Constructing false consciousness: vocational college students’ aspirations and agency in China

Wang, G. and Doyle, L. (2022) Constructing false consciousness: vocational college students’ aspirations and agency in China. Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 74(4), pp. 664-681. (doi: 10.1080/13636820.2020.1829008)

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Abstract

Individual academic achievement is highly valued in Chinese society, with vocational education students positioned at the bottom of the educational hierarchy and suffering considerable societal prejudice. In this paper we present new findings from the choice-making experiences of students in two vocational education colleges in China, how they are perceived by their teachers, and how, in the context of their negatively-stereotyped status, they perceive themselves. Drawing on the Marxist notion of false consciousness to help understand the agency of these students, we found that almost all perceived themselves as being agentic and having control over their destiny. They felt they only had themselves to blame for the stereotyping to which they were subjected. One student had not adopted this mindset and was critical of the exam system. We argue that the perceived agency of the majority of the students resonates strongly with the neoliberal values which are associated with responsibilisation, and which have been encouraged in China since the 1970s with the beginning of the Reform Era. The evidence from our study also suggests, however, that it is possible for young people , by their own efforts, to move away from the state of false consciousness.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Doyle, Dr Lesley and Wang, Dr Geng
Authors: Wang, G., and Doyle, L.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Education
College of Social Sciences > School of Education > People, Place & Social Change
Journal Name:Journal of Vocational Education and Training
Publisher:Taylor & Francis
ISSN:1363-6820
ISSN (Online):1747-5090
Published Online:14 October 2020
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2020 The Vocational Aspect of Education Ltd
First Published:First published in Journal of Vocational Education and Training 74(4): 664-681
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy

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