The Transformation Of The Weak: A Study On The Path Of Obtaining Higher Education Opportunities For Students From Humble Origins From The Perspective Of "Actor-Social Structure"

It is inevitable to discuss individual’s academic success and educational equity in a deeper sense.Existing research mostly from the perspectives of structure of impoverished students in higher education facing the disadvantage,to establish the structure of the underlying students face restrictions associated with its higher education results obtained conclusion,these studies are often filled with a thick pessimism,ignored the intergenerational transmission circle out of the fate of a small number of students.Some scholars have carried out in-depth analysis and theoretical interpretation of the academic success path of the poor sons,which can be roughly divided into cultural compensation theory and bottom cultural capital.However,the research finds that the former theory of cultural reparation based on the perspective of structure ignores the power of the underlying culture,while the latter theory of the underlying cultural capital based on individual initiative has a romantic color of blind optimism.Both research logics prevent us from having a proper theoretical understanding of why children from poor families are born.In addition,there are some inadequacies in the research object and content.From the perspective of research objects,most of the previous studies confuse rural students with those from poor families,and the selection of research objects has the characteristics of crossover and extensive.From the perspective of research content,students from poor families are regarded as refined egoists with a view of social advancement for their own selfish interests,which tends to stigmatize their motivation for struggle.In view of the above research,this study conducted in-depth interviews with 9students and their parents from poor families in the former poor counties,and conducted in-depth studies on their upward path,family education,learning motivation and underlying mechanism from the perspective of actor-social structure.The research finds that,firstly,there is certain cultural capital in the bottom families,which plays a certain role in obtaining educational opportunities for students from poor families in the face of restrictions and constraints of social structure.However,the bottom cultural capital cannot guarantee the access to high-quality higher education.The activation and proper use of cultural capital at the bottom requires students and their parents to give play to their subjective initiative,"insight" into the operating rules of social structure,and develop the rational thinking that "they want to change their destiny through education".Secondly,the theory of cultural compensation has a certain explanatory power to the educational achievements of students from poor families.In the process of studying,students from poor families need to make up their cultural capital in order to realize the leap from "wanting to change their destiny through education" to "being able to change their destiny through education".However,cultural compensation in the school field cannot guarantee their educational opportunities.In the whole process,the individual initiative of students from poor families is extremely important.Only the earnest and practical conduct and the performance of respecting teachers will fit the educational goals and value orientation of the school,so as to obtain knowledge supply and emotional care.Third,students from poor families have subjective understanding and active interpretation of the structural constraints they face.After they and their parents "insight" into the rules of social structure,they have rational thinking and then carry out corresponding practices.In this process,social structure and individual initiative are constantly interacting and changing dynamically.Students from poor families will reflect on the process of monitoring their learning and constantly adjust their behavior to ensure that they continue to improve their grades and gain access to higher education.Different from the stigma of refined egoism in previous studies,this study found that under the influence of education,students from poor families constantly adjust their learning motivation,so that their social rise has gone beyond the concept of personal mobility for their own interests and for their own family,and they have the ambition to stay in the future and the feelings of serving the country and the people.