Capitals and Educational Expectations Among Chinese Migrant Children: The Moderating Roles of High School Entrance Examination Policies

Migrant children have no guarantee of schooling after the end of compulsory education in Chinese cities because of the restriction of the hukou system and the high school entrance examination policies. It remains unclear how different types of high school entrance examination policies in China play a role in the relationship between the educational expectations of migrant children and various dimensions of capitals they have. Based on 2,808 Chinese migrant children, the current study indicated that the loose policy level, which means access to both high schools and vocational schools, affected the relationship between economic capital and the educational expectations of migrant children. The findings emphasize the importance of loose level of high school entrance examination policy for migrant children from low-income families, which give them more opportunities to realize their educational expectations and change fortunes.