Class Dismissed: Examining Social Class Discrimination and Academic Achievement Among Adolescents

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Developmental Psychology
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Global economic inequality is increasing, with social class (income, education, occupation) strongly linked to academic success.
• The impact of social class discrimination on adolescent academic achievement remains under-explored.
• This study addresses the knowledge gap concerning social class discrimination and its association with academic outcomes in adolescents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between social class discrimination and academic achievement among adolescents.
• To identify potential moderating factors in this relationship, such as age and social class.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a validated scale measuring overt and subtle social class discrimination from various sources (peers, school personnel, clerks).
• Collected data in 2022 from 1678 U.S. adolescents (aged 13-18), using maternal education as the social class indicator.
• Employed hierarchical regression and moderation analyses, controlling for social class, age, and race/ethnicity.

Main Results:

• Social class discrimination showed a significant negative association with academic achievement, independent of social class, age, and race/ethnicity.
• Moderation analyses revealed that the negative impact of social class discrimination was more pronounced in younger adolescents (under 15) compared to older ones (over 17).
• The association between social class discrimination and academic achievement was stronger for adolescents who were more socially advantaged than for those who were disadvantaged.

Conclusions:

• Social class discrimination is demonstrably linked to lower academic achievement in adolescents, even when controlling for socioeconomic status.
• These findings introduce a novel mechanism potentially disrupting the well-established link between social class and academic outcomes.
• Future research should focus on developing interventions and programs aimed at eradicating social class discrimination to improve educational equity.