The Urban–Rural Heterogeneous Effect of Family SES on Achievement: The Mediating Role of Culture

Abstract

Previous studies have fully discussed the relationship between family socioeconomic status (SES) and achievement, but few of them regarded urban–rural differences as the moderating factor, which is an essential issue in urban–rural educational equalization in terms of educational outcomes. This study discusses the urban–rural heterogeneous effect of family SES on achievement and manifests the mediating role of education-related cultural factors. Based on the China Education Panel Survey data of 18,672 junior high school students, this study found the following: (1) family SES had a weaker positive effect among rural children than among urban children; (2) the urban–rural heterogeneous effect could be mediated by education-related cultural factors, i.e., learning environments and beliefs; and (3) in this regard, contemporary China is experiencing cultural reproduction rather than a cultural mobility mode. In Conclusion, although the urban–rural achievement gap will be maintained or even expanded in China, improving rural children’s learning environments and beliefs opens up the possibility of alleviating disadvantages in achievement resulting from family socioeconomic disadvantages. Therefore, narrowing down the urban–rural achievement gap from a cultural perspective provides policy implications for educational development in rural areas.