The hidden classroom: how psychosocial infrastructure shapes academic achievement and educational equity in China

While investments in physical school infrastructure are widely recognized as important determinants of student learning, the academic role of psychosocial infrastructure remains insufficiently theorized and empirically underexplored. This study examines whether psychological counseling room infrastructure (PCRI)-defined as the availability and facility condition of school-based psychological counseling rooms-is associated with better students' academic performance and contributes to educational equity in China.

Using nationally representative data from the 2014-2015 China Education Panel Survey (CEPS), this study estimates the association between PCRI and students' academic achievement. PCRI is measured at the school level, while student performance is captured by standardized test scores. The empirical analysis controls for a rich set of student, family, classroom, and school characteristics, and exploits the quasi-random assignment of students to classrooms within schools to reduce selection concerns. Mechanism analyses are conducted to examine the psychological well-being and motivational enhancement channels, and moderation analyses are used to assess whether PCRI has stronger effects among structurally disadvantaged student groups.

PCRI is positively and significantly associated with students' academic performance. The estimated coefficient is 4.467 with a 95% confidence interval of [3.908, 5.027]. A one-standard-deviation increase in PCRI is associated with a 3.26-point increase in test scores, with a 95% confidence interval of [2.853, 3.670], equivalent to 4.92% of the sample mean. Mechanism analyses reveal two distinct pathways: a psychological well-being channel, reflected in improved mental health and enhanced confidence in the future, and a motivational enhancement channel, reflected in higher educational self-expectations and stronger learning engagement. Moderation analyses further show that the academic returns to PCRI are larger among migrant students, students from less-educated families, students in schools with fewer psychologically trained teachers, and rural students.

The findings suggest that school-based psychological support infrastructure is not merely an auxiliary school resource, but an important component of the educational environment associated with students' academic achievement and educational equity. By identifying psychological counseling room infrastructure as a distinct school resource, this study highlights how school resources may be linked to academic performance not only through instructional and material conditions, but also through students' psychological well-being and motivational development.