Family and Education across Social Contexts in China

Abstract

Family serves as the first school for children, with parents acting as their first teachers. The interconnection between family and education has long been a classic topic in educational research. Family plays an indispensable role in shaping a child’s education. It provides essential resources such as human capital, economic capital, social capital, and cultural capital (Bourdieu 1986; Coleman 1988; Shen and Hannum 2021, 2023). Parenting styles, such as concerted parenting versus natural growth (Lareau 2011), also have enduring effects on a child’s educational outcomes. Recognizing that education is a collaborative effort between the family and the school, it is evident that parental involvement significantly influences a child’s educational journey. This involvement, encompassing both home and school, is influenced not only by parents’ educational levels (Green et al. 2007) but also by various family circumstances, including work conditions and family size (Hornby and Lafaele 2011). From these perspectives, the significance of the family in education cannot be overstated. Ever since the Coleman Report (Coleman et al. 1966), family has been regarded as a pivotal factor in shaping a child’s education, potentially outweighing the influence of the school. With the widening wealth inequality (Piketty 2015) and the global expansion of education, advantaged families continue to maintain their advantages in their children’s education over disadvantaged families (Raftery and Hout 1993; Lucas 2001). In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of family in education has become even more critical as schools have closed and children are compelled to study from home. Therefore, despite the extensive literature exploring the relationship between family and children’s education, it remains essential to revisit this connection, particularly in an era marked by rapid global changes. In this special issue, we concentrate on the nexus of family and education in China. In this discussion of education, family is not isolated but embedded in and influenced by the surrounding community and society (e.g., Shen, Hu, and Hannum 2017); education is not merely about test scores but also about children’s values, views, and mental well-being (e.g., Watt 2003; Shen 2022). These broad topics are all discussed in this special issue, which comprises five articles. The first article authored by Natalie Young delves into the realm of international education in China. With the rapid development of China’s economy, an increasing number of families, especially those wealthy families, are opting for international education for their children. Natalie Young’s article examines the impact of international education on students’ identities and worldviews. Drawing on data collected from two high schools in Beijing and Tianjin, the study reveals that students in international schools