School Socioeconomic Composition, Segregation, Cultural Capital and Cognitive Development: Based on the China Education Panel Survey Data

Cognitive ability has a decisive influence on a person's educational achievement, income, and social status. However, evidence on the effect of school socioeconomic composition on the cognition ability from large-scale samples is almost nonexistent in China. This paper fills the gap by presenting evidence of the school socioeconomic composition effect (SEC) on cognitive ability, analyzing the national representative data of the China Education Panel Survey. This paper explores how the school's SEC and family background affect students' cognitive ability. Based on multilevel regression models, this paper finds that family SES and cultural capital positively influence students' cognitive ability, and the effect of cultural capital is more significant for students from high-SES families. School education can ease some differences in family background and personal identities, which is valid for students with similar education resources are within the same school. However, the disparities of education quality and resources and a notable degree of SES segregation between schools still widely exist in China. The school SEC effect positively impacts students' cognitive ability, more significant for low-SES families. Therefore, revising the education enrollment policy, distributing education resources appropriately, promoting school integration would be effective policy recommendations to promote education equity in China.

Author

• Hu, Peixiaoyu

Language

• en

Keyword

• Cultural capital
• Education equity
• Socioeconomic Status
• School composition effect
• Social reproduction

Date created

• 2022

Type of Work

• Master's Thesis

License

• All rights reserved

Rights statement

• In Copyright

GW Unit

• Sociology

Degree

• M.A.

Advisor

• Kelso, Michelle
• Tuch, Steven

Persistent URL

•  https://scholarspace.library.gwu.edu/etd/8336h274d