| China has become the largest source of international students across the globe. Existing research has primarily focused on the academic adaptation, cultural integration, and identity construction of overseas students. This study, however, concentrates on the study abroad preparation strategies of prospective international students and their families at a private international school in Beijing. Our findings reveal that middle-class families opt for private international schools due to a combination of factors: individual student abilities, family economic capital, and the college entrance examination system. The solid economic foundation of these families serves as a necessary material basis for pursuing an international education path. However, some middle-class families are involuntarily drawn into this path due to students' failure in the high school entrance examination and restrictions on registered residence for college entrance examination. The choice of international education mirrors the complexity within the middle class. One type of highly educated parents achieve social mobility through education, yet their family's economic capital may not be abundant. Despite this, they harbor an idealistic cosmopolitan vision and support their children in pursuing an international path based on their personal interests. With parental support, these children prepare for their overseas study life with a relaxed and confident mindset. The other type of parents have accumulated enormous economic capital amidst the market economy wave but may relatively lack cultural capital. They firmly believe in pragmatic cosmopolitanism and uphold the educational belief of "high investment, high return" under economic pressure. Their children perceive the economic risks within the family, generating a sense of tension and confinement. In the global education competition, prospective international students face the dilemma of an incomplete family capital structure. Despite the support of their family's economic foundation, they still need to plan by themselves and make unremitting efforts to achieve cultural composure and ease.
Keywords: prospective international student; middle class; educational equity; educational choice |
