Does the Left-Behind Experience Affect the Exam Behavior, Drop-Out Behavior, and Intention to Colleges of Secondary Vocational Students? Based on Longitudinal Data from Zhejiang and Shaanxi Provinces

Abstract

This article is based on tracking data of 7,411 first-year high school students from 106 secondary vocational schools in Zhejiang and Shaanxi Provinces from 2011 and 2012 and analyzes the impact of the experience of being left-behind on the exam behavior, dropout behavior, and willingness for promotion of secondary vocational school students. The authors find that when not controlling other factors, there are group differences among left-behind children, migrant children, and nonmigrant left-behind children on participation in the high school entrance exam, dropout rates, and plans to attend vocational college. However, when controlling other factors, there are no significant differences between left-behind children and non–left-behind children in exam behavior, dropout behavior, and willingness for promotion, and there is no significant impact during the period they are left behind on the exam behavior, dropout behavior, and willingness for promotion of vocational secondary school students. Therefore, using instrumental variables or other identification strategies is a possible direction in this field of study.

Keywords:

• dropout
• exams
• left-behind children
• migrant children
• promotion

Notes

According to the definition in the sixth national census, floating population is “population with different residence location and town/township/community of household registration (hukou) and who has left their place of original household registration for half a year or more,” “not including the population within a city jurisdiction that is not living where its household registration is located.”

Main data from the sixth national census, http://www.stats.gov.cn/ztjc/zdtjgz/zgrkpc/dlcrkpc/dcrkpcyw/201104/t20110428_69407.htm.

Additional information

Funding

Funding is provided by the National Natural Science Fund International Major Cooperation Project (71110107028); International Initiatives for Impact Evaluation: 3ie.

Notes on contributors

Sui Haimei

Sui Haimei is a master’s student at the China Institute for Educational Finance Research, Peking University.

Song Yingquan

Song Yingquan is an associate professor at the China Institute for Educational Finance Research, Peking University.