Capital Conversion and Class Mobility: Family Strategy in China's Second-Tier City International Education Market

• In Event: Strategies, Struggles, and Structures of Social Mobilities: Schooling, Higher Education, and International Education

Abstract

This study focusing on the international education market in China's second-tier cities, examines the educational experiences of international secondary school graduates. It examines on how family capital (economic, cultural, and social) influences the choice of international schools and access to higher education. The intergenerational transmission and conversion of capital are highlighted. This research identifies three different patterns of family educational strategies, demonstrating how families leverage their resources to navigate the international education market. Overall, the international education market in second-tier cities reinforces social advantages and offers opportunities for upward mobility. Parents' aspirations and their cultural and social capital significantly influence the decision to enroll children in international schools, aiming to ensure an advantage in a highly competitive and stratified society.

Author

• Linjie Zhang, University of Vienna