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Journal of Latinos and Education
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The Radical Teacher
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First-generation and low-income students have been an important subject of research in the sociology of higher education due to the particular struggles and needs that these groups face. Diversification of elite campuses have called into question the experiences that these types of students have-many of whom come from working-class backgrounds. Understanding elite institutions of higher education as platforms for social mobility, lower-income students are provided with the opportunity to escalate in the socioeconomic ladder. In this research paper, I study the social identity of working-class students at Harvard College. I begin with the assumption, provided by the literature, that working-class students undergo a transformation of social class identity. My key question is how these students navigate their social class at a place as diverse and as wealthy as Harvard. I interviewed ten students who self-identified as first-generation and in the lower side of the socioeconomic ladder. I found that most students relate to people who share their social class background, that their social class identity while in college is hard to define, and that they prioritize financial stability over giving-back when thinking of post-graduation jobs. I also found that they are very critical about the values and morals someone who goes into a high-paying job must have. Families are not part of their social class transformation.
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British Journal of Sociology of Education
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Sociology of Education
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