Does Socioeconomic Status Matter for Chinese Immigrants’ Academic Socialization? Family Environment, Parental Engagement, and Preschoolers’ Outcomes

Abstract

Families’ academic socialization mediates how socioeconomic status (SES) affects children’s achievement. However, little is known about whether cultural values and family cohesion could buffer negative effects of low SES. We examined parental academic socialization and children’s achievement in 220 low- and middle-SES Chinese immigrant families with four-year-olds. Low-SES parents showed less stressful family environments and stronger beliefs about parental responsibility for education. However, middle-SES parents provided more reading engagement and enrichment activities. Reading engagement and SES were significantly associated with children’s academic performance. These findings demonstrate low-SES families’ strengths but suggest the need to provide more support for such families.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank Lily Luo, Yuhong Huang, Hanna Bao, Helen Pang, and Jessica Pan for their assistance with data collection. We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the families and children for their participation in this study.