The Physical and Psychological Mechanisms of Educational Inequality and Intervention Strategies: The Case of Migrant Workers’ Children

Abstract

Using multiple methods including questionnaires, in-depth interviews, participant observation and field experiments, we have identified two social-psychological mechanisms in educational inequality: the self-fulfilling prophecy of parental expectations at home and the threat of stereotyping encountered at school. The physical mechanism of educational inequality is manifested in the poor health of migrant workers’ children and their devalued behavior. Targeting these physical and psychological mechanisms, we have designed two simple but effective intervention strategies to raise the children’s academic achievement: passing on the incremental theory of intelligence and establishing a multiple assessment system. These intervention strategies effectively improved the children’s academic performance, increased their identification with learning, and lowered the stereotype threat. It is hoped that these strategies can be applied to the new generation of migrant workers entering the labor market.