Abstract:

 A rare phenomenon of “schoolingaccompanying” has occurred since the inception of the 21st century as a result of increasing mobility of basic education as well as the adjustments, cancellation and merging of rural primary and middle school education. Different from the migrant workers who had already occurred, the schoolingaccompanying groups have to actively or passively adapt to urban life, the process of which includes role change, city perception and urban identification. Whether the groups can successfully adapt to the urban life or choose to be townspeople depends on the following important factors: family financial condition, duration of accompanying, individual life attitudes and social skills, adaptability and school performance of the child in schooling, townspeople's attitude towards them. At the end of the schoolingaccompanying period, the groups begin to divert into different subgroups in the light of their orientation towards unban life. In view of this, we should proceed gradually in accordance with group differences toward urbanization. The key issues that influence schoolingaccompanying group’s decision to or not to be city dwellers include the problems of farmland and homestead. So the perfection of the rural property rights system and related supporting systems will push forward the process of urbanization in China.

Key words: urban orientation, rural schoolingaccompanying migrant groups, urban adaptation