Negotiating self and others: a narrative study of Chinese boarding school experiences

Abstract

Boarding schools in the British context are often associated with privilege and long-term psychological effects on ex-boarders. Rather than focusing on the impact of boarding school, this study explores how Chinese boarders make sense of their experiences within the specific social, cultural, and political context of China. Drawing on narrative interviews with seven participants who attended Chinese boarding schools, the study offers insight into how boarding school life is structured and experienced in China.

Applying a relational lens, the research presents individual narrative portraits that illustrate boarders’ relationships with family, peers, teachers and school staff. Through these relational narratives, the study explores how students navigated their everyday lives in boarding schools and how they related to others in the setting of Chinese boarding schools. The analysis reveals the active role boarders played in engaging in personal growth, shaping their relationships, and negotiating institutional structures.

This research highlights the diversity of Chinese boarding school experiences and the various ways in which students engage with those around them. It suggests that boarders are not merely passive recipients of institutional and relational influences, but are actively involved in constructing their relations. The study contributes to the understanding of boarding school life in China with a grounded, participant-informed perspective on relational dynamics.