Author(s)

Haiyang Yu ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi, 830000, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China

Corresponding Author

Haiyang Yu

ABSTRACT

With educational environments becoming increasingly technology-driven, the focus of the digital divide has shifted toward disparities in information technology literacy. While family socioeconomic status (SES) persistently influences adolescent development, the interactive effects of home and school contexts remain under-explored. Grounded in Ecological Systems Theory, this research investigates how family SES affects the digital literacy of eighth graders. Specifically, it tests a moderated-mediation model to examine the mediating role of parental digital mediation styles and the cross-level moderating effect of school digitalization. By evaluating the compensatory and amplification hypotheses, this study aims to determine whether highly digitalized schools act as equalizers for disadvantaged students or exacerbate existing inequalities. Utilizing a Hierarchical Linear Model (HLM) to account for the nested structure of student data, the findings clarify the boundary conditions of school digitalization, contributing to the literature on the second-tier digital divide and providing evidence-based insights for educational policy and home-school collaboration.

KEYWORDS

Family Socioeconomic Status, Parental Mediation, Adolescent Digital Literacy, School Digitisation, Digital Inequality

CITE THIS PAPER

Haiyang Yu. Family SES and Digital Literacy in Adolescence: Testing the Compensatory Effect of Schools. Applied & Educational Psychology (2026). Vol. 7, No.1, 14-20. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/appep.2026.070103.

REFERENCES

[1] Lou J ,Wang M ,Xie X , et al. The association between family socio-demographic factors, parental mediation and adolescents' digital literacy: a cross-sectional study[J]. BMC public health,2024,24(1):2932.DOI:10.1186/S12889-024-20284-4.
[2] Shi X ,He J ,Niu G . The Association between Family Socioeconomic Status and Children's Digital Literacy: The Explanatory Role of Parental Mediation[J]. Adolescents,2024,4(3):386-395.DOI:10.3390/ADOLESCENTS4030027.
[3] Kosuke I ,E. T S ,Roch N , et al. The effect of poverty on the relationship between household education levels and obesity in U.S. children and adolescents: an observational study[J]. The Lancet Regional Health - Americas, 2023; 25:100565.DOI:10.1016/J.LANA.2023.100565.
[4] Nithya S ,Henna V ,Reetta L , et al. Associations between socioeconomic status, home food availability, parental role-modeling, and children's fruit and vegetable consumption: a mediation analysis[J]. BMC public health, 2023, 23(1):1037.DOI:10.1186/S12889-023-15879-2.
[5] Tingrui Y ,Yujia H ,Luyao L . Family Socioeconomic Status and Parental Involvement in Chinese Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Moderated Mediation Model[J]. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 2023,11(9): DOI:10.3390/HEALTHCARE11091281.
[6] Xiao X ,Youlong Z ,Yiping Z . Parental attachment and adolescent Internet morality: A moderated mediation model[J]. European Journal of Developmental Psychology,2022,19(1):1-21.DOI:10.1080/17405629.2020.1852922.
[7] L. C H ,S. G S . Mediators of the associations between family income during adolescence and adult long-term memory and working memory[J]. Cognitive Development,2022,61.DOI:10.1016/J.COGDEV.2021.101140.
[8] Xiaobo X ,Mengya X ,Weiguo P . Family socioeconomic status and Chinese high school students' test anxiety: Serial mediating role of parental psychological control, learning resources, and student academic self-efficacy[J]. Scandinavian journal of psychology,2021,62(5):689-698.DOI:10.1111/SJOP.12750.
[9] Yuan Y ,Sun X ,Chen Q , et al. Family socioeconomic status and youth leadership potential: Serial mediating effects of parental rearing behaviors and youth self-esteem[J]. Current Psychology,2020,41(4):1-11.DOI:10.1007/s12144-020-00728-x.
[10] Nguyen M T ,Xiao X ,Xiong S , et al. Effects of parental educational involvement on classroom peer status among Chinese primary school students: A moderated mediation model of psychological Suzhi and family socioeconomic status[J]. Children and Youth Services Review,2020,111(prepublish):104881.DOI:10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104881.
[11] Li X ,Yang H ,Wang H , et al. Family socioeconomic status and home-based parental involvement: A mediation analysis of parental attitudes and expectations[J]. Children and Youth Services Review, 2020,116. DOI:10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105111.
[12] Lupo S ,Jang G B ,McKenna M . The Relationship Between Reading Achievement and Attitudes Toward Print and Digital Texts in Adolescent Readers[J]. Literacy Research: Theory, Method, and Practice,2017,66(1):264-278. DOI:10.1177/2381336917719254.
[13] Merwe D V P . Adolescent Violence: The Risks and Benefits of Electronic Media Technology[J]. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences,201382:87-93.DOI:10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.06.229.

Sponsors, Associates, and Links

---

• Advances in Educational Technology and Psychology
  
  
• Curriculum and Teaching Methodology
  
  
• Transactions on Comparative Education
  
  
• Advances in Vocational and Technical Education
  
  
• Adult and Higher Education