Left-behind Children Research Articles

Relationships between teacher–child relationships, resilience, and emotional competence: an empirical study of left-behind children in regional China

ABSTRACT This study aims to examine the relationships between teacher-child relationships, resilience, and emotional competence with an initial sample of 881 (filtered to 739) Chinese young children in a rural region in Guangdong Province, China. They were measured by using Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS), Children’s emotional competence scale (CECS), and Devereux Early Childhood Assessment for Preschoolers Second Edition (DECA-P2). The results indicated that: (1) teacher–child relationships positively predict resilience and emotional competence in children, including left-behind children; (2) emotional competence positively predict resilience in children, including left-behind children; (3) no different patterns found between left-behind children and other children on their psychological traits in the study. This study would enhance both parents and early childhood teachers’ understandings of the key factors that affect children’s wellbeing and social development, and thus implement appropriate strategies for supporting left-behind children.

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.

The Relationship between Grandparents' Violent Discipline and School Bullying Behavior among Left-behind Children.

Most left-behind children in rural China are raised by their grandparents, whose parenting style significantly impacts children's development. This study examined the association between grandparents' violent discipline and left-behind children's school bullying. This cross-sectional study recruited a sample of 462 left-behind children aged 10 to 15 years old (Age Mean = 12.372, 49.351% girls) from four rural primary and junior high schools in Chongqing, China. There was a significant positive association between corporal punishment (β = .236, p < .001) and psychological aggression (β = .272, p < .001) of grandparents and children's school bullying. Empathy and moral disengagement mediate the above association. Cross-gender comparisons indicated that corporal punishment had a greater positive relationship with school bullying in boys than girls (βgirls = .154, p < .01; βboys = .250, p < .001). At the same time, boys' moral disengagement was also more likely to lead to school bullying (βgirls = .233, p < .001; βboys = .337, p < .001). We discuss the implications of these findings for preventing bullying in schools for children left behind.

Analysis of the influencing factors of left-behind children's mental health based on python program--Anhui Province as an example

With the rapid development of social economy, the number of farmers going to the cities to work has increased, leading to the problem of left-behind children in rural areas. Left-behind children face physical and mental health challenges due to the lack of parental accompaniment. The state has introduced policies to improve their environment, but uneven educational resources, psychological problems and lagging rural development remain to be solved. Based on the data of left-behind children in Anhui Province during the seven-year period of 2016-2022, this paper collates relevant literature and then empirically analyses the factors affecting the number of left-behind children and their mental health by means of multiple linear regression models. The study shows that the number of left-behind children has a strong negative correlation with economic growth and education problems, which means that improving the economic and educational conditions may help reduce the number of left-behind children, while the family environment and campus environment have a significant positive effect on the mental health of left-behind children. Finally, on the basis of the empirical findings, policy initiatives such as promoting economic growth and employment opportunities, improving the distribution of educational resources, strengthening family care and companionship, optimising the campus environment and teacher-student relationship, and establishing a peer support mechanism and are proposed in the hope of creating a better environment for left-behind children to grow up, and then promoting their psychological health development.

How rural school teachers can support the learning adjustment of left‐behind children under the ‘double‐reduction’ policy

AbstractQuality‐oriented education under the guidance of the ‘Double Reduction’ policy aims to ensure all children grow in an all‐around way with different backgrounds. However, many left‐behind children (LBC) whose parents work away in cities have a greater tendency toward academic and mental problems compared with non‐left‐behind children. Teachers are the important adults in the lives of the LBC who spend much time staying with each other. This study draws from interviews with 16 rural primary and secondary school teachers. Guided by social support theory, this qualitative research highlighted the importance of teacher support on children's learning adjustment through social support networks. It argued that strategic guidance of teachers targets individuals' difficulties in the environment through emotional support, material support, information support and companionship. Under the ‘Double Reduction’ policy, teachers adopted tiered instruction and offered after‐school services to meet the needs of LBC. Finally, the result revealed that rural teachers help LBC change their learning attitudes, thereby promoting self‐learning ability.

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*

Both parents migrating and left-behind children's cognitive ability in rural China: does it pay?

While the well-documented negative correlation between both parents migrating and the academic performance of left-behind children (LBC) in rural China is widely acknowledged, it's important to recognize that statistical data reveals millions of children experiencing both parents migrating. This discrepancy between the documented negative impact and the prevalence of both parents migrating can be attributed to previous studies primarily focusing on the direct effects. Employing national representative panel data and FE model, this study estimates the direct impact of both parents migrating and the indirect effects of both parents migrating through private tutoring, family tutoring, family income, and boarding school participation. Finally, we consolidate the direct and indirect impacts to determine whether both parents migrating has a positive or negative net effect on LBC's cognitive ability. The direct effect of both parents migrating on LBC's standardized cognitive ability is -0.140, indicating a negative direct impact of both parents migrating on LBC's cognitive ability. However, the indirect effects of both parents migrating through private tutoring, family tutoring, family income, and boarding school participation are -0.017, -0.008, 0.306 and 0.119 respectively. The toal effect of both parents migrating on LBC's standardized cognitive ability is 0.260. The initially observed negative direct impact of both parents' migrating can be completely offset by the indirect impact channels, including private tutoring, family tutoring, family income, and boarding school participation. In contrast to prior research, this study unveils a positive overall impact of both parents' migration on LBC's school performance.

Depressive symptoms, parenting attitude, and violent discipline among caregivers of left-behind children in rural China: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe situation of mental health and discipline behaviors of left-behind children’s caregivers were not optimistic in rural China. Caregivers’ depression might increase the risk of using violent discipline. However, the specific ways in which depressive symptoms impact violent discipline have rarely been explored in rural areas. This study aims to assess the prevalence of violent discipline among left-behind children under 6 years of age in rural China and explore the potential mechanisms of how caregivers’ depressive symptoms affect violent discipline.MethodsWe enrolled a total of 396 pairs of left-behind children and their caregivers in our study, which was conducted in 5 counties of Hebei, Henan, Jiangxi, Guizhou, and Sichuan provinces in China. The depressive symptoms of caregivers were measured by using Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (ZSDS) and violent discipline was assessed by the Child Discipline Module of Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS). A self-designed questionnaire was utilized to measure caregiver’s parenting attitude. Based on the cross-sectional data, controlling for potential confounders, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to assess the direct and indirect effects of the mediation models by applying the weighted least squares with mean and variance adjusted (WLSMV) estimate.ResultsThe prevalence of violent discipline, psychological aggression, and physical punishment was 72.7%, 59.3%, and 60.4% respectively of left-behind children under 6 years of age. According to the results of SEM, parenting attitude acted as a suppressor, suppressing the association between caregivers’ depressive symptoms and physical punishment/psychological aggression/violent discipline. The caregivers’ depressive symptoms positively influenced all the outcome variables by affecting parenting attitudes (p = 0.002, p = 0.013, p = 0.002).ConclusionsThe presence of depressive symptoms in caregivers increases the use of violent discipline through negative parenting attitudes. The mental health status of primary caregivers of left-behind children in rural China needed emphasis and improvement.

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.

Research on Localized English Education for Transnational Left-behind Children in the Context of English Global Localization

With the increasing development of English globalization, the trend of combining English with local cultures has become more evident. This research focuses on five schools in the Wenzhou overseas Chinese hometown to investigate the current status of English education from the perspectives of teachers, students, and textbooks. The aim was to propose bilingual education strategies for the education of transnational left-behind children. By examining the situation of English education in this specific context, this study sought to address the unique challenges faced by transnational left-behind children and provide effective educational approaches. Interviews, observations, and document analysis were employed to gather data by means of qualitative research methods. The findings of this study settled on the improvement of bilingual education for transnational left-behind children and insights into enhancing English education in multicultural settings.

Improving left-behind children’s academic performance yields positive spillover effects for peers in China

ABSTRACT This study explores the impact of left-behind children on their classmates’ academic performance in China. Results suggest that improving the grades of left-behind students can positively affect the academic achievement of their peers, particularly when considering factors such as gender, school rank, and class size. Additionally, enhancing test scores among peers can improve the overall quality of school life for all students. Prioritizing the academic performance of left-behind children may prove to be an effective means of promoting academic success within a classroom in China.

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.

Rural Revitalization Design Driven by Ecological Aesthetic Education and Art Healing

In recent years, the policy of promoting rural revitalization has been deepening, and the rural economy has achieved certain development. However, cultural support is indispensable for the realization of high-quality rural development. The source of art is often buried in the land, and the vitality of the land cannot be separated from the nourishment of art. In this paper, we take the case of Da Yuan Community in Yong Zhou City, Hunan Province, as an example, and adopt the case study method to explain how to use the combination of art and natural environment to promote psychological health and emotional development of individuals as well as social harmony based on the ecological aesthetics education and art healing. Eco-beauty education and art healing can not only make the rural culture grow with vitality and richness but more importantly, art is deeply integrated with the countryside, which positively impacts the overall growth of left-behind children.

Effect of parenting style on the emotional and behavioral problems among Chinese adolescents: the mediating effect of resilience

BackgroundAlthough previous studies have found that parenting style significantly predicts emotional and behavioral problems (EBPs) among Chinese adolescents, the mechanism between different parenting styles and EBPs requires in-depth investigation. In our study, we aimed to investigate the mediating effect of resilience, a positive psychological characteristic, between parenting style and EBPs among Chinese adolescents.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, we used a multistage stratified cluster random sampling method to collect data in Shenyang, Liaoning Province from November to December 2019. Self-developed questionnaires were distributed to 1028 adolescents aged 10–18. Finally, the study consisted of 895 participants. The bootstrap method was used to investigate the role of resilience as a mediator in the relationship between different parenting styles and EBPs from a positive psychology perspective.ResultsThe mean score of EBPs was 12.71 (SD = 5.77). After controlling for variables such as gender, age, left-behind children, family type and family income, resilience partially played a mediating role in the associations of paternal rejection (a × b = 0.051 BCa95%CI:0.023,0.080), maternal rejection (a × b = 0.055 BCa95%CI: 0.024, 0.086), paternal emotional warmth (a × b = -0.139 BCa95%CI: -0.182, -0.099) and maternal emotional warmth (a × b = -0.140 BCa95%CI: -0.182, -0.102), with EBPs. The effect sizes were11.28%, 11.51%, 40.76%, and 38.78%, respectively.ConclusionsResilience could partially mediate the relationship between parenting style and EBPs, highlighting that parents should adopt a positive parenting style and that resilience improvement could be effective in reducing EBPs among Chinese adolescents.

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.

Gender differences in alcohol drinking among adolescents: a school-based survey in China

BackgroundAlcohol drinking among adolescents is associated with their health development. However, the prevalence of alcohol drinking among adolescents in Southwestern China remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to investigate the...

Perceptions of the effect of parental deportation on adult intimate relationships.

Research has shown that children of undocumented Latinx parents in the United States are at greater risk for negative long-term effects on their mental health and overall well-being. Chief among these concerns are the negative effects of disrupted attachment processes, as deported parents are often taken from their families by force and required to parent from afar, if they can continue parenting at all. Despite the ubiquity of deported families, little is known about the effects of deportation on the attachment of left-behind children and the subsequent potential disruptive effect of deportation on their adult relationships. This phenomenological study aims to understand how adults who have experienced parental deportation in their childhood describe the effects of that event on their adult intimate relationships. Themes of (1) ambiguous loss; (2) inability to trust others; (3) fear of separation from loved ones; and (4) shame emerged and are discussed considering existing literature on attachment theory, immigration, and the Latinx population. Treatment implications are also discussed.

Self-Abasement of Rural, Left-Behind Children and Educational Countermeasures

The inferiority complex of rural left-behind children seriously affects their development in thought and behavior, and left-behind children have become a social group that cannot be ignored. Society, schools, and families all need to pay attention to the education of left-behind children so that they can get out of the psychological shadow of inferiority and so that their childhood is full of sunshine, happiness, and healthy growth. Therefore, it is of great significance to deeply understand the mental health status of rural, left-behind children and put forward effective educational countermeasures for improving their living conditions and promoting the harmonious development of society.

Effect of Parent’s International Migration on the Educational Performances of Left-Behind Children in Morocco

This paper focuses on examining the effects of parent’s international migration on the educational outcomes of left-behind children. This, however, is with special emphasis on how family environment and school characteristics affects the educational achievements of left-behind children. A sample was selected from the survey conducted in Fkih Ben Salah, a small town in Morocco, within the Béni Mellal-Khénifra region. This survey, administered in 2020, included 407 children from 16 primary schools. The results of the propensity score matching method showed that the international migration of parents had a significant effect on the school performance of their left-behind children. Furthermore, the Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition analysis showed that 36.34% of the differences in the children’s school performance during the first semester of the year 2020 can be explained by factors such as student–teacher ratio, class size, and socio-economic index of class, accounting for 12.82%, 38.47%, and 31.35%, respectively. The empirical findings also revealed that left-behind children are at risk of social exclusion, especially in public schools. Targeted interventions should be adopted to improve the educational outcomes of left-behind children. In addition, these interventions should assist immigrant parents in facilitating their children’s first journey and enhancing the student-teacher ratio.