Effects of Cultural Capital on Students’ Global Competence in China’s Higher Vocational Education

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 9:00 am Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Cultural Communication Strategies in College Contexts (Table 13)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between students’ cultural capital background and their levels of global competence in Chinese higher vocational education. The research sample comprised 1,504 participants from a vocational university situated on the eastern coast of China, encompassing both three-year associate degree and four-year bachelor degree achievers. Results from a hierarchical linear regression found that 12 out of 13 cultural capital factors significantly influenced overall global competence and its four subdimensions, such as knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values. These findings also indicated that Chinese higher vocational university students with disadvantaged family and educational backgrounds tended to access less educational opportunities and attain lower levels of global competence.

Authors

• Yiying Teng, Shanghai Pudong Vocational and Technical College

• Meghan E. Cosier, Chapman University

• Doug Havard, Chapman University