Traditional or modern parents: The nuclear family and decision-making processes of students in contemporary China

Abstract

This article approaches educational and vocational career in contemporary China. Since 2012 the Chinese government has committed to a model for the development of individual’s career, where the decision-making of students should be guided by universalistic criteria. However, specific aspects and values of Chinese society must be considered while evaluating this model. While doing that through a questionnaire based on the concepts of professional educational guidance, cultural capital, economic capital, and social capital, we propose patterns of parental influence on children in educational and career guidance and a scale to measure them. We conclude that the family plays out a central role in what concerns vocational guidance of their children, but Chinese values may not specifically explain that interference.