Understanding the Individual in Context: Socioeconomic Inequality in College Students’ Perspectives

Abstract

Knowledge about whether and how students’ dispositions and ways of thinking are shaped by higher education has expanded rapidly in recent years. Drawing from in-depth interviews with 104 college students at a large public university in the United States, this study examined how participants described the relationship between individual experiences and social, historical, and political contexts. Findings indicate that most students understood the world in ways that were in conflict with stated university goals to foster understanding of the connections between individuals and broader contextual factors. The perspectives that emerged varied by socioeconomic status. Less socioeconomically advantaged students placed an emphasis on individual responsibility in ways that evoked self-blame for struggles. More socioeconomically advantaged students, by contrast, relied on contextualized explanations of their own lived experiences but refused to extend those explanations to understand the experiences of others. These perspectives contribute to the reproduction of inequality as students move through and beyond college. Presented findings extend conversations about how the potential transformative impact of higher education may be undermined by neoliberalism and marketization, which have reshaped the distribution of opportunities and resources in postsecondary institutions. Implications for addressing this inequality by framing education in more holistic ways are discussed.