Unequal at the college door: Career construction among freshmen at an elite Chinese university
International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy
ISSN: 0144-333X
Article publication date: 6 August 2018
Issue publication date: 20 September 2018
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the inequality in career constructions among freshmen in an elite university in Shanghai, China. The authors first investigated whether rural students and those from municipalities (zhi xia shi) and provincial capitals differ in their career awareness when arriving at college. After finding the difference, the authors explored how this initial difference in career awareness evolves and influences the career construction process in the freshman year.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a complementary mixed-methods approach to monitor a cohort of students’ career construction process and the evolvement of their career awareness throughout the freshman year (n=210). Data collection included two surveys: students’ self-reflections and in-depth interviews to capture a holistic story.
Findings
The findings revealed that students differed in career awareness when arriving at college. This initial difference further evolved in the first year of college: students from municipalities and provincial capitals considered college a part of their career paths and began timely to construct their careers, whereas students from rural areas lagged behind. This study suggests that college maintains inequality, reinforcing the initial gap in career construction based on students’ family background.
Originality/value
College students differ in career prospects and associated skills when transitioning from school to work. Only a few studies have explored the role of college in shaping the career construction process during the college years. By exploring the process of career construction among freshmen, this study contributes to the growing literature on school-to-work transition and educational inequality in China.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this paper. The authors thank all the freshmen for participating in the study and sharing their stories with the authors. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the support from the research fund of the School of Social Development and Public Policy at Fudan University to develop this manuscript.
Citation
Tian, F.F. and Chen, L. (2018), "Unequal at the college door: Career construction among freshmen at an elite Chinese university", International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Vol. 38 No. 11/12, pp. 1041-1056. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-03-2018-0050
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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