Globalization is bringing about a new paradigm of super-diversity which is resulting in all societies becoming more culturally diverse. Interculturalism, as a new model which responds to this increasing diversity, rejects all forms of discrimination based on differences, instead embracing reciprocity and accommodation. Interculturalism theory is characterized by integration, cohesion, and intercultural dialogue. Compared to multiculturalism theory, interculturalism theory discusses how to make a society more cohesive and accommodate people from different cultures. Interculturalism features a stronger sense of whole. Therefore, in intercultural education, intercultural competence is highlighted in order to catalyze dialogue between people from different groups. Interculturalism has a role in increasing the current level of diversity within contemporary Chinese society. Furthermore, Confucius’ ideal of Great Harmony, which values integration while respecting differences, echoes the tenets of interculturalism. In conclusion, interculturalism can serve as an effective theory for cultivating a shared society.

This paper explores the association of rural schooling with empowerment of female rural migrant workers in remote Western China. It asks what school-related intrinsic and instrumental capabilities enhanced their urban lives and their role as “drivers for development” in urbanizing China. The analysis of a long-term observational study of the females of one cluster of villages shows that recently-arrived (2015) young rural new-migrant workers manifested enhanced capabilities associated with their schooling in four dimensions of social freedoms: protective security against early arranged marriage, enhanced occupational opportunity, constructive social arrangements founded in rural identity, and cognitive and aspirational capabilities. Lower educational attainment and achievement are associated with fewer and weaker empowerment capabilities across all dimensions. Political empowerment capabilities in the sense of civil rights and entitlements have no foundation in earlier education and are lacking in their urban lives. However, a sense of “voice” is beginning to take hold among young rural migrant women. Taking a female-centric capability perspective uncovers beneficial aspects of internal migration, contributing to a more holistically theorized understanding of associated social changes.

This study is among the first to use a large-scale dataset to better understand the driving forces behind the large outflow of Chinese international students. Based on data collected from 3,001 students at 18 high schools located in the three cities of Beijing, Shenzhen and Chengdu, this paper highlights the importance of students’ academic preparation and their families’ financial capability. It shows that sociocultural factors such as Experiencing Another Culture and Gaining Global Perspective play a significant role, but are often understudied in the case of Chinese students. In addition, the disadvantaged social strata tend to be influenced more by the pushing force of low- quality education in China, and deterred by the high cost of studying overseas, whereas the advantaged social strata tend to be influenced more by the pulling force of higher-quality education overseas and the pulling force within China such as relatively privileged lives.

To implement quality-oriented education in colleges and universities, the courses guide and significantly promote the holistic cultivation of students’ personalities, while also rounding out the university curriculum. However, the learning effects are not expected. The authors develop a model on student learning intentions based on a questionnaire survey of 5,000 undergraduates in Eastern China, utilizing multiple regression analyses. Our results show that learning intention is closely related to course information transparency, teachers’ opportunistic behaviors, the perceptions of students towards the course, and their trust in the classroom experience. Consequently, to decrease the degree of student asymmetric perceptions of information, course information transparency should be improved, and opportunistic teacher behaviors should be eliminated. This may result in enhancing students’ learning intentions.

This study aims to find factors linked to university choice in China that work for or against students’ access to higher education. China has undertaken many reforms in the past two decades and has rapidly expanded its higher education system. The transition from a sequential to a parallel mechanism for students to select universities is a significant change in the admission process. The expansion of higher education increased the number of high school graduates who dream of going to top-ranked Chinese universities. With this dream, students start preparing themselves for higher education during basic education. Despite the increase in top-ranked universities, the issues such as school education, familial expectations, choices of city and of major have a significant impact on students’ choice of university.