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Re‐Establishing the Social‐Class Order: Restorative Reactions against High‐Achieving, Low‐SES Pupils

Year: 2017

Type: article

Abstract: This research investigates a barrier faced by low‐SES pupils who are on an upward social mobility trajectory: resistance to their high‐achiever status. We hypothesize that, as they disconfirm the usual social‐class academic disparities (i.e., high‐SES on average outperform low‐SES pupils), they threaten the status quo and induce restorative reactions that may hinder their chances of success. Experiment 1 showed that participants remembered less accurately information about pupils when low‐SES pupils were presented as outperforming high‐SES pupils than when the reverse was true. The errors appeared to be congruent with existing social hierarchies. In Experiment 2, preservice teachers assessed a test supposedly produced by a low‐ versus high‐SES pupil who was presented as being either high or low achieving. The evaluation was harshest when the test was produced by a high‐achieving low‐SES pupil. These results suggest that people attempt to recreate the social‐class academic hierarchy when it is challenged.

Source: Journal of Social Issues

DOI: 10.1111/josi.12203

Authors: Anatolia Batruch, Frédérique Autin, Fabrizio Butera

Institutions: University of Lausanne, Université de Poitiers

Language: English

Topic: Social and Cultural Dynamics

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Quality education

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Science Foundation, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Université de Lausanne