Abstract:

Why are there regional differences in educational effects in rural society under the unified national compulsory education policy? Focusing on this core problem, based on the field investigation experience and mechanism analysis of more than 10 provinces in China, the study found that the differences between the family goals and the intergenerational responsibilities of farmers would shape different family resource allocation strategies and behavioral logics. This, in turn, affects regional differences in educational outcomes. On this basis, the study further extracts four ideal types of rural education effects and their internal mechanisms. And the competitiveness of its participation in the national market is ranked from high to low in the eastern rural area, central rural area, northern rural area, and southern rural area. This will provide important enlightenment for the formulation of China’s education policy and the deepening of reform.

Key words: family goal, intergenerational responsibility, rural education, regional difference