Cultural capital is vital for equitable educational development. This paper studies the effect of family cultural capital on the performance of middle school students with regard to gender, using a multiple linear regression model. Participants from four representative middle schools, totalling 1036 students, were selected during the online learning period. The study found that institutionalised and objectified cultural capital had a pronounced positive effect on students’ school outcomes, but cultural capital that was embodied had both positive and negative effects. Significant differences in the effects of cultural capital on school success were found between male and female students. The educational level of a mother has a significant impact on the school attainment of female students in Chinese, English, math and overall achievement, whereas a father’s education level has a significant effect on male students’ English achievement and overall achievement. The results of the study showed that cultural capital contributed to the academic success of middle school students in different ways. The results presented above contribute to a better comprehension of the mechanisms of the influence of cultural capital on the school performance of middle school students, which has important implications for students’ educational equity. This study recommends improving the mechanism of collaborative education among schools, families and society, by paying attention to vulnerable groups that lack cultural capital, improving the methods of educational evaluation and providing tailor-made education for all types of students.

This study examined the English learning motivation of Chinese ethnic university students. A sample of 776 undergraduates from three representative ethnic universities participated in this research. The findings indicated four types of English learning motivation: intrinsic interest, learning situation, personal development, and international communication. There were statistically significant differences between ethnic minority and Han students, and between male and female students. Moreover, the intrinsic interest motivation of Han students was significantly higher than that of ethnic minority students, and female students’ overall motivation and personal development motivation were significantly higher than those of male students. Intrinsic interest motivation had a significantly positive impact on English achievement, whereas learning situation motivation had a significantly negative impact. These findings highlight the improvement of the learning situation and encouragement of intrinsic interest to enhance minority students’ second language learning and sustainable development. Further research on English as a second language should consider the influence of family and ethnic background.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be realized without equal education. Based on a multiple linear regression model, this study examined the impact of family cultural capital on the academic achievement of high school students, and the variances in the impact of cultural capital on students from different regions and genders. Participants, including 778 students, from two representative regions were selected for the study (393 girls and 385 boys). The results showed that cultural capital promoted high school students’ academic success in different ways. Institutionalized cultural capital and embodied cultural capital had a significant impact on students’ academic achievements, while objectified cultural capital had no significant impact. This study suggested that cultural capital had an intergenerational effect. The influence of cultural capital on students’ achievement in regions and genders was significantly different. The above findings are helpful to further understand the mechanism of the impact of cultural capital on academic achievement and are of great significance to the sustainable improvement of students’ academic growth and educational equity.