What is it about?
College students who are low-income in the U.S. experience classism in higher education. In response, these students may conceal or manage their social class backgrounds. We examined the contexts and daily strategies used by students to conceal their social class.
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Why is it important?
We used a daily diary design to identify the events, people, and behaviors that are related to students' concealment of their social class. Students used these strategies to conceal: a) selective or nondisclosure, b) impression enhancement, and c) disengagement from others. Students also concealed their identities most frequently with their peers and those perceived to have higher social statuses. Our findings illustrate the pervasiveness of classism in college and we offer suggestions for institutions and practitioners to remedy these barriers for students who are low-income.
Perspectives
This paper is a result of my dissertation project and I am so thrilled to be able to share these findings and recommendations with the public. I am grateful for the engagement of the students who participated in the study and for their stories -- I hope you find them compelling too!
Mun Yuk Chin
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Social class concealment: A daily diary study of college students with low income., Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, March 2023, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/dhe0000480.
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