Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Is Children’s Academic Performance Valuable to Parents? Linking Children’s Effort Vs. Results and Fathers’ Vs. Mothers’ Subjective Well-Being

  • Published:
Child Indicators Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In today’s modern society, the economic value of children to parents has generally decreased. Instead, given the expansion of education and emphasis on educational success, the cost of raising children has increased considerably. To increase their children’s chances for upward social mobility, parents are investing much more in children’s education than before. However, although it is widely known that having school-aged children increases parental anxiety, little is known about how children’s academic performance is associated with parental psychological well-being. Using data from the 2010 and 2012 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), we examine how children’s academic performance is linked to parental subjective well-being, which is measured by life satisfaction and depression symptoms. We find that both children’s learning effort and academic results are significantly associated with parental well-being when examining them separately, but the statistical significance of effort disappears when we put both in the depression model, despite that such offset effect is not obvious in the life satisfaction model. This indicates that Chinese parents tend to value the results more than the effort. The analysis by parental gender further shows that both effort and academic results are associated with mothers’ well-being, but for fathers, only results matter. Our study adds to the literature on how school-aged children’s academic performance may be associated with middle-aged parents’ well-being, extending the understanding of the value of children to parents.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aboderin, I. (2004). Modernisation and ageing theory revisited: Current explanations of recent developing world and historical Western shifts in material family support for older people. Ageing & Society, 24(1), 29–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrews, F. M., & Robinson, J. P. (1991). Measures of subjective well-being. In J. P. Robinson, P. R. Shaver, & L. S. Wrightsman (Eds.), Measures of personality and social psychological attitudes (pp. 61–114). Cambridge: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker, D. P., & Stevenson, D. L. (1986). Mothers' strategies for children's school achievement: Managing the transition to high school. Sociology of Education, 59(3), 156–166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker, B. L., Blacher, J., & Olsson, M. B. (2005). Preschool children with and without developmental delay: Behaviour problems, parents' optimism and well-being. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 49(8), 575–590.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barber, B. L., Jacobson, K. C., Miller, K. E., & Petersen, A. C. (1998). Ups and downs: Daily cycles of adolescent moods. New Directions for Child & Adolescent Development, 82, 23–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Becker, G. S. (1960). An economic analysis of fertility. In Universities-National Bureau Committee for Economic Research (Ed.), Demographic and economic change in developed countries (pp. 209–240). Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bianchi, S. M. (2000). Maternal employment and time with children: Dramatic change or surprising continuity? Demography, 37(4), 401–414.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bird, C. E. (1997). Gender differences in the social and economic burdens of parenting and psychological distress. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 59(4), 809–823.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boje, T. P. (1996). Gender, work time and flexible employment: The case of Denmark. Time & Society, 5(3), 341–361.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradburn, N. M. (1969). The structure of psychological well-being. Oxford: Aldine.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chao, R. K. (1996). Chinese and European American mothers' beliefs about the role of parenting in children's school success. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 27(4), 403–423.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, H. (2001). Parents’ attitudes and expectations regarding science education: Comparisons among American, Chinese-American, and Chinese families. Adolescence, 36(142), 305–313.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, C., & Uttal, D. H. (1988). Cultural values, parents 'beliefs, and children's achievement in the United States and China. Human Development, 31(6), 351–358.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, K. M. (1998). Can education values be borrowed? Looking into cultural differences. Peabody Journal of Education, 73(2), 11–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cherlin, A., & Reeder, L. G. (1975). The dimensions of psychological well-being: A critical review. Sociological Methods & Research, 4(2), 189–214.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chiang, M. Y., Huang, E., & Lin, C.-Y. (2005). The gender differences in parental involvement toward elementary schools: Taking Kaohsiung county and city as examples. Formosan Education and Society, 8(1), 81–114.

    Google Scholar 

  • Craig, L. (2006). Does father care mean fathers share? A comparison of how mothers and fathers in intact families spend time with children. Gender & Society, 20(2), 259–281.

    Google Scholar 

  • Craig, L., & Bittman, M. (2004). The effect of children on adults ‘time-use: Analysis of the incremental time costs of children in Australia. Paper presented at conference on supporting children in an international context in Princeton University, January. Princeton, NJ.

  • David, M. (1998). Involvement and investments in education: Mothers and schools. Journal for a Just and Caring Education, 4(1), 30–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eberhard, W. (1962). Social mobility in traditional China. Leiden: E. J. Brill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eccles, J. S., Wigfield, A., & Byrnes, J. (2003). Cognitive development in adolescence. In I. B. Weiner (Ed.), Handbook of psychology (pp. 325–350). New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc..

    Google Scholar 

  • Elder, G. H., Johnson, M. K., & Crosnoe, R. (2003). The emergence and development of life course theory. In J. T. Mortimer & M. J. Shanahan (Eds.), Handbook of the life course (pp. 3–22). New York: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elman, A. (2009). Civil service examinations Kējǔ. In L. Cheng (Ed.), Berkshire encyclopedia of China (pp. 405–410). Great Barrington: Berkshire Publishing Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fingerman, K. L., Cheng, Y.-P., Birditt, K., & Zarit, S. (2012). Only as happy as the least happy child: Multiple grown children's problems and successes and middle-aged parents' well-being. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 67(2), 184–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, D., Hechter, M., & Kanazawa, S. (1994). A theory of the value of children. Demography, 31(3), 375–401.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gestsdottir, S., & Lerner, R. M. (2008). Positive development in adolescence: The development and role of intentional self-regulation. Human Development, 51, 202–224.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldschmidt, T., & Weller, L. (2000). Talking emotions: Gender differences in a variety of communication contexts. Symbolic Interaction, 23(2), 117–134.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, D. N., Amato, P. R., & King, V. (2006). Parent-adolescent involvement: The relative influence of parent gender and residence. Journal of Marriage and Family, 68(1), 125–136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman, L. W., & Hoffman, M. L. (1973). The value of children to parents. In J. T. Fawcett (Ed.), Psychological perspectives on population (pp. 19–76). New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huang, G. H. C., & Gove, M. (2015). Confucianism, Chinese families, and academic achievement: Exploring how Confucianism and Asian descendant parenting practices influence children’s academic achievement. In science education in East Asia (pp. 41–66). Springer, Cham.

  • Huang, G., Xie, Y., & Xu, H. (2015). Cognitive ability: Social correlates and consequences in contemporary China. Chinese Sociological Review, 47(4), 287–313.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kao, G. (1995). Asian Americans as model minorities? A look at their academic performance. American Journal of Education, 103(2), 121–159.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, T. (2009). Confucianism, modernities and knowledge: China, South Korea and Japan. In International handbook of comparative education (pp. 857–872). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • King, L. A., Scollon, C. K., Ramsey, C., & Williams, T. (2000). Stories of life transition: Subjective well-being and ego development in parents of children with down syndrome. Journal of Research in Personality, 34(4), 509–536.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leung, C., Leung, S., Chan, R., Tso, K., & Ip, F. (2005). Child behavior and parenting stress in Hong Kong families. Hong Kong Medical Journal, 11(5), 373–380.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu, C., Wang, Z., & Ren, F. (2019). Nuli yu ertong renzhi nengli: Jiyu CES hanshu de zhengshi jianyan. [effort and children’s cognitive abilities: Based on CES function]. Economic Perspectives, 4.

  • Luo, J., & Wendel, F. C. (1999). Preparing for college: Senior high school education in China. NASSP Bulletin, 83(609), 57–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marginson, S. (2011). Higher education in East Asia and Singapore: Rise of the Confucian model. Higher Education, 61, 587–611.

    Google Scholar 

  • McBride, B. A., & Mills, G. (1993). A comparison of mother and father involvement with their preschool age children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 8(4), 457–477.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Bureau of Statistics of China. (2011). A classification method of eastern, central, western, and northeastern regions. Retrieved from http://www.stats.gov.cn/ztjc/zthd/sjtjr/dejtjkfr/tjkp/201106/t20110613_71947.htm

  • Nord, C.W. (1998). Father involvement in schools. ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED419632.

  • Olsson, M. B., & Hwang, C. P. (2008). Socioeconomic and psychological variables as risk and protective factors for parental well-being in families of children with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 52(12), 1102–1113.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearlin, L. I., & Skaff, M. M. (1996). Stress and the life course: A paradigmatic alliance. The Gerontologist, 36(2), 239–247.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peng, P., & Kievit, R. A. (2020) The development of academic achievement and cognitive abilities: A bidirectional perspective. Child Development Perspectives, 14 (1), 15–20.

  • Preston, S. H. (1986). Changing values and falling birth rates. In K. Davis, M. S. Bernstam, & R. Ricardo-Campbell (Eds.), Below-replacement fertility in industrial societies: Causes, consequences, policies (pp. 176–195). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prochaska, J. J., Sung, H. Y., Max, W., Shi, Y., & Ong, M. (2012). Validity study of the K6 scale as a measure of moderate mental distress based on mental health treatment need and utilization. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 21(2), 88–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1(3), 385–401.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, J. (2006). A history of China (2nd ed.). Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, C. E., Mirowsky, J., & Goldsteen, K. (1990). The impact of the family on health: The decade in review. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52(4), 1059–1078.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C. D., Lee, Y. H., Essex, M. J., & Schmutte, P. S. (1994). My children and me: Midlife evaluations of grown children and of self. Psychology and Aging, 9(2), 195–205.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sayer, L. C., Bianchi, S. M., & Robinson, J. P. (2004). Are parents investing less in children? Trends in mothers' and fathers' time with children. American Journal of Sociology, 110(1), 1–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shek, D. T. L. (2008). Perceived parental control and parent-child relational qualities in early adolescents in Hong Kong: Parent gender, child gender and grade differences. Sex Roles, 58(9–10), 666–681.

    Google Scholar 

  • Silverberg, S. B., & Steinberg, L. (1987). Adolescent autonomy, parent-adolescent conflict, and parental well-being. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 16(3), 293–312.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, T. B., Oliver, M. N. I., & Innocenti, M. S. (2001). Parenting stress in families of children with disabilities. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 71(2), 257–261.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson, H. W., & Stigler, J. W. (1992). The learning gap. New York: Summit Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thornton, A., & Young-DeMarco, L. (2001). Four decades of trends in attitudes toward family issues in the United States: The 1960s through the 1990s. Journal of Marriage and Family, 63(4), 1009–1037.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, D. B. (2004). Family background factors and mathematics success: A comparison of Chinese and US students. International Journal of Educational Research, 41(1), 40–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wu, J., Dai, L., Zhen, Q., Zhang, J., Gu, L., Zhang, C., & Zhao, F. (2018). Technical report CFPS-35. China family panel studies 2016 database introduction and cleaning report. Beijing: Institute for Social Science Survey, Peking University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu, H., & Xie, Y. (2016). Socioeconomic inequalities in health in China: A reassessment with data from the 2010-2012 China family panel studies. Social Indicators Research, 132(1), 219–239.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yamaoka, Y., Tamiya, N., Izumida, N., Kawamura, A., Takahashi, H., & Noguchi, H. (2016). The relationship between raising a child with a disability and the mental health of mothers compared to raising a child without disability in Japan. SSM - Population Health, 2, 542–548.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang, K. (2018). Mothers as agents: The mother role change with the education marketization. Journal of Chinese Women's Studies, 2, 79–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Y. Y., & Xie, Y. (2016). Family background, private tutoring, and children’s education performance in contemporary China. Chinese Sociological Review, 48(1), 64–82.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Yuying Tong & Jenny Xin Li

  2. Law School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China

    Binbin Shu

Authors
  1. Yuying Tong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jenny Xin Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Binbin Shu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yuying Tong.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Tong, Y., Li, J.X. & Shu, B. Is Children’s Academic Performance Valuable to Parents? Linking Children’s Effort Vs. Results and Fathers’ Vs. Mothers’ Subjective Well-Being. Child Ind Res 14, 583–605 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-020-09763-3

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-020-09763-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation