'I was worried I'd sound stupid': institutional interactions and the impact on marginalised students' university experiences. Issue 3 (3rd April 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yang, Zi
• Is Part Of: British journal of sociology of education. Volume 44:Issue 3(2023)
• Page Start: 504
• Page End: 519
• Publication Date: 2023-04-03
• Subjects: Higher education -- secondary education -- marginalised student -- educational inequality -- habitus -- doxa; Educational sociology -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; 306.43
• DOI: 10.1080/01425692.2023.2167699
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0142-5692

Abstract

Abstract: Applying a Bourdieusian lens, this study seeks to explore the interactions between secondary and higher education and how these interactions impact marginalised students in an elite university in China. It presents accounts of the educational experiences of 13 marginalised students of rural origin. The findings suggest that for them educational institutions function as the main field of inculcating capital and instilling habitus due to their families' powerlessness to engage more deeply. When secondary schools and universities are consistent in terms of doxa, available capital and practices, marginalised students are more likely to undergo 'fish-in-water' experiences in the elite field, and a synergy is also more likely to occur between individual habitus and the field. Otherwise, the conflicts and incompatibility between different educational stages cause a visibly negative impact on them and lead to a difficult transition into university. This article argues for a better connection between secondary and higher education.