The Role of Shadow Education in Capital Transformation and Identity Reconstruction: A Systematic Review of Overseas Graduate Applicants

College of Early Childhood Education, Capital Normal University, 100071, Beijing, China

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Abstract

Against the backdrop of globalization in higher education and elitism in overseas graduate student applications, the Western academic evaluation system dominates global admission rules. Non-Western applicants, due to differences between local education systems and Western academic norms, have given rise to shadow education with capital transformation as its core function. This article takes Bourdieu’s cultural capital theory as a framework to sort out the capital transformation mechanism, essential characteristics, and practical difficulties of shadow education in overseas graduate student applications. Research has shown that shadow education is essentially an elite adaptation tool guided by Western thinking, which can promote the transformation of economic capital and local cultural capital into institutionalized cultural capital recognized by the West. However, there are generally problems such as shallow transformation, lack of physical capital, and dissolution of local culture, ultimately leading to difficulties in academic integration for applicants after enrollment. This article proposes a targeted optimization path based on a review, providing theoretical reference and practical inspiration for achieving connotative capital transformation and promoting cross-cultural academic adaptation.