In the Competition for Children’s Success : A sociological analysis of eleven urban middle-class families’ educational perceptions and strategies in China

Abstract: Although China's educational resources have increased, and access to education has improved, inequality in education has persisted. This suggests that there will always be individuals who fail to get success through education. In contemporary society, diplomas have become closely associated with social status and salaries, making entering prestigious universities in education a prerequisite for future achievement. The quest for and competition for high diplomas, which is most noticeable in high school and university entrance exams, spills over into earlier stages, namely junior high school and primary school. Against the backdrop of unequal distribution of educational resources, access to resources and opportunities by family background has become a significant concern. This study aims to discover how urban middle-class families in an ordinary city, Guilin, devise strategies to build, secure, or extend advantages for their children in future competition. Based on Bourdieu's conceptual and theoretical system, this thesis analyses parents' views on education and their children's future, the strategies they adopt that they believe could set their children up for success, and how they persist in their actions in the face of new policies, with respect to the family's assets, parents' background, status, and experience. Through 11 semi- structured interviews with 19 parents, the study finds that, despite the diversity of parents' experiences and social positions, they show a high degree of similarity in valuing education and emphasising individual efforts, which may occasionally appear in different classes of individuals. They employ various strategies corresponding to family assets to nurture children in multiple ways, particularly through various forms of capital that enable them to access more quality educational resources and opportunities, although they may also be inclined to ignore children's voices and interests. While some policies create obstacles to parents' actions, they sought alternatives and remedies with their assets and abilities to continue to pursue quality educational resources for their children.