The Absent Family and the Education among Contemporary Tibetan Students

Abstract

The deficiency of educational resources is typically held as one of the major impediments to the educational development of Tibetans in China. Even though the Chinese state has committed to supportive policies and providing resources to the region, the academic performance of Tibetan students remains low. The current study examines how students’ family life affects their academic performance in schools. Based on the fieldwork in two Tibetan-serving boarding schools in Northwest China, we found that family absence and family education have a profound impact on Tibetan children’s academic learning. Drawing on the sociology of education literature, we analyzed the tri-factors of family socioeconomic status (SES), family structure, and values. Our analysis revealed that even with an increased level of resource input, family factors contributed to Tibetan students’ disappointing academic achievement. Our analysis suggested that well-intended educational policies cannot entirely substitute for the disadvantages caused by an absent family.