Author: Min Wang

Publisher:

Published: 2022

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

The purpose of this study is to explore the educational experiences and social mobility status of a rural village cohort that started first grade at a rural village primary school in 1997 in central China. Formal education is often seen as the primary pathway for upward social mobility. However, inequalities in access to educational opportunities can mediate and determine the chance of successful upward mobility through education. In China, for many rural students, the education they receive does not provide a chance of upward mobility for them, rather, it reinforces the existing social class inequalities and rural-urban divide. Existing literature does not provide a rationale in understanding why education has not provided intergenerational upward mobility for rural residents, or the mechanisms in the reproduction of rural class identity. This study attempted to fill this research gap by adopting a case study approach to understand the lived experiences of rural residents in their views and values toward education, perceptions of upward mobility, and how they make sense of the role education plays in their social mobility status. Data collection consisted of a survey questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The survey questionnaire collected demographic information of the participants. Interviews explored in-depth the participants' educational experiences, the decision-making process of major education and career choices, how they understand social mobility, and the role their education plays in shaping their social mobility status, and the meaning of education to themselves and to their children. The educational experiences of the cohort members are about a story of struggle and perseverance, a story of "being surrounded with the right people," and a story of believing in the role of education in providing upward mobility as well as a story of self-blaming when failed to do so. The cohort members explain that the meaning of education is to walk out of the village to the cities and become a member of the upper urban class, and to provide the expected economic returns of education. For the cohort members, to walk out, is to the language for upward mobility in the local context, is to shift away from their generational identity of a rural farmer, to bu zhong di (not farm anymore), and to have a tie fan wan (an Iron Rice Bowl: a stable secure job in the city), and to achieve income mobility. The findings of the study provide valuable insights into the mechanism of social reproduction through education, and help identify areas and levers for education researchers and policymakers to improve in rural education.