Sociology is the study of society, and society is composed of diverse groups of people. Among these groups, my primary interest lies in the younger generations, particularly children (and adolescents).
As most children today attend school, my primary research focus is on education.
Education is a part but not the whole of a child’s life. Children’s health, particularly their mental health, is also important. I believe that education and health are interconnected aspects of a child’s life, both contributing significantly to their overall development. In this regard, I am also interested in child development.
As a sociologist, my approach to education and child development primarily centers on social inequality. This means considering how children from different families have unequal resources and opportunities that ultimately shape their education and development. For this reason, social inequality is also a key in my research.
In summary, my research aims to understand children’s education and development from a perspective of social inequality. I explore how children and adolescents from different family backgrounds experience schooling differently and how these experiences translate into distinct life outcomes, from childhood to adulthood.
- Education
- Health
- Child Development
- Social Inequality
- Contemporary China
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles |
Shen, Wensong, Emily Hannum, and Hua-Yu Sebastian Cherng. 2025. “Adaptive Educational Expectations: How Do Parental Educational Expectations Respond to Child Academic Performance in Various Family Contexts?” Social Science Research 125:103097. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2024.103097 |
Shen, Wensong, and Ruolin Su. Forthcoming. “Bullying Victimization and Its Life-course Shadows: Evidence from China.” Chinese Sociological Review. https://doi.org/10.1080/21620555.2023.2292538 |
Shen, Wensong, and Emily Hannum. 2023. “Context-Relevant Risk and Protective Factors for Children in Rural Communities: Long-term Implications for Adulthood Educational and Mental Health Outcomes.” Journal of Community Psychology 51(2):724-744. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22909 |
Shen, Wensong. 2022. “A Tale of Two Genders: Demystifying Girls’ Concurrence of Higher Educational Achievement and Higher Depression Levels.” Research in Social Stratification and Mobility 81:100725. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rssm.2022.100725 |
Shen, Wensong, Li-Chung Hu, and Emily Hannum. 2021. “Effect Pathways of Informal Family Separation on Children’s Outcomes: Paternal Labor Migration and Long-Term Educational Attainment of Left-behind Children in Rural China.” Social Science Research 97:102576. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2021.102576 |
Shen, Wensong. 2020. “A Tangled Web: The Reciprocal Relationship between Depression and Educational Outcomes in China.” Social Science Research 85:102353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2019.102353 |
Book Chapters |
Shen, Wensong, and Emily Hannum. 2024. “Education and Inequality in China.” In The Sage Handbook of Sociology of Education, edited by Mark Berends, Barbara Schneider, and Stephen Lamb. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. |
Guest-Edited Journal Issues |
Shen, Wensong. 2023. “Family and Education across Social Contexts in China.” Chinese Education & Society 56(2):99–101. https://doi.org/10.1080/10611932.2023.2251832 |
- SOCI 4010 Graduation Thesis I
- SOCI 4020 Graduation Thesis II
- SOCI 4204 Sociology of Education
- SOCI 5503 Methods of Social Inquiry
- SOCI 5631 Contemporary Chinese Society
- SOCI 6010 Guided Studies I
- SOCI 6020 Guided Studies II
- UGEA 2190 Chinese Society