The Multifaceted and Dynamic Role of Live-in-Home Tutors in Affluent Chinese Families: A Bourdieusian Analysis

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 3:20 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: A Bourdieusian Approach to Education Systems Across the World (Table 1)

Abstract

China is witnessing a new trend in childrearing: an increasing number of high-income families are hiring live-in-home tutors to enhance their children's educational competitiveness, which could challenge existing educational inequality and social structures. However, this newly emerged profession is under-researched. Drawing on Bourdieu's theory, this study investigates the multifaced and dynamic role live-in-home-tutors play in the childrearing practices of affluent Chinese families. Based on 15 in-depth interviews with live-in-home tutors, the findings reveal that the role of live-in-home tutors can vary and change dynamically due to the families' habitus, thus influencing the reproduction of cultural capital. These insights offer valuable perspectives on educational inequality and further develop Bourdieu's theory.

Authors

• Lu Liu, University of Liverpool

• Lixin Ren, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University