Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.4, 2013

The Psycho-physiological Mechanism of Educational Inequality and Its Intervention Strategies: With the Example of Migrant Children

(Abstract)

Gao Minghua

This study employs multiple methods of questionnaires, in-depth interviews, participant observations and on-the-spot experiments, and discovers two socio-psychological mechanisms of educational inequality: the self-fulfilling prophecy effect arising from parents’ expectancy in a family and the stereotype threat faced by children in the school. On the other hand, the physiological mechanism of educational inequality is manifested in the ill health and debased acts or practices of migrant children. Building on the psycho-physiological mechanism of educational inequality, our study offers two simple and effective intervention strategies to improve the educational attainments of migrant children: disseminating the incremental theory of intelligence and building a multi-appraisal system. These strategies can help migrant children improve their educational attainments and identity, and lower their experience arising from the stereotype threat. We hope that these intervention strategies can be extended to inequality studies in other fields and can be applied to the new generation of migrant workers.