Understanding the progress in mathematics of Chinese adolescents: Significant impacts from the socioeconomic status and the academic expectations of primary caregivers

Past research has found socioeconomic status (SES) and the academic expectations of primary caregivers (PCGs) to be important predictors of students’ attainment in mathematics. However, their effects might not be universal across cultures. Further, there exists conflicting evidence on how SES and academic expectations impact maths attainment together and over time. This study aimed to provide new empirical evidence on both issues by examining the maths attainment of a cohort of Chinese adolescents (n = 1407) over a 5-year period (2010–2014) and how maths attainment was related to SES and PCG academic expectations. Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling revealed that both SES and PCG academic expectations exerted positive effects on maths progress. Over time, the effect of SES became increasingly internalized within past maths attainment. Further, higher academic expectations from PCGs lessened the difference in maths attainment between students from lower and higher SES families when the studied cohort was at their youngest.