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From 'Learn to Return' to 'Learn to Leave': How Urbanization Shapes the Socialization Process of Chinese Rural Youth

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Title: From 'Learn to Return' to 'Learn to Leave': How Urbanization Shapes the Socialization Process of Chinese Rural Youth
Language: English
Authors: Haicheng Wang (ORCID 0009-0002-3580-6920)
Source: Youth & Society. 2026 58(4):578-601.
Availability: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 24
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Secondary Education
Descriptors: College Students, Rural Areas, Urban Areas, Socialization, Rural to Urban Migration, Family Structure, Social Influences, Rural Urban Differences, Foreign Countries, Early Experience, Aspiration, Migrant Workers, Urbanization, Secondary School Students, Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, Parent Role
Geographic Terms: China
DOI: 10.1177/0044118X251367778
ISSN: 0044-118X
1552-8499
Abstract: The significant development gap between urban and rural China has long driven college students from rural backgrounds to settle in cities, exacerbating the hollowing out of rural communities. While existing literature predominantly attributes this urbanization tendency to experiences during university, I argue that it is shaped much earlier--through the socialization process in rural youth's formative years, before they leave for higher education. Drawing on 8 months of fieldwork and 26 in-depth interviews conducted in a rural middle school in J city, Shandong Province, China, this study explores the socialization processes shaped by urbanization among rural youth. I find that shifts in family structure have led local youth to be socialized under the influence of successive generations of elders with evolving attitudes toward urban and rural life. These shifting influences have altered the trajectory of their socialization, shaping their perceptions of rural life and aspirations for urban settlement. This study not only highlights the mechanisms through which the urban-rural gap is reproduced but also offers a novel perspective on how structural inequalities manifest in the lived experiences and future orientations of rural youth.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1502362
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: From 'Learn to Return' to 'Learn to Leave': How Urbanization Shapes the Socialization Process of Chinese Rural Youth
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Haicheng+Wang%22">Haicheng Wang</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3580-6920">0009-0002-3580-6920</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Youth+%26+Society%22"><i>Youth & Society</i></searchLink>. 2026 58(4):578-601.
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  Data: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
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  Data: 24
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22College+Students%22">College Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Rural+Areas%22">Rural Areas</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Urban+Areas%22">Urban Areas</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Socialization%22">Socialization</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Rural+to+Urban+Migration%22">Rural to Urban Migration</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Family+Structure%22">Family Structure</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+Influences%22">Social Influences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Rural+Urban+Differences%22">Rural Urban Differences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Early+Experience%22">Early Experience</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Aspiration%22">Aspiration</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Migrant+Workers%22">Migrant Workers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Urbanization%22">Urbanization</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Secondary+School+Students%22">Secondary School Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Grandparents+Raising+Grandchildren%22">Grandparents Raising Grandchildren</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parent+Role%22">Parent Role</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22China%22">China</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1177/0044118X251367778
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  Data: 0044-118X<br />1552-8499
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: The significant development gap between urban and rural China has long driven college students from rural backgrounds to settle in cities, exacerbating the hollowing out of rural communities. While existing literature predominantly attributes this urbanization tendency to experiences during university, I argue that it is shaped much earlier--through the socialization process in rural youth's formative years, before they leave for higher education. Drawing on 8 months of fieldwork and 26 in-depth interviews conducted in a rural middle school in J city, Shandong Province, China, this study explores the socialization processes shaped by urbanization among rural youth. I find that shifts in family structure have led local youth to be socialized under the influence of successive generations of elders with evolving attitudes toward urban and rural life. These shifting influences have altered the trajectory of their socialization, shaping their perceptions of rural life and aspirations for urban settlement. This study not only highlights the mechanisms through which the urban-rural gap is reproduced but also offers a novel perspective on how structural inequalities manifest in the lived experiences and future orientations of rural youth.
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: EJ1502362
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        Value: 10.1177/0044118X251367778
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      – Text: English
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        PageCount: 24
        StartPage: 578
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: College Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Rural Areas
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Urban Areas
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Socialization
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Rural to Urban Migration
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Family Structure
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social Influences
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Rural Urban Differences
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Early Experience
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Aspiration
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Migrant Workers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Urbanization
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Secondary School Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Parent Role
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: China
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: From 'Learn to Return' to 'Learn to Leave': How Urbanization Shapes the Socialization Process of Chinese Rural Youth
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