ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview of key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book has adopted Bourdieu's conceptual tools to provide an in-depth analysis of existing inequalities in relation to social class in the context of pa rental involvement in children's schooling and higher education choice in China. It intends to explore social differences in terms of social class in the process of higher education choice among both students and parents. The book explores the different ways in which parents from different social groupings are involved in the process of their children's higher education choices. It also takes account of gender differences with regard to higher education choice, exploring how gender influences the ways in which mothers and fathers, and male and female students are involved in making such choices. Higher education in China is mainly composed of institutions of higher education and mainstream colleges providing undergraduate courses and technological academies.
