Migrant Children In Beijing Research Articles

Differential effects of a reading strategy intervention program for migrant children in migrant schools in China

BackgroundThere are over 14 million migrant children in the compulsory education system in China and the number has been increasing rapidly. However, the quality of education in schools for migrant children is often poor. Meanwhile, numerous studies indicated the importance of reading skills developed by the end of third grade. Few studies, however, have investigated the early reading development of migrant children in migrant schools in China. In the current study, we examined, with a randomized control trial design, the effects of reading strategy instruction via teacher professional development for migrant children in migrant schools.MethodA total of 1,679 students from 47 third-grade classes in 13 migrant schools for migrant children in Beijing, China, participated in the study. The intervention was composed of teacher professional development on reading strategy. Students in both treatment and control conditions received books for independent reading.ResultsThe program resulted in a higher overall reading performance for students in the treatment classes than those in the control classes, with the difference larger in inferential comprehension and for students who did not live in Beijing before starting elementary school (which we speculate captures the degree of family mobility and the rural–urban gap in the access to educational resources).ConclusionThe results suggest that a reading strategy instruction via teacher professional development may promote the reading development of migrant children in migrant schools in China.

A floating dream: urban upgrading, population control and migrant children’s education in Beijing

In recent years, Beijing has implemented urban renewal policies aimed at forcing out rural migrants to restrict the city’s population. One such policy restricts their access to public schools. We use the demolition of the Beijing Sun Palace Farmers’ Market to examine the long-term impacts of these policies on the educational status of migrant children in Beijing. Based on a survey and in-depth interviews with migrant vendors, we find that government-initiated urban remodelling campaigns have an enduring impact on their social mobility and the educational opportunities of their children. Despite severe limitations to their mobility and economic opportunities, many migrant vendors were still determined to stay in Beijing. Subsequently, their worsened living status significantly affected their children’s prospects. Migrant children caught in this urban dynamic either struggle in substandard informal migrant schools in Beijing or are left behind in their hometowns, with little hope of a good education or improved social status.

The distinction of elementary education for migrant children in Beijing: a multiple-case study

Migrant children’s access to educational opportunities has been a topical issue in China in recent years. This study focuses on the marginalised condition of migrant children in the current education system, using Bourdieu’s theory of class distinction and cultural reproduction as a theoretical foundation. Through a multiple-case study in three primary schools in Beijing, we identify three types of distinction experienced by these schools and the migrant children in these schools: (1) licensed private migrant schools are institutionally marginalised, lacking policy and financial support from the government; (2) unlicensed private schools for migrant children are characterised by crumbling school facilities, poor teaching quality and chaotic management, with migrant children experience educational, cultural, and psychological distinction in these schools; (3) public schools available to migrant children are located in periphery areas; moreover, migrant children are segregated from local children in these schools. Having encountered these distinctions, migrant children are less well-positioned to experience success. Several policy implications are also discussed to improve this situation and promote educational equality for migrant children.

Attachment as Moderator of Perceived Social-Class Discrimination on Behavioral Outcomes Among Chinese Migrant Children

In this study, we examined the relations between perceived social-class discrimination, attachment, and behavior problems in a sample of Chinese migrant children in Beijing (age [Formula: see text] = 11.48, SD = 1.12; n = 179). Data were collected from two migrant schools in Beijing. The participants completed measures of perceived social-class discrimination, attachment to parents and peers, and internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. The results indicated that perceived social-class discrimination was associated with more internalizing and externalizing problems. In addition, attachments to mother, father, and peer were negatively associated with behavior problems. Results of hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated that child-father attachment significantly moderated the associations between perceived social-class discrimination and internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. The negative effects of perceived social-class discrimination on child outcomes were mitigated when children reported higher levels of attachment to their fathers. Child-mother and child-peer attachment demonstrated no moderating effects. The findings provide some evidence of child-father attachment’s unique contribution to child socioemotional development and protection against behavior problems associated with social risks.

Academic performance and peer relations among rural‐to‐urban migrant children in Beijing: Do social identity and self‐efficacy matter?

AbstractDue to the household registration system, millions of rural‐to‐urban migrant children in China are ineligible to receive urban social welfare benefits. These children potentially suffer from the evolving awareness of their perceived inferior social identity and experiences of inequalities at an early stage of life. This study examined whether self‐perceived social identity is related to academic performance and peer relations among rural‐to‐urban migrant children in Beijing. Data were collected from 136 children during 2013 and 2014 in three schools for migrant children in Beijing. Path analysis showed that children who identified as a Beijinger, compared with those who self‐identified with their rural hometown, had better self‐efficacy, which in turn was associated with better academic performance and better peer relations. Enlightened by Western theories, these findings suggest that migrant children’s performance in school could be enhanced by cultivating positive perceptions of their social identity through teachers’ practice and community‐ and policy‐level social support.

Producing the Morally Captive Guest: Discourse and Power in Gratitude Education of Migrant Children in Beijing

AbstractTo promote a prosocial conscience and behaviour, gratitude education has long been perceived as an effective intervention in formal schooling. Built upon the Foucauldian account of the mutually constitutive relationship between knowledge and power, this paper investigates how an urban school for largely poor and low-income children of migrant workers in Beijing constructed and transmitted knowledge and discourses on gratitude. The authors argue that the students are positioned as what we term “morally captive guests”1 who possess an inferior position in the moral life compared to urbanites, and who are perceived as an instrument for attracting resources and attention to the lower-ranked school. This schooling reproduces extant class relations, whereas the student resistance questions practices of graduating citizenship and educational inequalities.

The impact of perceived discrimination on personality among Chinese migrant children: The moderating role of parental support.

Previous research has indicated that perceived discrimination has harmful effects on migrant children's physical, mental and behavioral health. However, little is known as to whether these harmful effects cumulate to impact on migrant children's personalities. This study examines the effect of perceived discrimination on personality, as well as the moderating role of parental support in the discrimination-personality linkage. A purposeful convenience sample of 215 migrant children in Beijing, China, completed a standardized questionnaire. Migrant children experienced a moderate level of perceived discrimination, with Form 8 students experiencing greater discrimination than lower grades and those with lower family incomes also experiencing greater discrimination than those with higher family incomes. Perceived discrimination significantly predicted neuroticism; parental support significantly predicted extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness, but the moderating effect of parental support was only marginally significant for the relation between discrimination and conscientiousness. This study underlines the need for researchers and policy makers to pay more attention to the impact of perceived discrimination on migrant children's personality development.

Educational equality in China: analysing educational policies for migrant children in Beijing

This paper focuses on the education of migrant children in Beijing. As of the late 1990s, the Chinese Government has developed several policies to address educational issues among migrant children. The present study analyses data from interviews with key education personnel in Beijing to explore the outcomes of the implementation of such migrant children’s education (MCE) policies and the reasons for variation from policy design. The data suggest that there is poorer equality in terms of education among migrant vs. local children than the government has reported. Migrant children are faced with numerous strict admission procedures for public schools. The Chinese Government has not prioritised educational equality, despite professing to do so. The capability and motivation of local institutions for policy implementation are less adequate than might be expected. Using Honig’s model of policy implementation, this research shows that the outcomes of the MCE policies are a product of interaction between policy design, participants and implementation context.

Peer Victimization and Depressive Symptoms Among Rural-to-Urban Migrant Children in China: The Protective Role of Resilience.

Peer victimization can have a profound effect on children’s wellbeing and is a known risk factor for depression in childhood. Migrant children experience peer victimization at higher rates than non-migrant peers; however, limited research has examined psychological factors that may serve to reduce depression risk for this group. In particular, no studies have yet investigated whether resilience, including personal characteristics, and a strong social support network, may moderate the relationship between peer victimization and depressive symptoms for migrant children. This study utilized a latent interaction model to examine the effect of resilience on the relationship between peer victimization and depressive symptoms among 721 rural-to-urban migrant children in Beijing, China. Results indicated that peer victimization was positively associated with depressive symptoms. Resilience was found to be a protective factor for depressive symptoms and also mitigated the effects of peer victimization on depressive symptoms. Exploratory analyses suggest that enrollment in private migrant schools may be linked with poorer psychosocial outcomes for Chinese migrant children. Strengthening the internal resilience and social supports for all migrant children may be an effective strategy to lower their risk for depression. Implications for intervention are discussed.

The determinants of compulsory education performance of migrant children in Beijing: An analysis of two cohorts

Based on sampling data of 2008 and 2011, this paper adopts the ordered probit model to investigate the determinants of academic performance for two cohorts of migrant children in Beijing. We found: (1) Age (different directions for the two cohorts), being a girl, family income, mother's education, parental expectations, parental tutoring, and the degree of satisfaction with schools were associated with children's academic ranking in the class for both cohorts. (2) Family income only mattered for the 2008 cohort and only for girls; additionally for 2008, educational expectations, study time and being a student leader were significant predictors. (3) Heterogeneous effects by gender, by education stage and by school type were also documented.

School-based primary school sexuality education for migrant children in Beijing, China

In May 2007, Beijing Normal University launched a programme of school-based sexuality education for migrant children in Xingzhi Primary School in Beijing. Over the past seven years, the project team has developed a school-based sexuality education curriculum using the International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education published by UNESCO. The team has developed 12 volumes of textbooks for grades 1–6; trained teachers to deliver sexuality education using participatory teaching methods; and involved parents in the sexuality education process. The first group of migrant students to receive the full 6 years of sexuality education graduated in June 2013. Sexuality education in schools is gaining increasing attention and help from many sectors of Chinese society.

The Si Huan Playgroup: an initiative to provide non-formal early childhood education experiences to children of migrants in Beijing

This paper is about an experiment in non-formal early childhood education for migrant children in Beijing. The Si Huan Playgroup was set up by a group of volunteers in 2004 and is built on ideas of early childhood pedagogy, equity, life-long learning and non-formal education. Non-formal education has implications for policy makers as this is a model that has the potential to build capacity in disadvantaged communities and provide educational experiences for preschool children. The model, as envisaged by the participants of the Si Huan Playgroup, is a provider of preschool education, operates on a volunteer basis that aims to be an educational experience for both the volunteer parents and the children. The playgroup operates alongside existing preschools in the formal education sector. Policy makers in Beijing can see tensions around the growth of a sector that is developing outside regulatory and legislative guidelines. The Si Huan playgroup has been closed down by the authorities a number of times. In this paper we outline the history and growth of the Si Huan Playgroup, explore the theoretical underpinnings of non-formal education and discuss the problems inherent in such an initiative, as well as commenting on the sustainability of such a model.

The education of China's migrant children: The missing link in China's education system

This paper examines the academic performance of migrant students in China and explores determinants of their performance. The paper compares academic performance, student backgrounds and measures of school quality between private schools attended only by migrant children in Beijing (Beijing migrant schools) and rural public schools in Shaanxi province. Furthermore, we employ multivariate regression to examine how individual characteristics and school quality affect migrant student performance and the achievement gap between migrant students and those in rural public schools. We find that although migrant students outperform students in Shaanxi's rural public schools when they initially arrive in Beijing, they gradually lose ground to rural students due to the poorer school resources and teacher quality in their schools. Additional analysis comparing migrant students in migrant schools to migrant students in Beijing public schools demonstrates that given access to better educational resources, migrant students may be able to significantly improve their performance.

Perceived discrimination, schooling arrangements and psychological adjustments of rural-to-urban migrant children in Beijing, China

Objectives: The global literature has revealed potential negative impacts of migration and discrimination on individual's psychological adjustments. However, the psychological adjustments among internal migrant children in developing countries are rarely assessed. This study simultaneously examines perceived discrimination and schooling arrangements in relation to psychological adjustments among rural-to-urban migrant children in China. Methods: A sample of 657 migrant children was recruited in Beijing, China. Cross-sectional associations of self-reported perceived discrimination and schooling arrangements (i.e. public school and migrant children school (MCS)) with psychological adjustment outcomes (i.e. social anxiety, depression and loneliness) were examined by general linear model. Results: (1) Compared with migrant children in public school, migrant children in MCS had lower family incomes, and their parents had received less education. (2) Migrant children in MCS reported higher levels of social anxiety, depression and loneliness than did their counterparts. Children who reported high level of perceived discrimination also reported the highest level of social anxiety, depression and loneliness. (3) Perceived discrimination had main effects on social anxiety and depression after controlling for the covariates. A significant interaction between perceived discrimination and schooling arrangements on loneliness was found. Specifically, the migrant children in MCS reported higher loneliness scores than did migrant children in public school only at low level of perceived discrimination; however, schooling arrangements was unrelated to loneliness at medium and high levels of discrimination. Conclusions: These results indicate that migration-related perceived discrimination is negatively associated with migrant children's psychological adjustments. These findings suggest that effective interventions should be developed to improve migrant children's capacities to cope with migration-related discrimination and improve their psychological adjustments, especially in terms of loneliness.

Gaps in the 2010 measles SIA coverage among migrant children in Beijing: Evidence from a parental survey

China suffers from high incidence of measles partly due to high population mobility and low vaccination rates among migrants. In this study, we assessed the vaccination coverage of the nationwide measles supplementary immunization activity (SIA) of 2010 and its determinants among migrant children in Beijing. Information was collected through face-to-face interviews with the caregivers of 589 migrant children at train and long-distance bus stations in January 2011, when migrants were traveling home for the Chinese New Year holiday. We estimated that 83.4% of migrant children aged 8 months to 14 years received the measles vaccine during the SIA. This estimated coverage is lower than the official report of 96% among all eligible children in Beijing. Factors associated with being unvaccinated through the SIA included children being at home or in the kindergarten, living in a single-child family, and having a parent who was unaware of the SIA or who had a low level of trust in the government-administered measles campaign. We recommend more focused targeting on migrant children in future measles vaccination campaigns, improved immunization service delivery in unregulated migrant-run kindergartens and at the community level, as well as development of more effective communication methods to reach disadvantaged migrants.

Contributions of family and neighbourhood factors to the mental health of migrant children in China: implications for policy and services

Drawing upon a sample of 806 migrant children in Beijing, China, this study investigated how community social capital, family social support, family human capital and family financial capital influenced the mental health of Chinese migrant children. Using structural equation modelling with latent variables, the study results suggested that higher levels of family social support were associated with better mental health of migrant children. Family social support also mediated the effect of community social capital on children's mental health. Family human capital and family financial capital both contributed to children's mental health through their significant effects on community social capital. However, family financial capital was negatively associated with family social support, resulting in an unexpected, indirect negative effect on children's mental health. Implications of these findings for social policy and social services were discussed.

Education and identity: the marginalisation of migrant youths in Beijing

A person's identity is shaped by one's life experiences. Aside from family, school forms the major backdrop of the everyday experiences of children and plays an important role in shaping identity. This paper examines education and the development of identity among school-age migrant children enrolled in Beijing's schools. Marginality is the theme running through this analysis. The marginalisation of migrant children in Beijing is defined and sanctioned by the outdated household registration system that excludes them from enrolling in public schools. Many attend segregated migrant children's schools. Even after the government has relaxed its rules to allow migrant children into the public system, they suffer discrimination based on their low social status and rural origin, each reinforcing the other. These experiences shape their sense of identity. They want to stay in Beijing but know they are not accepted. They call themselves as members of their home regions, but would have difficulty fitting into their home communities and have no intention of living there. This study helps us understand how school interactions shape the identity of migrant children not only in Beijing but of the estimated 20 million migrant children in China's other major urban centres albeit with some differences.

The Effect Mechanism of Stigma Perception on Mental Health Among Migrant Children in Beijing

Currently,there are more than 140 million rural-to-urban migrants in China and the number keeps growing. An estimate of 19.8 million children under 18 years migrated with their parents from rural areas to the cities Migrant children face a great deal of issues in living and schooling in city and possess a number of mental health problems. Literature suggests that it is common that migrant children are stigmatized by urban residents. A majority of migrant children in Beijing claimed that they were disdained by Beijing citizens and their schoolmates (Beijing natives) kept away from them. Stigma could be a life stressor,theory of Cognitive Phenomenological Transactional pointed out that stress could affect individual's mental health through mediators,such as,coping,cognitive appraisal,and self-esteem. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between stigma perception and mental health among migrant children in Beijing. We tested three hypotheses:(1) Migrant children perceive great stigma,and those with high mobility perceive greater stigma than those who with low fluidity; (2) Migrant children demonstrate poor mental health,and those with high mobility have significantly worse mental health than those with low fluidity; (3) there is a significant relationship between stigma perception and mental health; coping and self-esteem act as mediators in the relationship between stigma perception and mental health. We recruited 1164 migrant children in Beijing,we also recruited 525 Beijing children and 568 rural children as comparison. Data of demographic information,migration history,stigma perception,coping,self-esteem,and mental health problems (including social anxiety,loneliness,depression etc.) were collected through a self-administrated questionnaire. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOWA),Pearson Correlations and Structure Equation Model (SEM). Data revealed that migrant children perceived great stigma from urban people around them,and the levels of stigma perception were significantly differ by types of schools as well as levels of mobility. Migrant children in private migrant schools reported remarkably higher level of stigma perception than those their counterparts in public schools. Migrant children with high mobility reported higher level of stigma perception than their counterparts with low mobility. There was significant relationship between stigma perception and mental health conditions,between stigma perception and coping,and between stigma and self-esteem,as well as between self-esteem and mental health in Structure Equation Model,we found stigma perception affected mental health directly and indirectly through coping and self-esteem,which suggest that coping and self-esteem could be the mediator between stigma perception and mental health. In conclusion,among migrant children,stigma perception affects mental health significantly and induces problems like social anxiety,loneliness and depression. However,the effect can be mediated by coping and self-esteem. The results of this study suggested that the Theory of Cognitive Phenomenological transactional could be used in migrant children's stigma perception intervention,to reduce their stigma perception,change their coping and enhance their self-esteem,and may improve migrant children's mental health status.

Learning from migrant education: A case study of the schooling of rural migrant children in Beijing

Abstract This paper focuses on the educational opportunities available to rural migrant children in Beijing. On the basis of fieldwork conducted in migrant communities in 2004–2005, I conclude that administrative and financial barriers, as well as discrimination, prevent migrant children from entering state schools. I discuss the quality of education available in unlicensed private schools, followed by an analysis of the possible reasons for the state's exclusion of migrant children from state schools and its hostility to migrants’ self-provision of education.

School Attendance of Migrant Children in Beijing, China: A Multivariate Analysis

Recent trends in rural to urban migration in China indicate that more migrants are moving to the cities with their families, including young children. Without an urban household registration or hukou, migrant children do not have access to local schools in the cities, raising many concerns about the children's well-being. Using data from the 1997 Migrant Census in Beijing, this study sought to describe the social and demographic characteristics of migrant children in Beijing, to examine the patterns of school attendance of migrant children and to determine the factors affecting their school attendance. The study found that 88 percent of migrant children in Beijing were attending school. Migrant children whose parents had higher education, were non-agricultural hukou holders and those who had longer residence in Beijing had higher rates of school attendance. The study found some differences on the children's school attendance when the characteristics of migrant fathers and migrant mothers were examined separately.