Chinese Journal of Sociology ›› 2017, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (6): 165-193.

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The Impact of School Class on Junior High School Students' Educational Expectation

ZHANG Yangyang1, XIE Guihua2   

  1. 1. Department of Sociology, Peking University;
    2. School of Sociology and Population Studies, Renmin University of China
  • Online:2017-11-20 Published:2017-11-20

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Abstract:

The classroom is the most elementary unit in the Chinese education system. From the viewpoint of school,the classroom is where education is carried out and all the rules and regulations are implemented. From the viewpoint of students,the classroom is also a place of socializing,interacting and grouping with their peers. In the process of education,the school classroom becomes a key stage of producing and regulating social differentiation. Drawing on data from the China Education Panel Survey(CEPS),this study applies the multi-level linear model to examine the impact of the school classroom on seventh grade students'educational expectation,including classroom organizational structure and classroom dynamics. It is aimed to uncover the effect and the mechanism of school classrooms as an organizational setting in reproducing social inequality.
This study reveals that:(1)among multiple structural factors,head-teacher's educational background and teaching experience creates a significant impact on students' educational expectations,while teachers for specific subjects exercise no significant impact;(2)among the variables measuring classroom dynamics,students' educational expectations are influenced by the classroom's academic performance as a whole and the quality of student-teacher interaction;(3)once the variable of classroom dynamics is controlled,teachers' qualifications becomes insignificant.
This study broadens research on educational expectation from a focus on individual,family and school to the effects of intra-school class environment. It demonstrates that the impact of school classrooms on individual educational expectations is not through the allocation of resources(teachers' qualification)in the classroom but through the good interaction between teachers and students and the healthy classroom rapport brought about by such a good relationship.

Key words: educational expectation, class atmosphere, classroom organizational structure