The Price of Aspirations: Education Migrants’ Pursuit of Higher Education in Hubei Province, China

Sier, Willy

doi:10.1057/s41287-020-00297-6

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 27 publications

(15 reference statements)

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“…Finally, the focus on urban singleton daughters glosses over the complexity of migration histories (Friedman, 2022; Howlett, 2021a; Ling, 2019; Sier, 2021a, 2021b; Zavoretti, 2017). During the reform era, hundreds of millions have migrated from peripheral places to central ones but lack official household registration, or hukou , which grants access to education, welfare, healthcare, employment, and retirement benefits.…”

Section: Changing Filial Configurations: From Classic Patriarchy To E...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although many such migrants are members of the floating population or so-called farmer-workers 农民工, others are university-educated white-collar migrants, so-called phoenix men and women 凤凰男女, who used the gaokao to “change [their] fate” 改变命, that is, to achieve mobility. For both men and women, education provides one of the only viable pathways to acquiring an urban hukou (Howlett, 2021a; Obendiek, 2016; Sier, 2021a). But it is an oversimplification to call such migrants urban.…”

Section: Moving Beyond Rural/urban Dichotomization: Multi-sited Parti...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both sons and daughters pursue self-development by using education to migrate up the rural-to-urban hierarchy (Howlett, 2021a; Sier, 2021a). But for many daughters this migration has the added connotation of independence 独立 or self-determination conventionally denied women as daughters, wives, and daughters-in-law.…”

Section: Combining Independence and Filiality: Using Education To Nav...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…7 More fundamentally, dichotomizing subjects into urban and rural overlooks complex migration patterns in post-reform China (1979-present). Because so many families are dispersed over the rural-urban continuum, their child-rearing practices and cultural mores often do not correlate with the simple stereotype of urban daughterly empowerment in the post-reform/onechild policy era (Friedman, 2022;Ling, 2017;Howlett, 2021b;Sier, 2021aMurphy, 2020).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Diligent Daughters: Women’s Educational Outperformance in Contemporary China

Howlett

2023

Modern China

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In post-reform China (1979–present), women have advanced rapidly in educational achievement, and now surpass men in undergraduate and postgraduate attendance. Scholars tend to attribute women’s outperformance to the one-child policy, which empowered urban singleton daughters. But around 40 percent of women undergraduate students are from rural areas, where multi-child families and son preference are common. Based on participant observation, ethnographic interviews, and longitudinal family case studies, this article addresses educated migrant women from a broad range of backgrounds in Fujian province. It argues that academically outperforming daughters combine self-development, filiality, and resistance to patriarchal norms to pursue the full subjecthood that is conventionally reserved for men—encompassing recognition for individual accomplishment, independence, and filial contribution. By navigating marriage pressures and economically contributing to their natal families, diligent daughters shift patricentric family dynamics toward more bilateral arrangements, eroding the patriarchal structures that undergird male-centered power even as many gendered norms remain intact.

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Section: Changing Filial Configurations: From Classic Patriarchy To E...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Moving Beyond Rural/urban Dichotomization: Multi-sited Parti...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Combining Independence and Filiality: Using Education To Nav...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Diligent Daughters: Women’s Educational Outperformance in Contemporary China

Howlett

2023

Modern China

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“…Several antecedents of higher education pursuits, such as the perceived usefulness of education and family influence, have been well-documented in Western and Asian literature. Therefore, it is essential to consider these factors when developing policies and programs that aim to increase access to higher education for all students (Turner, 2018;Guan and Ploner, 2020;Sier, 2021;Abdalla et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of salient factors on the pursuit of higher education among multicultural youth in Hong Kong

Yuen,

Cheung,

Leung

2023

Front. Psychol.

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This study presents novel and compelling evidence of the disparities in factors influencing the beliefs and aspirations for higher education among mainstream and immigrant youth in Hong Kong, particularly those who are underprivileged. We developed and validated a psychometric questionnaire, known as the Post-Secondary Education Pursuit Instrument (PSEPi), which was administered to 4,850 students aged between 15 and 18 years old from 23 secondary schools. The objective of this study was to explore the factors that impact students’ choices and plans for higher education. The results of the one-way Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) analysis deepen our understanding of the differential effects of success and obstacle factors on students’ higher education pursuits across various cultural groups. The underprivileged mainstream, Chinese immigrant, and ethnic minority South Asian youth reported a perceived glass ceiling effect associated with their ethnic backgrounds, as well as financial aid barriers, while pursuing higher education, in contrast to their average Hong Kong mainstream counterparts (mean Cohen’s d = 0.40). The direct effects and multiple mediation analyses demonstrated that significant others’ influence, particularly the influence of parents, and locus of control are prime determinants of the perceived usefulness of higher education for all student groups. The implications are that educational policies should be implemented to level the playing field in higher education admissions for both privileged and underprivileged youth in Hong Kong and other international countries. Overall, this study provides robust empirical evidence that can be utilized to enhance educational policies and practices to bridge the gap between mainstream and underprivileged immigrant youth in their pursuit of higher education.

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The influence of individual, peer, and family factors on the educational aspirations of adolescents in rural China

2023

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Educational aspirations are an important predictor of academic outcomes. While there has been considerable research on educational aspirations in the West, there has been little research in East Asia, and the investigation of factors influencing adolescent aspirations has been neglected, particularly in rural areas. Drawing on ecological systems theory and social cognitive career theory, this study investigated the associations between educational aspirations and factors at the individual, peer, and family levels among rural Chinese adolescents. A total of 606 students (Mage = 14.85 years; 50% boys) from a rural town in Central China completed questionnaires assessing their educational aspirations, individual factors (academic performance, academic self-perception, academic self-regulation, attitudes toward teachers, and goal valuation), and contextual factors (family socioeconomic status, parent and peer relationship quality, and parental and close friends’ aspirations). Individual factors and aspirations of others had significant direct effects on adolescents’ educational aspirations, while parent and peer attachments were significantly related to educational aspirations via individual factors. Family socioeconomic status was not significantly related to adolescents’ educational aspirations. The findings highlight the importance of individual factors as mechanisms explaining the link between contextual factors and rural Chinese adolescents’ educational aspirations. Our results suggest that interventions can be designed to increase and maintain the aspirations of rural Chinese youth by targeting multiple domains of influence.

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The Price of Aspirations: Education Migrants’ Pursuit of Higher Education in Hubei Province, China

Abstract: You will be contacted as soon as possible.

Cited by 8 publications

References 27 publications

Diligent Daughters: Women’s Educational Outperformance in Contemporary China

Diligent Daughters: Women’s Educational Outperformance in Contemporary China

Effects of salient factors on the pursuit of higher education among multicultural youth in Hong Kong

The influence of individual, peer, and family factors on the educational aspirations of adolescents in rural China

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