The education tracking process : a study of undergraduates in Singapore.

• Main Author: Seah, Serene Siew Keng.
• Other Authors: Tan Joo Ean
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::General::Education; DRNTU::Social sciences::Sociology::Communities, classes and races; DRNTU::Social sciences::Education
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/43809
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Many studies use class as their starting point and assert that members of different social class, because of their differing accumulated resources, are able to attain different 'ending' points. Even when it comes to choice, there is empirical evidence that the upper classes choose the more mainstream route and seek to achieve higher qualifications than the lower classes. But what if we take a look from a different point of view? This paper explores the reasons why students, who come from different social backgrounds, are all in University and how they decide on their education paths and beyond. Using competing theories of Bourdieu‟s cultural capital and Rational Action Theory (RAT) as a basis, this paper questions whether belonging to a class necessarily determine how one makes choices. If not, where and what are the variations? In conclusion, concerns about the kind of undergraduates the Singapore education system is producing are highlighted.