Effects of parental educational involvement on classroom peer status among Chinese primary school students: A moderated mediation model of psychological Suzhi and family socioeconomic status

Abstract

Classroom peer status (being accepted, admired, and liked by friends in the classroom) is a key factor in children’s development. The present study aims to test the mediating effect of psychological Suzhi (an indigenous concept of China and a kind of positive psychological quality) in the association between parental educational involvement (PEI) and primary students’ classroom peer status, and whether this mediating process is moderated by family socioeconomic status (SES). The study was designed according to a cross-sectional study model, with 462 Chinese primary school students (mean age = 10.76 years, SD = 1.1) completing questionnaires regarding demographic information, psychological Suzhi, and classroom peer status. Family SES and PEI questionnaires were completed by the students’ parents. Main findings include: (a) PEI has a positive direct influence on primary students’ classroom peer status; (b) students’ psychological Suzhi has a mediating role in the relationship between PEI and students’ classroom peer status; (c) the moderating role of family SES on the pathway from PEI to classroom peer status via psychological Suzhi was not significant; and (d) the direct influence of PEI on primary students’ classroom peer status is moderated by family SES. The findings from this study show that, regardless of family SES level, PEI increases a child’s positive internal psychological characteristics and helps improve the child’s classroom peer status. In contrast, the direct influence of PEI on primary students’ classroom peer status was not significant in families with low SES. In such families, the quality of PEI may be reduced due to the influence of parents’ education levels and family economic stress. The results of this study are meaningful for developing interventions in the family context.