Upper-middle-class Careerists and Working-class Idealists? Social class, college values, and curricular choices

• In Event: 3213 - Problems in Educational Decision-Making

Abstract

This study examines how academic decision-making, specifically college course selection, is shaped by class-cultural background. While choices are somewhat constrained by scheduling and their program of study, there is still latitude regarding electives and professors. Such decisions draw on beliefs about the purpose and value of higher education, which research suggests varies by social class. Today, however, about a third of first-generation students major in the liberal arts, while continuing generation students are increasingly likely to trade English and Art History for business or pre-med. This paper draws on data from semi-structured interviews with 68 working- and upper-middle-class liberal arts majors at two moderately-selective public universities in the Northeast. A large majority of interviewees believed college coursework would help them achieve well-roundedness and personal development, claiming to value these as much as labor market returns to the degree. However, in practice, only working-class students chose classes in a way that was consistent with a liberal education ethos, while upper-middle-class students prioritized postgraduate success by selecting for reputed "easy A" courses and career prep. These data directly challenge common sense explanations as well as existing studies on the relationship of class background and college beliefs, values, and decisions. I theorize these counterintuitive findings by placing careerism and credentialism in the context of cultural capital theory and social reproduction theory.

Author

• Mary Larue Scherer, Sam Houston State University