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Cognitive Ability: An Analysis 

Based on Evidence from the China 

Education Panel Survey 

Jindian Liu,1,2 Mingwang Cheng,3 Chunyan Wu1
 

 
1. Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, Shaanxi, China 
2. Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, Shaanxi, China 
3. Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China 

 

 

Abstract: Drawing on the data from the China Education Panel 

Survey, the article investigates the effects of parental education 

level on child cognitive ability using descriptive statistics and 
quantitative analysis. Research findings of the study reveal that 

parental education level is significantly and positively related to 
child cognitive ability, with a greater impact on the cognitive ability 

of girls than boys, and that its effects on the child’s cognitive ability 

decline as the latter improves. The analysis of mediation effects 
shows that parental education level affects child cognitive ability 

via its impact on home educational expectations and investment. 

Best Evidence in Chinese Education 2025; 19(1):1923-1926 

DOI: 10.15354/bece.25.ar141 

How to Cite: Liu, J., Cheng, M., & Wu, C. (2025). Parental education level 

and child cognitive ability: An analysis based on evidence from the China 

education panel survey. Best Evidence in Chinese Education, 2025, 

19(1):1923-1926. 

Keywords: Cognitive Ability, Parental Education Level, Social Mobility, Social 

Status, Cultural Capital 

 

 

 

 

 



Liu. (China). Parental Education Level and Child Cognitive Ability. 

BECE, Vol.19, No.1, 2024 1924 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author: Jindian Liu, College of Economics & Management, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 

712100, Shaanxi, China; & Teacher Development Research Institute, Teacher Development College, Shaanxi 
Normal University, Xi’an 710062, Shaanxi, China 
Mingwang Cheng, School of Economics & Management, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China. E-mail: 

walkercheng@163.com 

Chunyan Wu, Institute of Higher Education, Northwest A&F University, Xianyang 712100, Shaanxi, China.  

Correspondence to: Mingwang Cheng at Tongji University in China. 

Conflict of Interests: None 

Funding: No funding sources declared. 

AI Declaration: The authors affirm that artificial intelligence did not contribute to the process of preparing the 

work. 
 

© 2025 Insights Publisher. All rights reserved. 

Creative Commons NonCommercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the 
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License 

(http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of 

the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed by the Insights Publisher. 

mailto:walkercheng@163.com
http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/


Liu. (China). Parental Education Level and Child Cognitive Ability. 

BECE, Vol.19, No.1, 2024 1925 

Introduction 

ASED ON the data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS), 

this study aims to examine the relationship between parental 

education level and child cognitive ability using the methods of 

descriptive statistics and quantitative analysis. Also discussed are the gender 

and urban-rural differences in the relationship as well as other factors 

influencing it. The purpose of this article is to provide policy implications 

for managing the disparities in cognitive ability among children with parents 

of distinct education levels and for curbing the “Matthew effect” in 

socioeconomic development. 

Research Methodology 

Source of Data 

This study sources data from the CEPS. The survey establishes the 2013-

2014 academic year as the baseline year, focusing on students in grades 

seven and nine. Through stratified random sampling, a sample of 

approximate 20,000 students was selected from 438 classes in 112 schools in 

28 county-level regions across China. The content of the survey spans 

information on the class, school, family, as well as students’ personal 

information and academic performance. After the handling of missing values, 

13981 students were included as subjects in this study. 

Analysis Models and Variables 

The study creates a multiple linear regression model for a thorough analysis 

of the effects of parental education level on child cognitive ability. In this 

model, the core explanatory variables are the parents’ years of education, 

including the maximum years of education of either parent, the average years 

of education of two parents, the years of education of the father, and the 

years of education of the mother. These variables are key indicators of 

parents’ education level, measured by the number of years. The child’s 

cognitive ability is the dependent variable, measured by the standardized 

scores from the 3PL cognitive ability test. 

For a more accurate estimate of the effect of parental education level 

on child cognitive ability, this study sets control variables, including the 

personal characteristics of the child (such as gender, age, ethnicity, and being 

the only child or not), family-related characteristics (such as the type of 

Hukou, the number of books in the home, economic status, and after-school 

tutoring support), and school-related characteristics (such as school quality 

and class quality). In addition, the study introduces educational expectations 

B 



Liu. (China). Parental Education Level and Child Cognitive Ability. 

BECE, Vol.19, No.1, 2024 1926 

(such as parents’ expectation of child academic performance) and parent-

child interaction as mediating variables to implement an analysis of potential 

mediation effects. 

Research Findings 

(i) There is a significant positive correlation between parental educational 

level and child cognitive ability. The child’s cognitive ability can improve by 

0.019 points with one-year increase in the maximum years of education of 

either parent. That implies that better-educated parents are more likely to 

have children with greater cognitive ability and that the disparities in 

education level in parents may lead to the gaps in cognitive ability among 

their children. (ii) Parental educational level affects child cognitive ability 

via educational expectations and investment. Parental expectations of child 

academic performance and education level, the child’s own expectation of 

their education level, and parent-child companionship all have partial 

mediating effects with statistical significance. (iii) Parents’ education level 

has a greater impact on the cognitive ability of girls than boys. Urban parents’ 

education level, compared with that of their rural counterparts, has greater 

effects on child cognitive ability. The disparities in education level among 

urban parents can cause wider gaps in cognitive ability in their children. As 

the child’s cognitive ability enhances, the impact of parental education level 

on it will decline. That means the impact of parental education level on child 

cognitive ability is greater among children with lower cognitive ability. 

 

 

 

 

The Chinese version of this article has been published in Education and Economy, 2024; 40(4):56-68. 

The English version has been authorized for being publication in BECE by the author(s) and the 

Chinese journal. 

刘金典, 程名望, & 吴春燕. (2024). 父母受教育水平与子女认知能力—来自中国教育追踪调查的
经验证据. 教育与经济, 40(4):56-68. 

 

 

 

Received: December 10, 2024 

Revised: December 19, 2024 

Accepted: January 09, 2025

 


