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A social identity perspective on the social-class achievement gap: Academic and social adjustment in the transition to university
Abstract and Figures
First-generation students show lower academic performance at university compared to continuing-generation students. Previous research established the value in taking a social identity perspective on this social-class achievement gap, and showed that the gap can partly be explained by lower compatibility between social background and university identities that first- compared to continuing-generation students experience. The present paper aimed to increase insight into the processes through which this low identity compatibility leads to lower academic achievement by examining first-year university students’ adjustment to university in two key domains: the academic and the social domain. These were examined as two routes through which the social-class achievement gap may arise, and hence perpetuate this group-based inequality. Adjustment was examined both through students’ actual integration in the academic and social domains, and their internally experienced concerns about these domains at university. A longitudinal study among 674 first-year university students (13.6% first-generation) showed that first-generation students experienced lower identity compatibility in their first semester, which was in turn related to lower social, but not academic, integration. Lower identity compatibility was also related to more concerns about the social and academic domains at university. Low identity compatibility was directly related to lower academic achievement 1 year later, and this relationship was mediated only by lower social integration at university. These findings show that to understand, and hence reduce, the social-class achievement gap, it is important to examine how low identity compatibility can create difficulties in academic and particularly social adjustment at university with consequences for achievement.
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... We asked students about their subjective academic performance in Studies 2 and 3 using one item: 'What was your average module result in the autumn term?' Participants answered this question by dragging a slider that ranged from [0] to [100], with 100 indicating a perfect average module result in the autumn term. We preferred to measure the termly result using the method by Pike et al. [69], who maintained that this result should be easily recalled by the respondents, and because students may have taken holidays to work on particular essays or examinations, which suggests that the effect of work may not influence a more particular assignment. ...
... As an example, commencing employment can be associated with entering adulthood and taking on additional responsibilities, whereas being a student may be associated with having free time and fun [29]. Because experiencing identity incompatibility can be associated with decreasing identification with one of the incompatible identities [99] and lower academic achievement [100], future research can examine whether students perceive the different identities that we examined as incompatible and whether this affects the academic, social, and graduate employability outcomes for working students. ...
... The relationships between identification processes and important outcomes may also be dependent on intergroup differentiation or the perceived degree of difference between working and non-working students. Indeed, working students who perceive differences between these groups can feel a sense of isolation and lack of adaptation at university [35,100,101]. Thus, contexts that minimise the differences between working and non-working students can foster a higher sense of identification and can lead to increases in important outcomes (e.g., belonging and social support) for working students. ...
Previous research has linked working for pay while attending university with negative academic and health outcomes; yet, working students are often resilient when experiencing such adverse circumstances. This makes it crucial to explore potential psychological mechanisms that transform adverse experiences into sources of motivation and persistence for working students. We explore one mechanism—social identification—and its different foci—identifying as a student, employee, working student, or a student of one’s discipline of study—as potential predictors of important academic (academic self-efficacy, approaches to learning, and academic achievement) and social (status in society) outcomes in three cross-sectional studies. In Study 1, part-time working hours (but not identification processes) were associated with academic self-efficacy. In Study 2, discipline identification and part-time working hours were associated with using deep approaches to learning. In Study 3, student identification was associated with increased status in society. Overall, discipline identification may be solely linked to academic outcomes, but student identification should be explored further as a potential enhancer of social and graduate outcomes. We discuss additional mechanisms that can help to transform working students’ experiences through their social identities and suggest boundary conditions that can affect the link between these identities and important outcomes.
... Specifically, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds tend to choose less prestigious faculties than their more affluent peers, even when they have the same level of prior school achievement. Furthermore, identity incompatibility was found to mediate the relationship between lower socioeconomic status and lower identification with one's university (Jetten et al., 2008;Matschke et al., 2022), less positive affect, greater levels of depressive symptoms (Iyer et al., 2009), lower social integration in university, as well as higher academic and social concerns (Veldman et al., 2019). When examining the effects of identity compatibility among younger students, a recent study emphasized its importance in explaining the achievement gap among youth from different socioeconomic backgrounds, suggesting its detrimental effects on educational equality which extends even beyond past performance (Easterbrook et al., 2022). ...
... This study aimed to investigate the potential role of identity compatibility in explaining the socioeconomic gap in educational aspirations. Previous research has indicated that adopting a social identity perspective when studying the educational outcomes of individuals from different social classes can provide insights into longstanding educational inequalities (Easterbrook & Hadden, 2021;Matschke et al., 2022;Veldman et al., 2019). Our findings contributed to previous literature by investigating, to our knowledge for the first time, whether identity compatibility can explain the social class educational aspiration gap between students of different socioeconomic backgrounds. ...
... Our findings contributed to previous literature by investigating, to our knowledge for the first time, whether identity compatibility can explain the social class educational aspiration gap between students of different socioeconomic backgrounds. In accordance with previous studies, we found that lower subjective socioeconomic status was related to lower levels of perceived identity compatibility between one's social class and future university identity (Iyer et al., 2009;Jetten et al., 2008;Veldman et al., 2019), which was in turn related to lower educational aspirations. Furthermore, we tested the comparative role of students' school achievement and their levels of identity compatibility in mediating the relationship between subjective socioeconomic status and educational aspirations. ...
Educational inequalities associated with differences in social class backgrounds remain stable in many Western societies, where students from lower social classes generally have lower academic prospects. Previous research suggested that psychological barriers could explain part of this social class attainment gap. This study aimed to investigate the role of identity compatibility in explaining the relationship between high school students' socioeconomic background and their educational aspirations. Identity compatibility is defined as perceived compatibility between students' socioeconomic background and a stereotype of a university student. A total of 362 high school students from Croatia completed an online survey that measured their subjective socioeconomic status, identity compatibility, educational aspirations, and their school achievement. The results showed positive associations between the students' subjective socioeconomic status and identity compatibility, which was, in turn, positively associated with their educational aspirations. The parallel multiple mediation model confirmed the significant indirect effect of subjective socioeconomic status on educational aspirations via identity compatibility, while the path via school achievement was not significant. These findings suggest that part of the social class educational aspiration gap could be explained by the perceived lack of compatibility between one's social class identity and future university student identity, potentially leading to lower university enrolment rates among lower social class students. Practical considerations of study results are discussed in terms of the potential of socio-psychological interventions in reducing the social class educational aspiration gap.
... Socioeconomic status (SES) encompasses individuals' economic and social positioning based on income, education, and occupation (Veldman et al., 2019). SES significantly affects students' academic performance by influencing access to resources, parental involvement, and overall learning environments. ...
... However, the result contrasts with studies such as those by Matschke et al. (2023) and Veldman et al. (2019), which emphasize the significant role of SES in shaping academic success. Discrepancies may arise from differences in contextual factors, such as parental involvement, availability of extracurricular resources, or institutional quality. ...
This study examines the influence of social identity factors—age, gender, and socioeconomic status—on the academic performance of Social Studies students in Colleges of Education in Delta State, Nigeria. Using a correlational design, data were collected from a purposive sample of 80 students, drawn from a population of 253 across two institutions. The Social Identity Group and Academic Performance Test (SIGAPT) and an academic test were used as instruments. Data analysis was conducted using the coefficient of determination for research questions and linear regression for hypothesis testing at a 0.05 significance level, with SPSS software. The findings revealed that age significantly influences academic performance (R2=0.166), accounting for 16.6% of the variance. This underscores the importance of cognitive development and maturity associated with age in educational success. In contrast, gender and socioeconomic status showed no significant relationship with academic performance, suggesting that institutional equality measures may mitigate traditional disparities. This study contributes uniquely to the field by addressing the underexplored domain of higher education, particularly in Colleges of Education, which are critical for teacher preparation. The findings highlight the need for age-sensitive educational interventions and sustained equity-focused policies to optimize academic outcomes. These insights are valuable for educators and policymakers in fostering inclusive and effective learning environments.
... Embarking on university education is a pivotal phase in a student's life (Veldman et al., 2019). It involves a transition from the familiar school environment to the unfamiliar terrain of higher education (Perry & Allard, 2003). ...
... These role and identity adaptations, along with the resulting academic and social difficulties, make the transition year 'a time of instability' (Liversage et al., 2018, p. 63) marked by psychological turmoil with its accompanying negative academic and emotional effects (Kahu & Picton, 2022). While the academic effects are evident in poor academic performance and achievement (Veldman et al., 2019), the emotional effects include fear, anxiety, stress and sleeplessness. Ding and Curtis (2021) even reported an extreme case where a student, overwhelmed by these academic difficulties and intense negative emotions, contemplated suicide. ...
Transition into university marks a crucial commencement in every student’s higher education journey. The experience is intricately linked to key issues such as the continuity of higher education beyond the first year and subsequent academic success. Recognizing its paramount significance, researchers have devoted substantial attention to comprehending the nature of university transition experience, resulting in a substantial body of research. However, a majority of this research has been conducted within anglophone contexts, addressing context-specific demands. Limited research exists within the Pakistani context. This exploratory study aims to fill this gap, employing a qualitative approach to investigate the university transition experience of a group of Pakistani students with rural background. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and subjected to thematic analyses. The findings underscore that the transition experience of these students is both academically and socially challenging. The root cause of these challenges lies in the incompatibility between the academic and social capital acquired in pre-university life and the dynamics of the university environment and culture. This incompatibility manifests in a dual-layered negative impact, constraining both academic success and social integration during the transition year, and precipitating psychological and emotional distress. Concurrently, the research unveils the mediating role of societal culture in engendering these challenges, as well as the students’ resilience in alleviating the adverse effects on their well-being.
... Largely, this was in the form of end of semester (1st or 2nd) or first year grades. Some studies, however, looked at individual module grades or even the number of credits taken (this was justified as a measure with more able/higher achievers typically taking more credits; Jones & Schreier, 2021;Veldman et al., 2019). As per the inclusion criteria, all studies collected data at multiple time points; however, 16 studies only had a 'quasi time 2' whereby they collected secondary grade data from institution records at a second point in time to the first data collection point. ...
... Speaking just English (the language that classes were taught in) had a positive association with achievement (Salamonson et al., 2016), indicating again that those not in the majority, who speak a different first language and/or multiple languages, are likely to achieve poorer grades. Generational status was also identified as a risk factor, with firstgeneration students (i.e. the first in their family to go to university) being associated with poorer grades (Veldman et al., 2019). A parent holding a higher educational level qualification is a protective factor and positively associated with achievement. ...
The transition to university is a time of great change and adjustment. The challenges of university life can lead to numerous negative consequences for the students. Despite the importance of successful transition for both the student and the university, the current body of literature comprises methodological inconsistencies and disparate analytical goals that make it difficult to identify the most salient and effective factors that help predict transition success. This paper presents a systematic review of research linking personal level risk and protective factors to the outcome of academic achievement among students making the transition to university. This is part of a larger review, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and Synthesis Without Meta-analysis (SWiM) guidelines, preregistered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO, CRD42022330515), searching PsychInfo, Web of Science, and ERIC databases. Records were included if they studied ‘traditional’ first year students transitioning to university and were longitudinal in design and excluded if they looked at specific subgroups of students (e.g. international students). The search yielded 27 articles that were eligible, highlighting a broad range of salient factors ranging from personality traits to procrastination and perfectionism. The findings are discussed in relation to moving the research forward towards an intervention to enhance the probability of successful student transition to university.
... As an example, commencing employment can be associated with entering adulthood and taking on additional responsibilities, whereas being a student may be associated with having free time and fun [25]. Because experiencing identity incompatibility can be associated with decreasing identification with one of the incompatible identities [95] and lower academic achievement [96], future research can examine whether the different identities we examined are perceived as incompatible and whether this affects the academic, social, and graduate employability outcomes of working students. ...
Previous literature has linked working for pay while attending university with negative academic and health outcomes, yet working students are often resilient when experiencing such adverse circumstances. This makes it crucial to explore potential psychological mechanisms which transform adverse experiences into sources of motivation and persistence for working students. We explore one mechanism – social identification – and its different foci – identifying as a student, employee, working student, or as a student of one’s discipline of study – as potential predictors of important academic (academic self-efficacy, approaches to learning, and academic achievement) and social (status in society) outcomes in three cross-sectional studies. In Study 1, part-time working hours (but not identification processes) were associated with academic self-efficacy. In Study 2, discipline identification and part-time working hours were associated with using deep approaches to learning. In Study 3, student identification was associated with increased status in society. Overall, discipline identification may be solely linked to academic outcomes, yet student identification should be explored further as a potential enhancer of social and graduate outcomes. We discuss additional mechanisms which can help to transform working students’ experiences through their social identities and suggest boundary conditions which can affect the link between these identities and important outcomes.
... This covers a host of aspects. They need to become aware of availability of resources and how to access them: Knowing what academic support services are available, knowing how to prepare for assessments, how to engage with assessment feedback, and how to utilise a university's infrastructure (Hast, 2021;Veldman, Meeussen and van Laar, 2019). In addition, they need to understand specific processes of information search beyond simple internet sites and how to engage with a wealth of scholarly sources towards a demonstration of their learningsomething of which many students transitioning into HE have little to no experience (Hughes et al., 2018;Wilson et al., 2016). ...
This chapter addresses teaching of academic literacy skills that non-traditional students may need in their Higher Education study. These students are, based on their life experiences, more likely to leave Higher Education without a degree, or are more likely to achieve below their potential. Yet these non-traditional students often possess powerful skill sets that are not directly relevant to Higher Education, skills that they have been able to develop through various life situations, often ones of adverse nature. We argue that literacy skills courses in Higher Education can and should draw on skills such as resilience and everyday solving of challenging situations to empower students during their degrees.
The UMHC Framework was created to provide greater, evidence-informed clarity about the ways in which universities could develop their whole-university approaches to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of staff and students. The second edition of the Charter has been updated to reflect research and guidance published since the release of the first edition in 2019.
Purpose
The study explores Degree Apprenticeship Identity (DAI) conceptualisation to enrich understanding to enhance work-integrated learning (WIL). Lived experiences of degree apprentices (DAs) are examined, and a model of DAI developed to support teaching and learning interventions on this relatively new and significant programme.
Design/methodology/approach
It draws pragmatically upon qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship from diverse backgrounds in a higher education institutes (HEI). Data were explored abductively, using thematic analysis to investigate common patterns that influence identity; investigating personal experiences, socio-economic and cultural background, educational context and social interactions.
Findings
Influential themes surfaced, including pride in work, supporting others, sharing experiences and belonging, facilitating DAI model formation. The model illustrates that DAI is composed of existing personal, necessary professional and power of learning transformation through social identity by interventions that encourage peer engagement, group reflection and group-actualisation.
Research limitations/implications
As this is a small-scale exploratory study, it is not intended to be representative of wider populations, which results in generalisability of findings. Data were collected from a well-established closed cohort programme led by the researcher, previously programme director. Interviews generated a broad range of anecdotal evidence, surfacing valuable insights relating to DAI formation.
Practical implications
To enhance WIL, tutors can foster social interventions that encourage peer dialogue, heighten DAs sense of self as capable learners and increase confidence growth.
Originality/value
The research provides a DAI Model, a fresh approach to understanding ways to enhance WIL for DAs through a stronger focus on group identity through social interventions. This preliminary model presents an opportunity for further research; other apprenticeships, larger and/or open cohorts.
The study aimed to determine the levels of the quality of academic life factors (quality of professors, quality of courses, quality of university services, and quality of classmates). The study also aimed to examine the role of the quality of academic life in predicting students' academic identity. The study also sought to test the differences in academic identity based on students' majors, levels, mother's and father's education levels. The researcher used the Quality of Academic Life Scale developed by the researcher and the Academic Identity Scale (Al-Zubaidi, 2019) among (563) female students. Results found that the level of the quality of academic life was high. Students reported the quality of professors as the highest responses, followed by the quality of courses, then the quality of classmates, and finally the quality of university services. The results also found that all the quality of academic life factors had an impact on students' academic identity except the quality of university services. Finally, The results indicated no statistically significant differences in academic identity attributed to students' academic level, major, and mother's education level. However, there were statistically significant differences in academic identity attributed to the father's education level.
Many college students abandon their goal of completing a degree in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) when confronted with challenging introductory-level science courses. In the U.S., this trend is more pronounced for underrepresented minority (URM) and first-generation (FG) students, and contributes to persisting racial and social-class achievement gaps in higher education. Previous intervention studies have focused exclusively on race or social class, but have not examined how the 2 may be confounded and interact. This research therefore investigates the independent and interactive effects of race and social class as moderators of an intervention designed to promote performance, measured by grade in the course. In a double-blind randomized experiment conducted over 4 semesters of an introductory biology course (N = 1,040), we tested the effectiveness of a utility-value intervention in which students wrote about the personal relevance of course material. The utility-value intervention was successful in reducing the achievement gap for FG-URM students by 61%: the performance gap for FG-URM students, relative to continuing generation (CG)-Majority students, was large in the control condition, .84 grade points (d = .98), and the treatment effect for FG-URM students was .51 grade points (d = 0.55). The UV intervention helped students from all groups find utility value in the course content, and mediation analyses showed that the process of writing about utility value was particularly powerful for FG-URM students. Results highlight the importance of intersectionality in examining the independent and interactive effects of race and social class when evaluating interventions to close achievement gaps and the mechanisms through which they may operate. (PsycINFO Database Record
According to recent research, university not only has the role to educate and train students, it also has the role to select the best students. We argue that this function of selection disadvantages first-generation students, in comparison with continuing-generation students. Thus, the mere activation of the function of selection should be sufficient to produce achievement differences between first-generation and continuing-generation students in a novel academic task. Furthermore, we propose that when the function of selection is salient, first-generation students would be more vigilant to a cue that may confirm their inferiority, which should explain their underperformance. In the present experiment, participants were asked to complete an arithmetic modular task under two conditions, which either made the function of selection salient or reduced its importance. Participants’ vigilance to a threatening cue (i.e., their performance relative to others) was measured through an eye-tracking technique. The results confirmed that first-generation students performed more poorly compared to continuing-generation students only when the function of selection was salient while no differences appeared in the no-selection condition. Regarding vigilance, the results did not confirm our hypothesis; thus, mediation path could not be tested. However, results indicated that at a high level of initial performance, first-generation students looked more often at the threatening cue. In others words, these students seemed more concerned about whether they were performing more poorly than others compared to their continuing-generation counterparts. Some methodological issues are discussed, notably regarding the measure of vigilance.
Students from low social-class background often struggle to adapt to university. Previous research shows that perceived incompatibility between social-class background identity and student identity is one reason, but little is known about the underlying causes of identity incompatibility. In three studies, we expected and found that students with low subjective social-class background perceived their values differently from other students, but also differently from people back home, and both increased identity incompatibility. Identity incompatibility negatively affected the student identity. Additionally, the current research also identifies specific patterns of norm and value differences that are prone to perceived identity incompatibility. The findings demonstrate that perceived differences in values from both groups are important mechanisms for identity incompatibility induced by the transition to university that may affect student identities and potentially their university trajectories.
Rationale:
Recent meta-analytic research indicates that social support and social integration are highly protective against mortality, and that their importance is comparable to, or exceeds, that of many established behavioural risks such as smoking, high alcohol consumption, lack of exercise, and obesity that are the traditional focus of medical research (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2010). The present study examines perceptions of the contribution of these various factors to life expectancy within the community at large.
Method:
American and British community respondents (N = 502) completed an on-line survey assessing the perceived importance of social and behavioural risk factors for mortality.
Results:
As hypothesized, while respondents' perceptions of the importance of established behavioural risks was positively and highly correlated with their actual importance, social factors were seen to be far less important for health than they actually are. As a result, overall, there was a small but significant negative correlation between the perceived benefits and the actual benefits of different social and behavioural factors. Men, younger participants, and participants with a lower level of education were more likely to underestimate the importance of social factors for health. There was also evidence that underestimation was predicted by a cluster of ideological factors, the most significant of which was respondents' respect for prevailing convention and authorities as captured by Right-Wing Authoritarianism.
Conclusion:
Findings suggest that while people generally underestimate the importance of social factors for health this also varies as a function of demographic and ideological factors. They point to a range of challenges confronting those who seek to promote greater awareness of the importance of social factors for health.
Organizational Identity presents the classic works on organizational identity alongside more current thinking on the issues. Ranging from theoretical contributions to empirical studies, the readings in this volume address the key issues of organizational identity, and show how these issues have developed through contributions from such diverse fields of study as sociology, psychology, management studies and cultural studies. The readings examine questions such as how organizations understand who they are, why organizations develop a sense of identity and belonging where the boundaries of identity lie and the implications of postmodern and critical theories' challenges to the concept of identity as deeply-rooted and authentic. Includes work by: Stuart Albert, Mats Alvesson, Blake E. Ashforth, Marilynn B. Brewer, George Cheney, Lars Thoger Christensen, C.H. Cooley, Kevin G. Corley, Barbara Czarniawska, Janet M. Dukerich, Jane E. Dutton, Kimberly D. Elsbach, Wendi Gardner, Linda E. Ginzela, Dennis A. Gioia, E. Goffman, Karen Golden-Biddle, Mary Jo Hatch, Roderick M. Kramer, Fred Rael, G.H. Mead, Michael G. Pratt, Anat Rafaeli, Hayagreeva Rao, Majken Schultz, Howard S. Schwartz, Robert I. Sutton, Henri Taijfel, John Turner, David A. Wherren, and Hugh Willmott. Intended to provide easy access to this material for students of organizational identity, it will also be of interest more broadly to students of business, sociology and psychology.
Efforts to promote women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) require a clearer understanding of the experience of social identity threat outside academic contexts. Although social identity threat has been widely studied among students, very little research has examined how the phenomenon occurs naturalistically among working professionals in ways that could undermine productivity and well-being. The present research employed daily diary methodology to examine conversations with colleagues as triggers of social identity threat among a sample of 44 male and 52 female working engineers. Results of multilevel modeling revealed that (1) women (but not men) reported greater daily experiences of social identity threat on days when their conversations with male (but not female) colleagues cued feelings of incompetence and a lack of acceptance, and (2) these daily fluctuations of social identity threat predicted daily levels of mental exhaustion and psychological burnout. The implications for social identity threat in working professionals are discussed.