Gaokao Reforms and Rural Students' Poor University Access: Schooling as Source of Cultural Capital?

• In Event: 34.098 - Sheraton Roundtable Session Four - Osgoode Ballroom
  In Roundtable Session: 34.098-2 - College and Class

Abstract

In China, rural students still constitute disproportionately low proportion of freshmen in prestigious universities. The gaokao (university entrance examination) and school education largely remain unchallenged. Inspired by Bourdieu’s insights of cultural capital, this research explores the mismatch between recent gaokao reforms and the routine pedagogy at rural schools. This paper employs data from an ethnographic study conducted during the 2013-2014 academic year at the Lark High School in Central China. While recent gaokao reforms expect all students to learn through extensive readings, choice entertainments and tour trips, teachers at the Lark High School overwhelmingly emphasize memorizing textbooks and drilling mock questions. The routine pedagogy, labelled as examination-oriented, has to be transformed to meet the requirements of recent gaokao reforms.

Authors

• Xiaoliang Li, Northwest Normal University

• Ailei Xie, Guangzhou University