How Father’s Education and Economic Capital Impact Academic Performance—An Analysis Based on the Mediating Effect and Moderating Effect

Abstract:

This paper uses survey data from educational tracking upon graduation from middle schools in Q County, Gansu Province, and explores the mechanism in which the level of father’s education and economic capital affect academic performance. The study finds that the academic performance of male students is significantly higher than that of female students, and household registration, family capital, and school social capital adhere together to impact academic performance. Low economic income affects academic performance, and high economic income does not necessarily facilitate academic performance. School education that pays attention to academic performance has a direct positive impact, and parent-teacher relations, objectified cultural capital, and economic capital have a direct negative impact on academic performance. The level of the father’s education mainly plays a direct role in impacting academic performance. Economic capital indirectly facilitates academic performance through the mediating effect of parents’ educational expectations, educational support, and attention to school education, and objectified cultural capital has a moderating effect on the impact of economic capital on academic performance.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank the constructive opinions of an anonymous reviewer, and any remaining errors are our own. Chinese library classification: G40-054 Document code: A Article number: 1671-9468 (2015) 02-0127-19.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yang Baoyan

Yang Baoyan is an associate professor at Northwest Normal University Northwest Minority Education Development Research Center, Lanzhou.

Wan Minggang

Wan Minggang is the vice president of Northwest Normal University and a professor in the Northwest Normal University Northwest Minority Education Development Research Center, Lanzhou.