Identity Construction Of Hong Kong Students In Mainland Universities

The number of Hong Kong students entering mainland colleges and universities shows an increasing trend.This group can be a bridge between the two places,which plays a significance role in the development of Hong Kong People’s national identity.China has issued a series of policy documents to attract Hong Kong students to the mainland,and to improve the education management and services for this group.However,at present,the number of identity studies on Hong Kong students who studying in mainland colleges and universities is relatively small,especially for the topic of identity construction in the process of studying in the mainland colleges and universities.Based on the perspective of sociology of education,the data was collected by snowball sampling and depth interviews.In this way to analyze and describe the dynamic process,construction strategy and construction results of the identity development of Hong Kong students studying in mainland universities.This study regards the identity of Hong Kong students as a continuum of dual identities（local identity / Hong Kong and national identity / Chinese）and two levels（cultural identity and political identity）.This study suggests that the Process of Hong Kong students’ cultural identity construction in mainland universities could be named as“adaptation”,while the political identity construction could be named as“overcoming stereotype”.The results of identity development could be divided into three types-political and cultural national identity（Chinese）,cultural national identity and political local identity（Chinese and Hong Kong people）,political and cultural local identity（Hong Kong people）.And reveal the characteristics of different types of identity at the cultural and political levels.According to the theory of cultural adaptation,this study conceptualizes and classifies the identity strategies adopted by Hong Kong students in mainland universities from a micro-individual perspective,which are divided into assimilation strategies.Integration strategy and avoidance strategy.Assimilation strategy means that participants actively seek to further integrate into Chinese identity and desalinate the identity of Hong Kong people.This strategy promotes the construction of Chinese identity at the cultural and political levels.Integration strategy means that participants gradually recognize national identity and adhere to and emphasize local（Hong Kong）identity.This strategy is to integrate cultural national identity and local identity at the political level.Avoidance strategy means that participants face mainland life with a more rejection and alienation attitude and tend to adhere to their inherent local identity at the cultural and policy levels.It reflects the subjective consciousness of Hong Kong students in mainland colleges and universities in the process of identity construction.Based on the in-depth description and classification of the process,strategies and results of identity construction,this study puts forward some suggestions on the training of Hong Kong students from three aspects: correct understanding of multiplicity and complexity,different stages of work focusing on differentiation,and dynamic characteristics of identity construction.