Effects of economic capital, cultural capital and social capital on the educational expectation of Chinese migrant children

Abstract

The barrier for Chinese migrant children to receive compulsory education in megacities has been gradually solved in recent years. The demand for senior high school education is now the bottom line for most of migrant children. Unlike compulsory education, high school education in China is a prerequisite for students to enter university and can profoundly affect their future decisions. This study aims to identify how various dimensions of economic, cultural and social capital embedded in the family, school and peer contexts influence the educational expectation of Chinese migrant children. The study results showed that all dimensions of capital significantly influenced the educational expectation of migrant children except family social capital. The effect of objectified cultural capital appeared to be the most predominant factor. Surprisingly, against the original hypothesis, economic capital and embodied cultural capital negatively influenced educational expectations.