The Effects of Perceived Discrimination and City Identity on the Social Adaptation of Migrant Children in Public and Private Schools.

This study investigated the effect of migrant children's perceived discrimination on their social adaptation and the moderating effect of their city identity. In addition, differences in the relationships among the aforementioned variables were compared across two school types in terms of public schools and privately operated migrant schools. A cluster sampling method was used to survey 410 junior high school students in China using the Social Adaptation Assessment Questionnaire, the Perceived Discrimination Questionnaire for Individuals, and the City Identity Questionnaire as measures. Results showed that perceived discrimination significantly and negatively affected the social adaptation of migrant children. The relationship between perceived discrimination and social adaptation was moderated by the city identity of migrant children in private schools but not by those in public schools. Under the condition of high or medium city identity, discrimination negatively predicts social adaptation; under the condition of low city identity, however, discrimination does not predict social adaptation. In conclusion, perceived discrimination is an important factor regarding the social adaptation of migrant children, and their relationships vary by different types of city identity and schools.