Exploration of the Motivation of Secondary Vocational Education Under the Background of “Diversion”—Based on a Case Study of Impoverished Junior High School Students in Northwest Rural Areas of China

The society generally regards the students who choose the secondary vocational school as the students who failed the high school entrance examination. Based on interviews and on-site observations of poor junior high school students and their parents in a rural junior high school in Northwest China, the paper summarizes the four major motivations for rural poor students to enter secondary vocational schools under the background of today’ s high school entrance examination diversion. The cost of educational choices and compromises, the influence of peer groups, and individual interests are motivated by school, family, peer, and individual motives, respectively. In view of the current fierce competition in education in China, the disparity of educational resources between regions and the embarrassed family background, the decision to enter secondary vocational school is the result of the interaction between the macro-structure and micro-situation of poor rural junior high school students. In conclusion, promotion to secondary vocational education is a reasonable choice for many rural families. Therefore, in order to meet the survival and development needs of the disadvantaged rural poor students and their families, and make vocational education truly a channel for their upward mobility, it is necessary to strengthen the publicity of vocational education, change the concept of discrimination against vocational education, and at the same time strive to improve vocational education.