleviate the negative peer effects. These results can help governments formulate policies to achieve both education equity and education quality.

Education quality Migrant children Non-cognitive outcomes Peer effect

SSCI

English

Corresponding

National Natural Science Foundation of China[72203102];National Natural Science Foundation of China[72304128];Guangdong Office of Philosophy and Social Science[GD22YJY11];

Education & Educational Research

Education & Educational Research

WOS:001076001400001

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

SOCIAL SCIENCES, GENERAL

2-s2.0-85170662549

Scopus

1.School of Government Audit,Nanjing Audit University,Nanjing,Jiangsu Province,211815,China
2.Center for Higher Education Research,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,Guangdong Province,518055,China
3.Graduate School of Education,Waseda University,Shinjuku-ku,1-6-1 Nishiwaseda, Tokyo,169-8050,Japan

Zhang，Jianshun,Zhou，Yao. The peer effect of migrant children on students’ non-cognitive outcomes: Evidence from China[J]. International Journal of Educational Development,2023,103.

Zhang，Jianshun,&Zhou，Yao.(2023).The peer effect of migrant children on students’ non-cognitive outcomes: Evidence from China.International Journal of Educational Development,103.

Zhang，Jianshun,et al."The peer effect of migrant children on students’ non-cognitive outcomes: Evidence from China".International Journal of Educational Development 103(2023).