Effect of parental migration on the noncognitive abilities of left-behind school-going children in rural China

Abstract

This paper explores the question of whether parental migration is a significant source of human capital development or whether it is harmful to non-cognitive ability development. In light of this, a research question was raised: what is the effect of different statuses of parental migration on the non-cognitive abilities of left-behind children in rural China? To answer this research question, the study uses the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) data wave-I and employs the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) method. The findings revealed that the decision of one or both parents to migrate hurts the non-cognitive abilities of the left-behind school-going children. The results imply that parental migration of one or both parents in rural China is detrimental to the non-cognitive abilities of the left-behind children (LBCs). Therefore, parents should stay or move with their children instead of leaving them with relatives or grandparents. Furthermore, the government must concentrate on removing obstacles to education, especially for migrants, by undertaking initiatives like expanding the number of schools for LBCs and waiving tuition fees. Moreover, the government needs to take action to improve the lives of LBCs and find solutions to their problems. Lastly, the authorities need to promote economic change to create a more balanced economy.

How Does Grandparental Childcare Influence Children’s Efforts?

“…We find that grandparental care significantly reduces children's efforts, as evidenced by decreased parental-rated efforts, children's concentration in leaning, and attitudes toward checking homework after school. This conclusion supports the result of Liu et al (2021) and Abbasi et al (2023). They pointed out that children with both parents migrated have lower level of conscientiousness that is defined as "the tendency to be organized, responsible and hardworking" by the American Psychology Association.…”

The Long-Time Consequences of Parental Early Left-Behind Event on the Human Capital of Rural Children in China

“…These impacts have mixed positive, negative, or neutral. Speci cally, research has veri ed the in uences on various domains, including educational achievement [1,2], cognitive or noncognitive skills [3][4][5], nutrition and physical health [6,7], along with psychological well-being [8,9]. Meanwhile, the literature has rapidly accumulated substantial evidence that highlights the critical connections between childhood event and a wide array of growth consequences in offspring throughout lives [10,11].…”