Gao Ai-Zhi, Chen Wei-Chao
Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China.
Front Public Health. 2024 Jan 22;11:1341298. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1341298. eCollection 2023.
This study focuses on the cognitive development of rural children aged 10-15 who have been left behind, utilizing data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) datasets of 2016 and 2020. The primary objective is to investigate the correlation between Internet usage and the cognitive ability of these children.
An Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression model was initially employed to explore the potential influence of Internet use on the cognitive ability of rural left-behind children. To meticulously address potential endogeneity, we employed the instrumental variable (IV) method. Additionally, we performed robustness checks using Propensity Score Matching (PSM) to ensure the reliability of our findings.
The findings indicate a statistically significant positive correlation between Internet usage and the cognitive ability of left-behind rural children. Notably, the impact of Internet use is more pronounced in girls than in boys among this demographic. Furthermore, a significant influence of Internet usage on the cognitive ability is observed in rural children aged 10-12, whereas no significant correlation is found for those aged 13-15. Particularly noteworthy is the substantial impact of Internet use on the cognitive ability of left-behind children with an absent father. In addition, the cognitive benefits associated with Internet use were notably more pronounced among rural left-behind children, especially when considering factors such as attendance at a demonstration school and parental concern for the child's education.
This study underscores the importance of understanding the relationship between Internet usage and cognitive development in left-behind rural children. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions and inclusive access to online resources for the development of rural left-behind children.
本研究利用2016年和2020年中国家庭追踪调查（CFPS）数据集的数据，聚焦于10至15岁农村留守儿童的认知发展。主要目的是调查互联网使用与这些儿童认知能力之间的相关性。
最初采用普通最小二乘法（OLS）回归模型来探究互联网使用对农村留守儿童认知能力的潜在影响。为了谨慎处理潜在的内生性问题，我们采用了工具变量（IV）法。此外，我们使用倾向得分匹配法（PSM）进行稳健性检验，以确保研究结果的可靠性。
研究结果表明，互联网使用与农村留守儿童的认知能力之间存在统计学上显著的正相关。值得注意的是，在这一群体中，互联网使用对女孩的影响比对男孩更为明显。此外，在10至12岁的农村儿童中观察到互联网使用对认知能力有显著影响，而在13至15岁的儿童中未发现显著相关性。特别值得注意的是，互联网使用对父亲不在身边的留守儿童的认知能力有重大影响。此外，互联网使用带来的认知益处在农村留守儿童中更为显著，尤其是在考虑诸如就读示范学校和父母对孩子教育的关注等因素时。
本研究强调了理解农村留守儿童互联网使用与认知发展之间关系的重要性。这些发现凸显了针对农村留守儿童发展进行有针对性干预和提供包容性在线资源获取的必要性。
