The Grand Tour in the Twenty-first Century: Perspectives of Chinese Adolescents and Their Parents

ABSTRACT

This study investigates Chinese adolescents’ overseas study tours from the perspectives of both Chinese adolescents and their parents. Fifty in-depth interviews were conducted and analyzed with 30 adolescents and 20 parents. Data analysis results suggest three primary types of activities in an overseas study tour: sightseeing tours, schooling programs and socializing with the locals. A variety of reasons for overseas study tours from the perspectives of Chinese adolescents (a taste of college education in foreign countries, global perspectives, socialization, independence, novelty and fun) and their parents (child’s future plans, child’s social development, the lost college dream) are identified. The key findings of this study pinpoint a number of important social, economic, cultural forces in today’s China society that shape and are reflected in Chinese adolescents’ and their parents’ perspectives on overseas study tours, including globalization, China’s modernization, China’s contemporary single-child family structure and Chinese traditional cultural values.

摘要

本研究调查了中国青少年和家长对出国游学旅行的观点。作者对五十名参与者进行了深度访谈，包括30名学生和20名家长。数据分析揭示了游学旅行的三项主要活动：观光旅行、学校教育项目以及与当地人的社交活动。中国青少年参与出国游学旅行包括多方面的原因：体验国外大学教育、建立全球化视野、社交、培养独立性以及新奇与乐趣。中国家长支持孩子出国游学的原因包括：未来教育计划、培养社会能力、寻找失落的大学梦。本研究通过分析中国学生和家长对出国游学旅行的观点映射出当代中国社会的特点，尤其是全球化、中国社会现代化、中国独生子女家庭结构以及中国传统文化之间的碰撞和融合。

KEYWORDS:

• Overseas study tours
• adolescents and parents
• middle-class
• globalization
• traditional culture
• single-child

关键词:

• 出国游学旅行、青少年与家长、中产阶级、全球化、传统文化、独生子女

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study is not supported by any finding agency.

Notes on contributors

Zhuowei (Joy) Huang

Zhuowei (Joy) Huang is Assistant Professor in the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA (E-mail: [email protected]).

Qian Li

Qian Li is doctoral student of the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA (E-mail: [email protected]).