Exploring the role of ecological systems and intersectionality in shaping the academic performance of Chinese adolescents

This study examines Chinese adolescents’ academic performance using an ecological systems framework and intersectionality perspective, based on data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS). We examined micro- (individual- and family-level factors) and meso-level factors (teachers and schools) and considered whether adolescents with relatively more disadvantaged characteristics might have poorer academic performance than otherwise. Our three-level mixed-effects models considered the nested data structure to obtain more precise regression estimates than otherwise. Results from the mixed-effects models indicate that having preschool experience and positive school experiences were consistently positively while living in a single-parent family was consistently negatively associated with adolescents’ academic performance. However, our findings only weakly support the intersectionality perspective; adolescents with disadvantaged characteristics did not necessarily have poorer academic outcomes than expected. These findings underscore the importance of examining multi-layered systems to shed light on how resources and opportunities external to the family in China might carry vital implications for educational equity.