Asian Social Work and Policy Review
Volume 13, Issue 3, 2019, Pages 263-273

Academic performance and peer relations among rural-to-urban migrant children in Beijing: Do social identity and self-efficacy matter? (Article)

Wang Y.* , Pei F. , Zhai F. , Gao Q.
  • a China Youth University of Political Studies, Beijing, China
  • b College of Social Work, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
  • c Graduate School of Social Service, Fordham University, New York, NY, United States
  • d School of Social Work, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States

Abstract

Due to the household registration system, millions of rural-to-urban migrant children in China are ineligible to receive urban social welfare benefits. These children potentially suffer from the evolving awareness of their perceived inferior social identity and experiences of inequalities at an early stage of life. This study examined whether self-perceived social identity is related to academic performance and peer relations among rural-to-urban migrant children in Beijing. Data were collected from 136 children during 2013 and 2014 in three schools for migrant children in Beijing. Path analysis showed that children who identified as a Beijinger, compared with those who self-identified with their rural hometown, had better self-efficacy, which in turn was associated with better academic performance and better peer relations. Enlightened by Western theories, these findings suggest that migrant children’s performance in school could be enhanced by cultivating positive perceptions of their social identity through teachers’ practice and community- and policy-level social support. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd

Author Keywords

Beijing household registration system school performance Migrant Children self-efficacy Social identity

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85073227014&doi=10.1111%2faswp.12179&partnerID=40&md5=4fe55447d57f1b467d7f16d70dfb29ae
DOI: 10.1111/aswp.12179
ISSN: 17531403
Original Language: English