Left-behind Children In China Research Articles

Trajectories of peer victimization among left-behind children in rural China: The role of positive school climate.

Left-behind children are likely to experience peer victimization, which can have detrimental consequences in their developmental outcomes. Yet, limited longitudinal research have examined peer victimization trajectories over time or the factors associated with left-behind children in China. The purpose of the present study was to examine what, if any, distinct trajectories of peer victimization exist among left-behind children and whether these trajectories are related to school climate, left-behind status, and their interactions. Participants were 853 Chinese left-behind children (Mage = 14.25, SD = 2.39; 43.4% girls) who participated in a four-wave longitudinal study conducted in rural China. Participants reported school climate (indexed by safety and order, acceptance and support, equality and fairness, autonomy and cooperation) at T1 and peer victimization across T1 to T4 spanning 2 years. Latent class growth analyses identified four peer victimization trajectories, including a stably low-decreasing group, a moderate-decreasing group, a high-decreasing group, and an increasing group. Multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed that children who perceived more positive school climate were more likely to exhibit a stably low-decreasing trajectory compared to the other three groups. In addition, among left-behind children who perceived more positive school climate, children with single-parent migrating were more likely to be members of the stably low-decreasing group as compared to those with both-parent migrating. Peer victimization among left-behind children is a concern especially for those who were left behind by both parents and perceived less positive school climate. Targeted school-based interventions and services focused on reducing peer victimization and improving school climate are needed for left-behind children, especially those with both-parent migrating.

Parental Educational Expectations and Academic Achievement of Left-Behind Children in China: The Mediating Role of Parental Involvement

Migrant workers from rural China often leave their children at home to be raised by grandparents or other family members. This study explored the relationship between parents’ educational expectations, parental involvement, and the academic performance of left-behind children in China. A total of 19,487 student samples were obtained from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS), and 5078 of these met the criteria for being considered as ‘left behind’ children. Results indicated: (1) a significant positive correlation between parents’ educational expectations and left-behind children’s academic achievement; (2) parental education involvement plays a partial mediating role between parents’ educational expectations and left-behind children’s academic performance; (3) a significant negative correlation between parental intellectual involvement and educational expectations of left-behind children; (4) parental management involvement was not significantly correlated with parents’ educational expectations and left-behind children’s academic performance; and (5) a significant positive correlation between parental emotional involvement and educational expectations of left-behind children. The findings highlight the important role of parental educational expectations and have implications for the improvement of educational outcomes in China.

Lack of parental care increases depression of rural left-behind children in China: a moderated mediating effects*

Lack of parental care increases depression of rural left-behind children in China: a moderated mediating effects*

The relationship between screen time and gross motor movement: A cross-sectional study of pre-school aged left-behind children in China.

To investigate the level of screen time and gross motor movement level and the correlation between them in left-behind children aged 3 to 6 years old in China. A randomized whole-group sampling method was used to study 817 left-behind children aged 3-6 years in 15 kindergartens in Xiangcheng city, Henan province. The third version of the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-3) was used to test the children's gross motor movement level, and the screen time questionnaire was used to test the children's screen time level. The relationship between the two and the indicators was explored using Pearson's two-sided correlation and multilevel regression. The average daily screen time of left-behind children aged 3-6 years old increased with age, and the reporting rate of >2 h/d ranged from 22.43% to 33.73%; gross motor movement of left-behind children aged 3-6 years old increased with age, with significant differences between age (p<0.05). There was a low to moderate negative correlation (r = -0.133 to -0.354, p<0.05) between screen time and gross motor movement in children aged 3-6 years, and multiple regression analysis showed that screen time was predictive of gross motor movement in children (p<0.05), with an explanation rate of 21.4%. There is a correlation between screen time and gross motor movement development in children aged 3-6 years old left behind, and the gross motor movement ability of children aged 3-6 years old can be developed by reducing screen time and increasing physical activity.

Decoding paradoxical identities: The discourse construction of left-behind children in news reports

This paper presents an empirical corpus-based study on the identity of left-behind children in China, employing the discourse-historical approach (DHA) framework. It is the first study to combine Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling and reported speech analysis to examine how China Daily constructs the identity of left-behind children and explore the cultural and rhetorical factors influencing this identity construction. By integrating computational techniques and qualitative analysis methods, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of the intricate nature of identity construction for left-behind children. This interdisciplinary approach strengthens the theoretical foundations of media analysis and offers fresh insights into the dynamics of media discourse. The findings reveal that China Daily portrays left-behind children in a multifaceted and diverse manner, encompassing both positive and negative aspects, while placing emphasis on their vulnerability and passivity. Furthermore, the media employs communication techniques such as identification by sympathy, antithesis, and inaccuracy to establish emotional resonance and foster audience identification, ultimately influencing the audience’s perspectives on these children.

Category construction and knowledge production in childhood studies: rethinking ‘left-behind children’ through the case of ‘liushou children’ in China

ABSTRACT Narratives about children whose parents have migrated exhibit a common global trend, with these children and their families being widely pathologised, creating a stereotyped image of this group. Hence, it is timely and necessary to interrogate the category construction of left-behind children and the politics surrounding the knowledge produced. This article explores the global construction and widespread stigmatisation of left-behind children through the lens of a postcolonial critique and criticises the hegemonic notion of childhood promoted primarily by the Global North. It then explores the indigenous category of ‘liushou children’ for left-behind children in China – revealing its cultural expectations and Indigenous construction. Although the pathologisation of such children occurs in both global and indigenous dimensions, the understanding and causation of such pathologisation differs since diverse actors often present different understandings of this phenomenon, which refract different expectations, moral and value judgements, or political motivations. Therefore, this article calls for research on the lives of these children in the context of global economic and social structural shifts and how these are reshaped in local and national dimensions. In so doing, it provides insights into ongoing debates on the politics and ethics of knowledge production in childhood studies.

Maternal/paternal migration, delinquent friendship, and depressive symptoms among left-behind children in China

Massive internal migration in China has greatly disadvantaged children who are left behind. This study unravels the mechanism underlying the association between parental migration and children’s mental health through the lenses of social networks and gender. Using data collected in Sichuan, one of the provinces with the largest number of left-behind children in China, this study finds that maternal and paternal migration differ in their associations with left-behind children’s depressive symptoms. While paternal migration is not associated with children’s mental health, maternal migration is found to be significantly correlated with children’s depressive symptoms. Moreover, the negative association is also detected in children with mothers who returned from migration destinations. However, such an association does not vary between sons and daughters. We also find that the negative association between maternal migration and left-behind children’s mental health is partly explained by children’s delinquent social ties. Children who have experienced or are experiencing maternal migration are more likely to make friends who exhibit delinquent behavior. Such friendships are further associated with left-behind children’s vulnerability to depressive symptoms. This demonstration of the intersectionality of social networks and gender contributes to the literature on family, migration, and health.

Characteristics of parent-child separation related to bullying involvement among left-behind children in China

Parent-child separation due to internal migration is prevalent in China. However, few studies have focused on the associations between different characteristics of parent-child separation and children’s involvement in bullying. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 2,355 fifth-to eighth-grade students in China, using self-reported questionnaires to investigate the associations between children’s bullying involvement (i.e., bullies, victims, bully-victims) and different characteristics of parent-child separation resulting from parental migration. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to explore these associations. Among all respondents, 17.3% reported being victims of bullying, 3.8% reported being bullies, and 2.7% reported being bully-victims. Compared to children with no left-behind experiences, those with current left-behind experiences were more likely to be victims and bully-victims. Children left behind by parent(s) at the age of three years or younger were more likely to be victims (aOR = 1.66, 95% CI [1.22, 2.25], p = .001), bullies (aOR = 1.88, 95% CI [1.02, 3.52]), and bully-victims (aOR = 2.17, 95% CI [1.04, 4.71]). Children left behind for seven years or longer were more likely to be victims (aOR = 1.49, 95% CI [1.12, 2.00], p = .007), bullies (aOR = 2.03, 95% CI [1.15, 3.69]), and bully-victims (aOR = 2.13, 95% CI [1.06, 4.50]). The identified characteristics of parent-child separation associated with bullying involvement hold implications for parental decisions regarding internal migration, interventions, and policymaking for preventing bullying among left-behind children.

Chinese children’s perspectives of long-distance familyhood via WeChat

ABSTRACT There is growing public concern in China about the large number of children whose parents have left them behind because of massive rural-to-urban labor migration over the past few decades. It is estimated that there were 61 million left-behind children in China in 2018. Because of the prevalence of instant communication applications, such as WeChat, left-behind children in China can maintain family relationships with their migrant parents through social media. This study examines how left-behind children use WeChat to sustain long-distance family relationships. Conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, the research involved online interviews with ten children and ten online workshops with thirty-one child participants. The data collected from the workshops and interviews suggest that a gap still exists between children’s communication needs and the technological affordances of social media. Mediated communications via WeChat are not always child-friendly and can have implications for the success or failure of parent-child communication in Chinese separated families. Despite these challenges, children demonstrate creativity in navigating the uncertainties of long-distance communication and relationships. However, this process is strewn with difficulties that the adult family members in the participant families have overlooked.

The association between Internet use and cognitive ability among rural left-behind children in China.

This study focuses on the cognitive development of rural children aged 10-15 who have been left behind, utilizing data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) datasets of 2016 and 2020. The primary objective is to investigate the correlation between Internet usage and the cognitive ability of these children. An Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression model was initially employed to explore the potential influence of Internet use on the cognitive ability of rural left-behind children. To meticulously address potential endogeneity, we employed the instrumental variable (IV) method. Additionally, we performed robustness checks using Propensity Score Matching (PSM) to ensure the reliability of our findings. The findings indicate a statistically significant positive correlation between Internet usage and the cognitive ability of left-behind rural children. Notably, the impact of Internet use is more pronounced in girls than in boys among this demographic. Furthermore, a significant influence of Internet usage on the cognitive ability is observed in rural children aged 10-12, whereas no significant correlation is found for those aged 13-15. Particularly noteworthy is the substantial impact of Internet use on the cognitive ability of left-behind children with an absent father. In addition, the cognitive benefits associated with Internet use were notably more pronounced among rural left-behind children, especially when considering factors such as attendance at a demonstration school and parental concern for the child's education. This study underscores the importance of understanding the relationship between Internet usage and cognitive development in left-behind rural children. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions and inclusive access to online resources for the development of rural left-behind children.

Loneliness status and influencing factors among rural left-behind children in China: A cross-sectional study

We investigated the current status and main factors of loneliness among rural left-behind children. We conducted a survey of 812 rural left-behind children in China using the Sociodemographic Questionnaire, the Children’s Loneliness Scale, the Social Anxiety Scale for Children, the Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale, and the Piers-Harris Child Self-Concept Scale. Results showed that (a) 66.26% had a sense of loneliness; (b) there were correlations between loneliness and 7 sociodemographic variables, social anxiety, self-esteem, and self-concept; (c) grade, age, parental separation duration, contact frequency with parents, social anxiety, self-esteem, and self-concept were the main factors influencing the level of loneliness among rural left-behind children. Recommendations for parents and teachers are suggested.

Research on the Educational Plight Faced by Rural Left-behind Children in China

Due to the rapid development of Chinas cities and the increasing inequality between urban and rural areas, Chinese left-behind children have been neglected by society for a long time, which should make their educational plight a worthwhile issue to be explored. The research utilizes literature review to discuss some reasons for those childrens educational plights they are facing. Various researches from other authors is drawn to probe into more dimensions of the factors. Then, the result is presented that there are three aspects among that deeply influence the quality of education the rural left-behind children are receiving, including parents, society and news media. In short, the departure of parents makes children suffer from unhealthy mental conditions and fail to gain adequate cognitive knowledge, leading to their trouble in receiving high-quality education. Moreover, the vicious characteristics of rural society which delivers backward ideologies is also a culprit that prevents them from getting the same education as urban children. Lastly, the one-sided coverage of those children by news media shapes them as pure victims or threatening people, letting others keep away and refuse to help them and also causing childrens wrong perceptions of themselves and their living environments. As to the research conclusion, their difficulties in education should be paid more attention and the relevant institutions are supposed to take action to drop them out of such plight.

The Impact of social media on the Socialization of Left-behind Children in China

With the rapid development of the new media era, the influence of media on children becomes more and more obvious in the process of socialization. Growing up in this context, left-behind children have also become one of the main groups using social media, with the characteristics of high frequency of use and different preferences. Through reviewing previous research, this paper aims to understand the use of social media in daily life of left-behind children, analyze its impact on the socialization of left-behind children, explore the underlying reasons, and summarize the relationship between the use of social media and media literacy of left-behind children. When left-behind children have high media literacy, they do not have excessive dependence and tend to browse beneficial social media content; while when their media literacy is low, they will have a high sense of dependence on media and contact with bad social media content. Socialization process of left-behind children in China is subject to many restrictions and challenges. Social media is an important way for left-behind children to communicate with the outside world, obtain information and establish social relationships. Therefore, studying the impact of social media on the socialization of left-behind children can help future research explore how to better use social media to promote the socialization process of left-behind children, and provide a basis for formulating relevant policies and measures. Future studies should cover different regions and combine quantitative and qualitative methods to better understand the process of socialization of left-behind children.

Perceived discrimination and academic self-concept among left-behind children in China: The role of school belonging and classroom composition

This study aims to investigate how perceived discrimination affects left-behind children’s academic self-concept, and to examine the mediating role of school belonging on the relationship between them. Two prominent classroom compositional effects, the peer spillover effect and the big-fish-little-pond effect, also need to be confirmed. A total of 998 left-behind children participated in the two surveys. They reported perceived discrimination and individual basic information at time 1. After two months, the measurements of school belonging and academic self-concept were completed at time 2. These results suggested that perceived discrimination had a significantly negative prediction on left-behind children’s academic self-concept, and school belonging plays a mediating role between these variables. In addition, in a given classroom, a higher proportion of left-behind children could predict lower levels of their academic self-concept. Furthermore, the negative effect of perceived discrimination on academic self-concept was attenuated in classes with a higher classroom proportion of left-behind children. These results have important practical implications for educators on how to enhance the left-behind children’s academic self-concept and how to assign classes.

Urbanization Function of Education for the Left-behind Children in China

Urbanization Function of Education for the Left-behind Children in China

The Status of Left-behind Children in Rural Areas under the Background of Parents Migration

The group of left-behind children in China has long been characterized by large-scale and numerous challenges, among which the education of left-behind children has been the center of attention and a contentious topic. In China, there were 170 million rural migrant laborers by 2022. Rural migration may have a significant positive influence on the families, communities, and work force of the migrants as well as on themselves personally. It is important to investigate how these massive rural migratory workers affect the family unit, particularly their children. The object of this paper is the left-behind children in rural areas under the background of parents migration. There are two main research directions: the first is the behavioral problems of left-behind children in rural areas under the background of parents migration and the causes and countermeasures of the behavioral problems; the second is the education status of left-behind children in rural areas under the background of parents migration. Children whose parents migrated had a considerably greater overall frequency of behavior problem than children who were not left behind. When one parent migrated, the likelihood of problem behavior in the children was much higher when the mother migrated than when the father migrated. Childrens academic performance is significantly influenced by aspects related to education, including family education spending, involvement in education, and supervision in school.

Quality of childcare and delayed child development in left-behind children in China.

Inequalities in job opportunities and income prompts many Chinese parents to leave rural regions to work in urban regions. Their children are left behind in rural regions, subjected to worse quality of childcare that jeopardizes their development. This study aimed to examine the association between quality of childcare and delayed child development in under-three years children left behind in China. Cross-sectional national survey was conducted in children left behind in rural China in 2017. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was used to develop a quality of childcare index. Mutlilevel analyses determined factors associated with quality of childcare and child development on a province and individual level. The largest population of at-risk children left behind were found in higher-GDP provinces. Children left behind had the lowest mean quality of childcare score. Multilevel analysis found that province level accounted for a great proportion of variance observed. While migration to urban regions for work may improve household income, a trade-off in worse quality of childcare and developmental delays exists. With improving household income often being the greatest contributing factor for parental migration, policies to reduce inequalities in job opportunities and wealth between rural and urban regions are required. Previous studies identified higher prevalence of developmental delays in children left behind in China. However, quality of childcare has not been examined. Based on WHO's Nurturing Care Framework, we developed a quality of childcare index to assess its association with child development in children left behind. Greatest proportion of children left behind at-risk of developmental delays resided in higher-GDP states, indicating a trade-off in worse quality of childcare and developmental delays. Since improving household income is the main factor for parental migration, policies to close inequalities in job opportunities and wealth between rural and urban regions are required.

A meta-analysis of loneliness among left-behind children in China

Due to the long-term separation from their parents, the physical and mental health development of left-behind children is not optimal. Among many psychological problems, loneliness is the most significant. We searched all publicly published literature related to the loneliness of left-behind children from its establishment to September 30, 2022 in Chinese and English databases. Forest plots and funnel plots were drawn to examine the heterogeneity and publication bias of the included studies, and the loneliness status of left-behind children was analyzed by meta-analysis. A total of 23 studies with 6,678 left-behind children were included in the analysis. The meta results showed that the loneliness level of left-behind children was higher than that of non-left-behind children. Subgroup analysis showed that there was no significant difference in total effect size among different grades. However, different guardian types could affect the loneliness level of left-behind children, for example, single-parent monitoring was associated with lower loneliness than other relative monitoring.

The Effects of Organizational Social Support on Left-behind Children’s Resilience in China

Left-behind children are one of the main issues in China’s child welfare services. The change in the family environment has destroyed these children’s original levels of resilience. Hence social service and support from social organizations are needed. The study examines the impact of different types of social support social organizations provide to enhance the resilience of left-behind children in rural China. Types of social support analyzed include material, mental, informational, behavioral, and social interaction support. Data was collected from 384 rural left-behind children using a pre-coded questionnaire. Respondents were randomly selected from Guangxi, China in 2022. They had an average age of 12.781 years, with 45.83% male and 54.17% female. Multiple linear regression was used to conduct an empirical analysis of the different types of social support provided by social organizations. The results found that material, mental, informational, and behavioral support provided by social organizations had significant effects on the resilience of rural left-behind children in China. Further research should be conducted on the importance of providing material, mental, informational, and behavioral support to left-behind children to better help improve their resilience.

Study on Psychological Capital and School Adaptation of Urban Left-behind Children in China

Objective: This study explores the current status and relationship between psychological capital and school adaptation of urban left-behind children. Methods: The Adolescent Psychological Capital Questionnaire and the School Adaptation Questionnaire were used to investigate students in 10 primary and secondary schools in Hubei Province, China. Results: Urban left-behind children’s psychological capital and the average score of each dimension, school adaptation and the average score of each dimension were significantly higher than the median value. The psychological capital and school adaptation level of urban left-behind children are significantly lower than those of urban non-left-behind children, and at the same time significantly higher than those of rural left-behind children. There is a significant positive correlation between psychological capital and school adaptation of urban left-behind children. The psychological capital of urban left-behind children has a predictive effect on school adaptation and can explain 49% of the variation in school adaptation. Conclusion: The overall level of psychological capital and school adaptation of urban left-behind children is good. The school adaptation of urban left-behind children can be improved by raising the level of their psychological capital.