Classifying On the Margins: The Perverse Effects of Negative Labels among Advantaged Groups

• In Event: 1211 - The Culture of Schooling

Abstract

For whom does the stigma of a negative ability label have the most power? Because research on the effects of labeling frequently focuses on low status groups (e.g., minorities, poor, disabled), prior research implies that those with the same negative-ability label are ubiquitously affected. However, qualitative researchers document the harder-hitting effects of self blame and internalized labels among members of higher status groups who have "fallen from grace" (Newman 1999; Sharone 2013). In this study, I turn to the empirical case of ADHD diagnoses to examine labeling effects between children with minor ADHD behaviors, some of whom may be unnecessarily or mis-diagnosed, for example, in response to academic pressures and children with severe behavior problems whose classification is uncontested and salient. I identify labeling effects by diagnosed and undiagnosed children with the same teacher- and parent-rated behavior problems and cognitive development at school entry. Analyzing data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K), I find that diagnosed children with more minor ADHD symptoms experience the most heightened levels of learning-related behavior problems and lower levels of academic achievement following diagnosis, especially in terms of math test scores. Surprisingly, negative labeling effects extend to children with less severe ADHD behaviors who receive medication and come from families with college-educated mothers. Poorer learning-related behaviors following diagnosis -- even with medication -- partly explains lowered math performance. Theoretically, I propose that labeling exerts the largest effects among those least likely to receive other labels who are therefore least prepared to deal with the social and psychological burdens. Building on prior research documenting how individuals on the margins for receiving a negative label internalize the label as a part of their identity, I find some support for the underlying behavioral mechanism that leads to lower performance.

Author

• Jayanti Johanna Owens, Brown University