Rural Undergraduates at Elite Universities: Learning Experience and Identity

Abstract

The decline in the proportion of rural students at major universities has caused widespread social concern. Special enrollment programs in recent years have increased the proportion somewhat. However, the situation at elite universities in China’s transition period is different than before. There are few studies addressing the learning experiences of rural students in the new period. This study uses qualitative methods to research 32 case studies of rural undergraduates at four elite universities in Shanghai. Based on Bourdieu’s concepts of capital, field, and habitus, this study finds a mismatch between the habitus of respondents and that of elite universities, which leads to an awkward initial school experience. In accordance with the operating logic of the academic field, they are able to achieve an increase in cultural capital by virtue of their own efforts. This complex class experience also has a far-reaching impact on identity through the individual’s response to their own emotions. This conflicted identity is expressed as feeling like either a “country bumpkin” in the big city or a “city person” from the country.

Keywords:

• elite universities
• identity
• learning experience
• rural graduates

Notes

Data Source: Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, China Bulletin of Education Statistics 2015.

In October 2008, the Third Plenary Session of the 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) deliberated and passed the Decision of the Central Committee of the CPC on Several Major Issues Concerning Rural Reform and Development, which proposed “establish[ing] an integrated system to promote urban and rural economic and social development.”

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Liao Qing

Liao Qing is a Faculty Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Education at the Shanghai Normal University College of Education.