The effect of peers' parent-child relationships on student academic performance

The external impact of a student's closeness to parents on peers' academic performance has not been extensively explored in the existing literature. This paper will attempt to provide evidence on the externality of parent-child relationships at present, particularly on how individual parent-child relationships affect peers' academic performance through social pathways or other mechanisms. This study uses data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) conducted in 2013-14. To address selection bias, the sample is limited to schools that meet randomly-assigned conditions. The study finds that peers' parent-child relationships have a positive impact on a student's test scores in mathematics and Chinese. Psychological factors play an important role in mediating the total effect. This study represents a pioneering empirical investigation in mainland China that sheds light on the spillover effect of peers' parent-child relationships and the underlying mechanisms.