College major decision making behavior of urban and rural students under cultural capital impact in China

Academic major selection is a critical decision-making process influenced by various socioeconomic factors. This study investigates the behavioral patterns in educational choices, focusing on the impact of urban-rural background and family cultural capital on college students' major selection in China. Employing a mixed-methods approach, we analyzed data from a nationwide sample of 19,772 college students across various institution types. We constructed a major tendency index and applied logit regression models to examine the decision-making patterns of four distinct groups: rural first-generation, rural second-generation, urban first-generation, and urban second-generation college students. Our findings reveal significant behavioral differences in major selection across these groups. Urban students demonstrated a higher probability of choosing humanities and social sciences (OR = 1.260, 95% CI [1.166, 1.362], p < 0.001), while rural students were more inclined towards science, engineering, agricultural, and medical fields (OR = 1.080, 95% CI [1.003, 1.163], p < 0.05). Family cultural capital emerged as a crucial predictor of major choice behavior, with its influence path being relatively "concealed" compared to economic factors. Students from families with higher cultural capital showed a 32.4% increased likelihood of selecting humanities and social science majors (p < 0.001). Notably, the effect of cultural capital varied significantly across different tiers of universities (χ2 = 15.27, df = 2, p < 0.001). Our research contributes to the understanding of human decision-making behavior in educational contexts, highlighting the complex interplay between socioeconomic background, cultural capital, and academic choices. These findings have implications for behavioral economics, social cognition theory, and educational policy, offering insights into the mechanisms of social mobility and the perpetuation of educational inequalities.