A study on Chinese ethnic minority university students' attitudes toward minority education policies and their sense of national identity

Thesis

In China, research into ethnic minorities' national identity has increased significantly since the development of ethnic group theory. However, most existing research on minorities’ national identity has relied primarily on theoretical studies, with relatively few empirical studies conducted. Aiming to better understand minority students’ perceptions toward relevant educational policies, and the potential association between policy attitudes and their sense of national identity, this study takes an online survey as the data collection method which is philosophically grounded in pragmatist position. Specifically, the questionnaire includes a policy attitude scale, a scale of sense of national identity, and an open-ended question, in which the two scales were adapted from previous research. Findings suggest that the sampled students (n = 119) generally hold positive attitudes towards ethnic minority education policies and have relatively strong sense of national identity. The responses generated from the open-ended questions indicate three major themes: perceived benefits of multilingualism, the diversity of opinions on preferential admission policies, and the perceived importance of preserving minority cultures both within minority groups and in the Chinese mainstream society. This study revealed that gender did not significantly influence policy attitudes or senses of national identity among sampled students, but that students' grade level may have a significant influence on both. Most importantly, findings indicate that students' policy attitude can explain 46.8% of the variance in students' sense of national identity when controlling for their gender. The results triggered multiple policy and practical implications, leading to further considerations of how sense of national identity could be taken into account in the formulation, adjustment, and improvement of minority education policies, and how relevant education policies could help build and enhance ethnic minority university students’ sense of national identity.

Authors: Zhu, W

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-pvndv69nn
• Type of award: MSc taught course
• Level of award: Masters
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: RDM; RDM2022; minority education policy attitudes; ethnic minority students; sense of national identity; questionnaires; attitudinal research
• Subjects: Education; Questionnaires; Nationalism; Minority students