Family socioeconomic status and Chinese children’s early academic development: Examining child-level mechanisms

Abstract

The longitudinal relations of family socioeconomic status (SES) to receptive vocabulary, behavioral regulation, and four domains of academic learning (reading, math, life science, and earth and physical sciences) were examined for a representative sample of 588 Chinese children (ages 5–6). The results showed significant SES disparities across all four academic domains. SES was even predictive of later performance in math, life science, and earth and physical sciences after controlling for earlier performance. The SES disparities in math, life science, and earth and physical science were mediated via receptive vocabulary and behavioral regulation that operated in a dynamic and interactive manner, although receptive vocabulary had some mediation effects independent of behavioral regulation. The findings add to the literature by documenting SES disparities in science knowledge at an early age. They also highlight the importance of examining the dynamic relations among child-level mechanisms that contribute to SES-related academic disparities.