Family socioeconomic status and approaches to learning among Chinese left-behind children: the mediating roles of social capital and family resilience

Introduction Parental migration may pose challenges to children’s early learning and development, yet the family processes linking socioeconomic circumstances to their learning behaviors remain insufficiently understood. This study examined the association between family socioeconomic status (SES) and approaches to learning (AtL) among Chinese left-behind children, focusing on sequential indirect associations through social capital and family resilience. Methods This cross-sectional study included 426 children aged 3 to 6 years from two kindergartens in Chongqing, China. Caregivers provided family-related data, and caregivers and teachers rated AtL. Group comparisons used the full sample and covariate-controlled structural equation models tested sequential indirect associations in the left-behind subsamples ( n = 219). Results Completely and partially left-behind children had lower competence motivation and attention/persistence than non-left-behind children, with no significant differences in learning strategy across groups. Among left-behind children, SES correlated positively with AtL, but its direct associations were nonsignificant in both models. Sequential indirect associations were significant through social capital within the family followed by family resilience and through social capital within the community followed by family resilience. Indirect associations through family resilience alone were significant in both models and those through social capital alone were significant only for social capital within the family. Discussion The findings highlight family resilience and the distinct roles of family and community social capital as potential targets for supporting AtL among left-behind children. Family-based support and early educational interventions could focus on strengthening caregiver-child interactions and promoting positive family beliefs, adaptive organization, and effective communication among socioeconomically disadvantaged families.