University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 1-1-1992 University student culture in China, 1978-1990 : formal and informal organization. Paul M. Englesberg University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1 Recommended Citation Englesberg, Paul M., "University student culture in China, 1978-1990 : formal and informal organization." (1992). Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014. 2773. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1/2773 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. UNIVERSITY STUDENT CULTURE IN CHINA, 1978-1990: FORMAL AND INFORMAL ORGANIZATION A Dissertation Presented by PAUL M. ENGLES BERG Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION September 1992 School of Education Copyright by Paul Mark Englesberg 1992 All Rights Reserved UNIVERSITY STUDENT CULTURE IN CHINA, 1978-1990: FORMAL AND INFORMAL ORGANIZATION A Dissertation Presented by PAUL M. ENGLES BERG Approved as to style and content by: George-^Turch^ Chair Charles S . Adams Member , In memory of my mother, Beulah Waskow Englesberg, and For my wife, Lucy Morse, and our children, Colin and Amy Bea i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT S I wish to express my appreciation to the many faculty, fellow students , friends and , family who have supported me in pursuing this project. George Urch, who first recruited me into the field of interna- tional and comparative education, has been a steady source of encourage- ment over the years. As chair of my dissertation committee, he was always available for advice and generous with his time. Charles Adams introduced me to the world of qualitative research and the field of academic culture. Kay Ann Johnson encouraged the project from the beginning and provided many valuable insights about Chinese society and the student movement. David Kinsey, Gretchen Rossman, and Johnstone Campbell also contributed many suggestions during the preliminary stages of my inquiry. I feel very grateful to David Y. H. Wu for inviting me to pursue my research at the East -West Center in Honolulu and introducing me to literature on Chinese socialization and the value of multiple perspec- Irving Epstein, tives. I also wish to thank Stanley Rosen, Ruth Hayhoe , Tu Wei-ming, and Peter Hackett for their suggestions and encouragement. Special thanks to Gao Changan for assistance with translation and editing, to Yao Renlai for facilitating my field work, and to Lucy Morse and Karen Jones for their painstaking proofreading and editorial suggestions. This study was completed with a Pacific Cultural Founda- tion subsidy and under a Joint Dissertation Research Award from the support and to our East-West Center. I am grateful to them for their families for their generosity. contributed to To the many Chinese students and colleagues who this study, I express my deep appreciation. V , , ABSTRACT UNIVERSITY STUDENT CULTURE IN CHINA, 1978-1990; FORMAL AND INFORMAL ORGANIZATION SEPTEMBER 1992 PAUL M. ENGLESBERG, B.A. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY M.A.T., UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE M.A. YALE UNIVERSITY Ed.D., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS Directed by: Professor George E. Urch This study is an interdisciplinary inquiry into university student culture in the People's Republic of China with a focus on formal organizations and informal social relations. The purpose of the study is to examine the characteristics of student organizations and networks on campuses and to determine how students participate in and evaluate these organizations. Literature on college student culture and higher education in China is reviewed as a basis for the study. The author's study of Chinese society and prior experiences teaching at Chinese universities further guided the research. The research employed three major types of data collection: participant observation on three campuses in an urban area in western China in 1990, interviews in the United States with Chinese university graduates, and document research. Three types of formal organization were studied: academic -the divisions by department, grade, and classroom; mass organizations- political Student Association and the Communist Youth League; and a networks organization- -the Communist Party. Informal groups included vi . based on former schoolmate and hometovm ties, student societies and clubs, and male -female couples. Classroom groups were found to be the most important reference group for most students. These groups and the related dormitory groups were important both academically and socially. The Student Association and Communist Youth League were found to have limited influence on the majority of students who were passive members. The Communist Party was found to have some indirect influence on students, but only a small percentage of students were recruited as members. The dominant characteristics of the formal groups were their rigid hierarchies and the division between those who held positions and the majority of students who tended to remain uninvolved. The study found informal groups and networks to be active and the preferred mode of interaction for most students. These groups bridged the academic divisions and had fluid, loose structures with little or no hierarchy. During the 1980' s, many types of informal groups developed in number and in popularity as students became more involved in extra- curricular activities such as part-time work, business, and love affairs Vll TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS V ABSTRACT .... LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES GLOSSARY Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY 1 Background to the Problem 1 Purpose of the Study 4 Research Methodology 6 Definitions 7 Limitations of the Study 8 Significance of the Study 9 Outline of the Dissertation 11 Notes to Chapter 1 12 2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 13 College Student Culture: A Survey of Approaches 13 Student Orientations and Subcultures 17 Peer Groups and Informal Relations 20 Needs, Values, and Attitudes 24 Meaning and Interpretation: Case Study and Ethnography 26 Studying Student Culture: From New Jersey to China? 31 Chinese Students and the University System 33 Institutions of Higher Education 34 Types of Institutions 37 Who Goes To College?: Enrollment 38 University Students in China 40 Historical Background 40 Variations Among Students and Campuses .... 43 Changing Values of Students Peer Groups, Friendship Ties, and Informal Relations Gender and romance Conclusion viii Notes to Chapter 2 52 3. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY . From Problem to Process 55 Research Assumptions 56 The Research Process 56 Overview of Design and Methods 58 Phase One: Literature Review and Pilot Study .... 60 Phase Two: Field work 60 Participant Observation: The Method 60 Participant Observation in China 61 The Three -campus Study 62 The Process 64 Limitations 65 Archival Research 67 Phase Three: Case Study Interviews and Document Review 67 Interview Structure 68 Sample and Limitations 68 Document Review 70 Analysis 71 General Limitations and Methodological Issues 72 The Researcher's Role and Relevant Background 73 74 Researcher's Perspective and Subjectivity . Notes to Chapter 3 4. ACADEMIC GROUPINGS Formal Organizations: Definition and Discussion Academic Divisions Department 80 81 Grade . College Class 81 Class Cohesion and Identity 82 Strong and Weak Class Identity: Two Cases 86 87 Factors Related to Cohesiveness Classroom Organizational Structure . • Role of the Monitor Motivation for Assuming Monitor Role Issues of Control and Solidarity . ix Classmates and Roommates: Informal Relationships Classmate Friendships Dormitories and Roommate Relations Dormitory Setting 95 Residence Patterns 97 Control and Supervision iQO Roommates ]^01 Conclusion 104 Notes to Chapter h. 107 5. MASS AND POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS 110 The Student Association 111 Purpose and Goals 112 The Student Association in the 1980' s 114 Control of the Student Association 115 Organizational Structure; Student Bureaucracy. 116 The University- level 116 The Departmental -level 119 Student Leaders 120 Coordination Within the Organization 122 Perspectives of Student Leaders 122 Students' Perceptions of the Student Association. 125 Communist Youth League 130 Official Goals 130 Recruitment and Membership 131 Leaders and Activities 134 CYL and SA: Uneasy Relationship and Blurred Roles . 137 Participation 138 Recruiter and "Reserve Force" for the Party .... 140 Students and the Communist Party 141 142 Party Memebership . 144 Motivations for Joining . Party Structure on Campus 146 The Party's Influence. 147 Conclusion 147 150 Notes to Chapter 5 ORGANIZATIONS 155 6 . INFORMAL GROUPS AND 156 Defining Informal Groups 157 Limitations .... X . Local -tie and Schoolmate Networks 158 Structure of the Local -tie Network 160 Ethnic Groups 161 Schoolmates 163 Official Policy Toward Local Networks .... 166 Regional and Urban/Rural Differences .... 167 Groups Based on Interests and Extra-curricular Activities 170 Intellectual Interests 171 Entertainment and Recreation 172 Work, Business, and Social Practice . 175 Impact of Work and Business on Peer Relationships . 179 Management and Control . 181 Social Practice . 183