More is less: assessing the effectiveness of parental concerted cultivation in China

Abstract Parental concerted cultivation has been proven useful in understanding social and cultural reproduction in Western countries; however, its impact on educational outcomes in other societies remains underexplored. Using data from the China Education Panel Survey, this study investigates how concerted cultivation—theorized by Lareau—shapes academic performance (grades in Chinese, mathematics, and English) among Chinese middle school students. Employing item response theory models, we construct a robust measure of concerted cultivation and rigorously estimate its association with academic outcomes. Our analysis reveals a nonlinear relationship: parental concerted cultivation positively affects academic performance up to a certain point, beyond which excessive engagement is associated with diminishing returns. We also find that concerted cultivation practices are closely tied to parental social, cultural and political resources. Notably, the nonlinear effects exhibit stratification, disproportionately disadvantaging students from lower-class and less-educated families. These findings advance the understanding of the intricate dynamics of cultural reproduction and mobility within the current Chinese context.