From Passive Assimilation to Active Integration: The Adaptation of Rural College Students to Cities

Abstract

Abstract: The process of rural college students’ adapting to cities is essentially a process of cultural assimilation of rural students into urban culture. The findings of this study suggest the following: 1) Faced with completely different ways of living and cultural customs, on the whole rural college students want to assimilate into cities and become urban residents, but they generally don’t feel they have adapted well and feel there are barriers between them and urban college students. 2) Faced with the difference between reality and expectations, and their failure to adapt to urban culture, rural college students often adopt three coping strategies: cultural adhesion, cultural suicide, and seeking counterbalance. Use of these strategies often puts them into a disadvantaged position.

Notes

The questionnaire draws from Zhang Haibo and Tong Xing’s questionnaire on landless peasants adapting to cities, see Zhang Haibo, Tong Xing: “Beidong chengshihua qunti chengshi shiyinhgxing yu xiandaixing huode zhong de ziwo renting” (Self-Identity Gained From Urban Adaptability and Modern Characteristics of Passive Urbanized Groups), Shehuixue yanjiu (Sociological Studies) 2006, No. 2. This questionnaire was completed at two schools in two cities of northern and southern Jiangsu in 2007 and 2009, respectively; one is a teaching college and one is a comprehensive college; the sampling method was sampling by entire classes while considering majors. There were a total of 367 valid questionnaires, of which 192 were rural college students.

Here, weak groups refers to: rural families receiving the “five guarantees,” those with one or two unemployed parents, individuals who grew up in social welfare organizations, and those who have family members who are disabled or have long-term illnesses.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yu Xiulan

Yu Xiulan is an associate professor at the Institute of Education, Nanjing University.