华东师范大学学报(教育科学版) ›› 2023, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (10): 53-65.doi: 10.16382/j.cnki.1000-5560.2023.10.005

• 共同富裕与教育公平 • 上一篇    下一篇

中国早期儿童发展与社会流动

吴晓刚1,2, 李欣1   

  1. 1. 上海纽约大学应用社会经济研究中心,上海 200124
    2. 华东师范大学教育经济实验室,上海 200062
  • 出版日期:2023-10-01 发布日期:2023-09-27
  • 基金资助:
    美国国家科学基金会项目“Prenatal Air Pollution Exposure and Infant and Child Development in China”(1756738)和上海纽约大学应用社会经济研究中心“上海儿童早期教育与发展调查”(SEEDS)( 2021BF XG_W)

Early Childhood Development and Social Mobility in China

Xiaogang Wu1,2, Xin Li1   

  1. 1. Center for Applied Social and Economic Research, NYU Shanghai, Shanghai 200124, China
    2. Laboratory of Education Economics, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
  • Online:2023-10-01 Published:2023-09-27

摘要:

社会经济地位在代际间传递的过程和机制,是社会科学研究的一个永恒话题。近年来,对这一问题研究的关注点逐渐转向生命历程早期阶段的发展。婴幼儿期是个人认知和社会情感技能发展的关键时期,决定后续的学业成功、就业结果,以及最终的社会经济成就。儿童早期投资可以带来丰厚的人力资本回报,但同时也是经济不平等的根源。国内外越来越多的经验研究显示,家庭教养的质量在不同阶层间的差距正日渐扩大,跨代累积优势(劣势)不断累积和加剧,出现了社会流动率下降和阶层固化的现象。本文系统回顾和梳理国内相关的理论与经验研究,并结合中国家庭追踪调查数据,对我国目前家庭早期教育投入状况进行初步描述分析,聚焦于不同社会经济地位家庭的早期教育投入和儿童发展的差异,并就这一差异对未来个人成长可能带来的影响进行讨论,为早期儿童发展与社会流动研究提供一个整体性的分析框架,为促进我国人力资本投资、推动社会流动的实践和政策提供科学证据。

关键词: 儿童发展, 家庭教养, 人力资本投资, 生命历程, 社会流动

Abstract:

The process and mechanisms of intergenerational transmission of socioeconomic status have been an enduring topic in social science research. Recently, attention has gradually shifted to the early stages of the life course. Infancy and early childhood are critical stages for the development of cognitive and socioemotional skills, which are predictive of subsequent academic success, employment outcomes, and ultimately, socioeconomic achievement. While early childhood investment can yield substantial returns to human capital, it can also exacerbate economic inequality. Empirical research, both domestically and internationally, have revealed that nurturing quality is increasingly divergent among social classes, leading to intergenerational accumulation of advantage/disadvantage, declining social mobility, and class differentiation. This article systematically reviews relevant theories and empirical research in China and provides a preliminary findings of early childhood education investment in Chinese families using the data from the Chinese Family Panel Studies (CFPS). Specifically, the article focuses on the differences in early childhood education investment and child development among families of different socio-economic statuses and discusses the potential impact of these differences on children’s future development. The article concludes with a comprehensive analytical framework for the study of early childhood development and social mobility to gain scientific evidence to promote human capital investment and advance social mobility through practices and policies.

Key words: child development, parenting, human capital investment, life course, social mobility