School Choice of Parents in the New Education Market: A Case Study of Aided-Turn-Direct Subsidy Scheme Schools in Hong Kong

Many industrialized regions have adopted an educational market operated according to the neoliberal market principles. One of the principles was choice (Ball, 1990: 60-61). In Hong Kong, the Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) was introduced to promote choice and a strong private school sector. After several revisions, the scheme has successfully attracted several "traditional" and "elite" government-aided schools to join.;The focus of this study was to conduct a qualitative investigation on the school choice practices engaged by parents in the new educational market. These parent interviewees have enrolled their children in aided-turn-DSS schools. Pierre Bourdieu's concepts on habitus, capital and field (Bourdieu, 1984:11) were applied to analyze the school choice practices.;Using a multiple-case study approach, three aided-turn-DSS schools were selected for a qualitative analysis. The 3 principals and 1 teacher, along with 18 parents from the three schools, were interviewed in-depth.;The major findings of this thesis include: a deep sense of uncertainties and risk triggered by government policies --- particularly the school allocation system and the language policy of Medium of Instruction --- have driven the parents to choose DSS schools; the exclusiveness of the community in aided-turn-DSS schools attracted parents; a sense of distinction has also driven these parents to apply for aided-turn-DSS schools for their children; parents that are engaged in choosing aided-turn-DSS schools are middle-class parents; choice practices of middle-class parents, supported by abundant cultural, social and economic capital, were strategic; cultural, social and economic capital, and the habitus of parents hold the key to success in admission to aided-turn-DSS schools; the habitus of the middle class parents and school administrators have shaped the field of the aided-turn-DSS schools, turning it into a sanctuary of the middle class, a social space with boundaries excluding the "others"; aided-turn-DSS schools provide their students and parents a sense of distinction; Brown's notion of "parentocracy" --- the "wealth" and "wishes" of parents have great impact on the success of the education of the students --- is magnified in the school choice process of the aided-turn-DSS schools; a consequence of the introduction of the DSS in the field of school choice is middle-class reproduction.;This analysis suggested that DSS as a choice policy has provided the means to the privileged, middle-class parents to position themselves and to maximize their chance of succeeding school choice for their children. Among the various types of DSS schools, the aided-turn-DSS schools are the main sites for such middle-class practices in Hong Kong, resulting in social closure and excluding poor families from accessing these schools. Future policy makers and school administrators who wanted to address this social issue would need to focus on these specific schools. It is also crucial to have an awareness of the significance of the habitus of families and administrators, and bring that into consideration when revising DSS policy in the future.