Acculturation and adjustment among rural migrant children in urban China: A longitudinal study

This one-year longitudinal study examined relations between acculturation and adjustment in rural-to-urban migrant children in China. Participants included 335 migrant students (initial mean age = 12 years, 198 boys) in fourth to sixth grades in public schools in Shanghai, China. Data on acculturation were collected from children's self-reports, and data on social, school, and psychological adjustment were obtained from multiple sources, including peer evaluations, teacher ratings, self-reports, and school records. The results showed that accommodation to urban culture positively contributed to later social competence. Maintenance of rural culture positively contributed to later psychological well-being for migrant children who were low on accommodation to urban culture. In addition, social competence and academic performance positively contributed to later accommodation to urban culture and maintenance of rural culture. The results help understand the developmental processes involved in the acculturation and adjustment of migrant children in contemporary societies.