Class Act: Examining the Association Between Social Class Discrimination and Adolescent Academic Achievement Among Adolescents

• In Event: Time, Skin, and Class: Emerging Constructs in Human Development

Abstract

This study investigated the association between social class discrimination and academic achievement among adolescents. Social class discrimination refers to the bias or prejudice one experiences because of their disadvantaged social class (Liu et al 2004; Langhout et al., 2009). For adolescents, social class refers to familial education, occupation, and household income (Diemer et al., 2013). Adolescents who are disadvantaged in social class have lower academic achievement and are more likely to drop out of school than their counterparts (Sirin, 2005). However, there is a gap in the literature regarding how social class discrimination might explain the association between social class and academic outcomes among adolescents, and how such associations may be moderated by intersectional identities. Thus, we addressed the following research questions: First, how is social class discrimination associated with academic achievement among adolescents? Second, how is the association between social class discrimination and academic achievement moderated by age, gender, race/ethnicity, or social class?

Cross-sectional data were collected from 1,678 adolescents aged 13 to 18 years (Mage = 15.97; SDage = 1.23). Participants identified as cisgender men (48.15%), cisgender women (42.61%), transgender men (0.95%), transgender women, (0.60%), and non-binary/enby individuals (2.5%). Multiple racial/ethnic groups were reported: American Indian or Alaskan Native (1.01%), Asian-American (19.30%), Black or African American (5.66%), European American/White (13.95%), Hispanic or Latinx, or Latino (43.74%), Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (0.60%), Multi-ethnic/racial (10.61%), other (3.86%). Anonymous surveys were administered in two Californian public high schools in 2021. Social class was measured with a single item that addressed maternal education because it is a valid indicator and reliably reported by adolescents (Diemer et al., 2013). Social class discrimination was measured using a 13-item scale (α = 0.95) with the prompt “How often have you experienced each of the following because of the money, schooling, or jobs your parents have?” The items included instances such as "Hassled by the police" and "Called insulting names.” Response options ranged from 1 (rarely) to 5 (often). Academic achievement was assessed with grade point average (M = 3.21, SD = 0.80). Covariates included age, gender, race/ethnicity, school, and maternal education.

Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between social class discrimination and academic achievement. The first block included age, gender, race/ethnicity, maternal education, and school. The second block added social class discrimination. Findings indicated that social class discrimination was negatively associated with academic achievement (Table 1). Moderation analyses indicated that the association between social class discrimination and academic achievement did not vary by gender, race/ethnicity, or social class. However, age was a significant moderator (Table 2). Specifically, the association was stronger for younger adolescents (aged 13-16) compared to older adolescents (aged 17-18).

Findings highlight the critical association between social class discrimination and academic achievement among adolescents. Our research underscores the need for developing targeted interventions for reducing class-based bias and assisting adolescents in navigating challenges posed by social class discrimination. Addressing this form of discrimination holds the potential to improve the immediate academic outcomes and long-term educational trajectories of adolescents.

Authors

• Zena R. Mello, San Francisco State University

• Sean Hennigan, San Francisco State University

• Vani Kakar, San Francisco State University