Hidden Catalysts: Exploring the Mediating Paths Between SES and Academic Performance of Chinese Migrant Children

In China’s urbanisation process, over 71.09 million migrant children aged 0-17 have moved with their families from rural to urban areas. However, the household registration (Hukou) system restricts their access to quality education and social services, making their academic performance a significant concern in urban contexts. This study investigates how socioeconomic status (SES) influences the academic achievement of migrant children in Chinese urban public schools. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), it analyses longitudinal data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS 2013-2014), with a nationally representative sample of 2,799 lower secondary migrant students in Grades 7 and 9. The findings challenge traditional assumptions of the family investment model regarding the effectiveness of educational support, revealing complex chained mediation effects between SES and academic performance in Chinese migrant families. SES shows no significant direct effect on migrant children’s academic performance; however, SES indirectly influences academic performance through cognitive ability and a dual-path paradox in parental engagement (parental communication and parental enrichment activities). Notably, parental communication positively affects academic achievement without enhancing cognitive skills. Conversely, parental enrichment activities have contradictory effects: they negatively correlate directly with migrant children’s academic performance, but indirectly positively via cognitive abilities. This research reveals an original contribution by uncovering a dual-path paradox in parental engagement for Chinese migrant families. The findings carry significant theoretical insights into the role of SES in marginalised groups and provide valuable comparative perspectives for international studies on migrants or low-SES families. Practically, they inform targeted policies such as subsidised enrichment programs, school-based cognitive support, and community-driven parental workshops, which aim to mitigate structural educational inequalities prevalent in China’s rapid urban transformation.