Support (and rejection) of meritocracy as a self‐enhancement identity strategy: A qualitative study of university students’ perceptions about meritocracy in higher education
Access to Higher Education (HE) is based on the idea that all students should have the same opportunities, and that merit and hard work, regardless of students’ backgrounds, will lead to success. However, inequalities remain despite efforts to provide equal access to HE, raising questions about the...
Gespeichert in:
| Veröffentlicht in: | European journal of social psychology 2023-06, Vol.53 (4), p.595-611 |
|---|---|
| Hauptverfasser: | , , |
| Format: | Artikel |
| Sprache: | eng |
| Schlagworte: | |
| Online-Zugang: | Volltext |
| Tags: |
Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
|
| container_end_page | 611 |
|---|---|
| container_issue | 4 |
| container_start_page | 595 |
| container_title | European journal of social psychology |
| container_volume | 53 |
| creator | Fernández, Daniela P. Ryan, Michelle K. Begeny, Christopher T. |
| description | Access to Higher Education (HE) is based on the idea that all students should have the same opportunities, and that merit and hard work, regardless of students’ backgrounds, will lead to success. However, inequalities remain despite efforts to provide equal access to HE, raising questions about the validity of such a meritocratic approach. Using qualitative analysis, we interviewed UK university students to understand students’ perceptions of meritocracy in HE, and if and how students associated these perceptions with their gender and subjective socioeconomic status identity experiences. Students’ perceptions could be described in two main ideas: (a) the perceived commitment of their universities to meritocracy, and (b) their endorsement and rejection of meritocracy as an identity enhancement strategy. Hence, both support and lack of support for meritocracy are strategies used by disadvantaged groups to navigate and cope with the lack of opportunities and socioeconomic disadvantages in HE. |
| doi_str_mv | 10.1002/ejsp.2925 |
| format | Article |
| fullrecord | <record><control><sourceid>proquest_cross</sourceid><recordid>TN_cdi_proquest_journals_2825342933</recordid><sourceformat>XML</sourceformat><sourcesystem>PC</sourcesystem><sourcerecordid>2825342933</sourcerecordid><originalsourceid>FETCH-LOGICAL-c3325-5f492afd11689f1564534eec0e86376ff99a5ce88c17e643c526da5dab9002a03</originalsourceid><addsrcrecordid>eNp1kb1OwzAUhS0EEqUw8AaWWGBI69iJG7MhxK-QQALmyHWuW1dtEvwDysYjsPIYvFKfBIeyMDDY1rW-c450D0KHKRmlhNAxLFw7ooLmW2iQEiGSeOg2GhCS8YROJnQX7Tm3IIQIztkAfT2Gtm2sx8eyrrCFBShvmvoENxqvwBrfKCtVh6XDEjtY6vX7B9RzWStYQe2xqeJtfIedt9LDrDvFZ_glyKXx0ptXiP-h6nq3UMfRug0beplbv3_iFqyCts-MCdMm-D-xpsZzM5uDxVAFJXtsH-1ouXRw8PsO0fPlxdP5dXJ3f3VzfnaXKMZonuQ6E1TqKk15IXSa8yxnGYAiUHA24VoLIXMFRaHSCfCMqZzySuaVnIq4R0nYEB1tfFvbvARwvlw0wdYxsqQFjWZUMBapkw2lbOOcBV221qyk7cqUlH0jZd9I2TcS2fGGfTNL6P4Hy4vbx4cfxTd6R5SL</addsrcrecordid><sourcetype>Aggregation Database</sourcetype><iscdi>true</iscdi><recordtype>article</recordtype><pqid>2825342933</pqid></control><display><type>article</type><title>Support (and rejection) of meritocracy as a self‐enhancement identity strategy: A qualitative study of university students’ perceptions about meritocracy in higher education</title><source>Wiley Online Library Journals Frontfile Complete</source><source>Sociological Abstracts</source><source>Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts (ASSIA)</source><creator>Fernández, Daniela P. ; Ryan, Michelle K. ; Begeny, Christopher T.</creator><creatorcontrib>Fernández, Daniela P. ; Ryan, Michelle K. ; Begeny, Christopher T.</creatorcontrib><description>Access to Higher Education (HE) is based on the idea that all students should have the same opportunities, and that merit and hard work, regardless of students’ backgrounds, will lead to success. However, inequalities remain despite efforts to provide equal access to HE, raising questions about the validity of such a meritocratic approach. Using qualitative analysis, we interviewed UK university students to understand students’ perceptions of meritocracy in HE, and if and how students associated these perceptions with their gender and subjective socioeconomic status identity experiences. Students’ perceptions could be described in two main ideas: (a) the perceived commitment of their universities to meritocracy, and (b) their endorsement and rejection of meritocracy as an identity enhancement strategy. Hence, both support and lack of support for meritocracy are strategies used by disadvantaged groups to navigate and cope with the lack of opportunities and socioeconomic disadvantages in HE.</description><identifier>ISSN: 0046-2772</identifier><identifier>EISSN: 1099-0992</identifier><identifier>DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.2925</identifier><language>eng</language><publisher>Bognor Regis: Wiley Subscription Services, Inc</publisher><subject>Access to education ; College students ; Colleges & universities ; Disadvantaged ; gender ; Gender identity ; Higher education ; Identity ; individual mobility ; Inequality ; Meritocracy ; Minority groups ; Occupational achievement ; Perceptions ; Qualitative research ; social identities ; Socioeconomic status ; University students</subject><ispartof>European journal of social psychology, 2023-06, Vol.53 (4), p.595-611</ispartof><rights>2022 The Authors. published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.</rights><rights>2022. This article is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.</rights><lds50>peer_reviewed</lds50><oa>free_for_read</oa><woscitedreferencessubscribed>false</woscitedreferencessubscribed><citedby>FETCH-LOGICAL-c3325-5f492afd11689f1564534eec0e86376ff99a5ce88c17e643c526da5dab9002a03</citedby><cites>FETCH-LOGICAL-c3325-5f492afd11689f1564534eec0e86376ff99a5ce88c17e643c526da5dab9002a03</cites><orcidid>0000-0003-0620-6926</orcidid></display><links><openurl>$$Topenurl_article</openurl><openurlfulltext>$$Topenurlfull_article</openurlfulltext><thumbnail>$$Tsyndetics_thumb_exl</thumbnail><linktopdf>$$Uhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002%2Fejsp.2925$$EPDF$$P50$$Gwiley$$Hfree_for_read</linktopdf><linktohtml>$$Uhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002%2Fejsp.2925$$EHTML$$P50$$Gwiley$$Hfree_for_read</linktohtml><link.rule.ids>314,776,780,1411,27903,27904,30978,33753,45553,45554</link.rule.ids></links><search><creatorcontrib>Fernández, Daniela P.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Ryan, Michelle K.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Begeny, Christopher T.</creatorcontrib><title>Support (and rejection) of meritocracy as a self‐enhancement identity strategy: A qualitative study of university students’ perceptions about meritocracy in higher education</title><title>European journal of social psychology</title><description>Access to Higher Education (HE) is based on the idea that all students should have the same opportunities, and that merit and hard work, regardless of students’ backgrounds, will lead to success. However, inequalities remain despite efforts to provide equal access to HE, raising questions about the validity of such a meritocratic approach. Using qualitative analysis, we interviewed UK university students to understand students’ perceptions of meritocracy in HE, and if and how students associated these perceptions with their gender and subjective socioeconomic status identity experiences. Students’ perceptions could be described in two main ideas: (a) the perceived commitment of their universities to meritocracy, and (b) their endorsement and rejection of meritocracy as an identity enhancement strategy. Hence, both support and lack of support for meritocracy are strategies used by disadvantaged groups to navigate and cope with the lack of opportunities and socioeconomic disadvantages in HE.</description><subject>Access to education</subject><subject>College students</subject><subject>Colleges & universities</subject><subject>Disadvantaged</subject><subject>gender</subject><subject>Gender identity</subject><subject>Higher education</subject><subject>Identity</subject><subject>individual mobility</subject><subject>Inequality</subject><subject>Meritocracy</subject><subject>Minority groups</subject><subject>Occupational achievement</subject><subject>Perceptions</subject><subject>Qualitative research</subject><subject>social identities</subject><subject>Socioeconomic status</subject><subject>University students</subject><issn>0046-2772</issn><issn>1099-0992</issn><fulltext>true</fulltext><rsrctype>article</rsrctype><creationdate>2023</creationdate><recordtype>article</recordtype><sourceid>24P</sourceid><sourceid>WIN</sourceid><sourceid>7QJ</sourceid><sourceid>BHHNA</sourceid><recordid>eNp1kb1OwzAUhS0EEqUw8AaWWGBI69iJG7MhxK-QQALmyHWuW1dtEvwDysYjsPIYvFKfBIeyMDDY1rW-c450D0KHKRmlhNAxLFw7ooLmW2iQEiGSeOg2GhCS8YROJnQX7Tm3IIQIztkAfT2Gtm2sx8eyrrCFBShvmvoENxqvwBrfKCtVh6XDEjtY6vX7B9RzWStYQe2xqeJtfIedt9LDrDvFZ_glyKXx0ptXiP-h6nq3UMfRug0beplbv3_iFqyCts-MCdMm-D-xpsZzM5uDxVAFJXtsH-1ouXRw8PsO0fPlxdP5dXJ3f3VzfnaXKMZonuQ6E1TqKk15IXSa8yxnGYAiUHA24VoLIXMFRaHSCfCMqZzySuaVnIq4R0nYEB1tfFvbvARwvlw0wdYxsqQFjWZUMBapkw2lbOOcBV221qyk7cqUlH0jZd9I2TcS2fGGfTNL6P4Hy4vbx4cfxTd6R5SL</recordid><startdate>202306</startdate><enddate>202306</enddate><creator>Fernández, Daniela P.</creator><creator>Ryan, Michelle K.</creator><creator>Begeny, Christopher T.</creator><general>Wiley Subscription Services, Inc</general><scope>24P</scope><scope>WIN</scope><scope>AAYXX</scope><scope>CITATION</scope><scope>7QJ</scope><scope>7U4</scope><scope>8BJ</scope><scope>BHHNA</scope><scope>DWI</scope><scope>FQK</scope><scope>JBE</scope><scope>WZK</scope><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0620-6926</orcidid></search><sort><creationdate>202306</creationdate><title>Support (and rejection) of meritocracy as a self‐enhancement identity strategy: A qualitative study of university students’ perceptions about meritocracy in higher education</title><author>Fernández, Daniela P. ; Ryan, Michelle K. ; Begeny, Christopher T.</author></sort><facets><frbrtype>5</frbrtype><frbrgroupid>cdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-c3325-5f492afd11689f1564534eec0e86376ff99a5ce88c17e643c526da5dab9002a03</frbrgroupid><rsrctype>articles</rsrctype><prefilter>articles</prefilter><language>eng</language><creationdate>2023</creationdate><topic>Access to education</topic><topic>College students</topic><topic>Colleges & universities</topic><topic>Disadvantaged</topic><topic>gender</topic><topic>Gender identity</topic><topic>Higher education</topic><topic>Identity</topic><topic>individual mobility</topic><topic>Inequality</topic><topic>Meritocracy</topic><topic>Minority groups</topic><topic>Occupational achievement</topic><topic>Perceptions</topic><topic>Qualitative research</topic><topic>social identities</topic><topic>Socioeconomic status</topic><topic>University students</topic><toplevel>peer_reviewed</toplevel><toplevel>online_resources</toplevel><creatorcontrib>Fernández, Daniela P.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Ryan, Michelle K.</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Begeny, Christopher T.</creatorcontrib><collection>Wiley Online Library Open Access</collection><collection>Wiley Free Content</collection><collection>CrossRef</collection><collection>Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts (ASSIA)</collection><collection>Sociological Abstracts (pre-2017)</collection><collection>International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS)</collection><collection>Sociological Abstracts</collection><collection>Sociological Abstracts</collection><collection>International Bibliography of the Social Sciences</collection><collection>International Bibliography of the Social Sciences</collection><collection>Sociological Abstracts (Ovid)</collection><jtitle>European journal of social psychology</jtitle></facets><delivery><delcategory>Remote Search Resource</delcategory><fulltext>fulltext</fulltext></delivery><addata><au>Fernández, Daniela P.</au><au>Ryan, Michelle K.</au><au>Begeny, Christopher T.</au><format>journal</format><genre>article</genre><ristype>JOUR</ristype><atitle>Support (and rejection) of meritocracy as a self‐enhancement identity strategy: A qualitative study of university students’ perceptions about meritocracy in higher education</atitle><jtitle>European journal of social psychology</jtitle><date>2023-06</date><risdate>2023</risdate><volume>53</volume><issue>4</issue><spage>595</spage><epage>611</epage><pages>595-611</pages><issn>0046-2772</issn><eissn>1099-0992</eissn><abstract>Access to Higher Education (HE) is based on the idea that all students should have the same opportunities, and that merit and hard work, regardless of students’ backgrounds, will lead to success. However, inequalities remain despite efforts to provide equal access to HE, raising questions about the validity of such a meritocratic approach. Using qualitative analysis, we interviewed UK university students to understand students’ perceptions of meritocracy in HE, and if and how students associated these perceptions with their gender and subjective socioeconomic status identity experiences. Students’ perceptions could be described in two main ideas: (a) the perceived commitment of their universities to meritocracy, and (b) their endorsement and rejection of meritocracy as an identity enhancement strategy. Hence, both support and lack of support for meritocracy are strategies used by disadvantaged groups to navigate and cope with the lack of opportunities and socioeconomic disadvantages in HE.</abstract><cop>Bognor Regis</cop><pub>Wiley Subscription Services, Inc</pub><doi>10.1002/ejsp.2925</doi><tpages>17</tpages><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0620-6926</orcidid><oa>free_for_read</oa></addata></record> |
| fulltext | fulltext |
| identifier | ISSN: 0046-2772 |
| ispartof | European journal of social psychology, 2023-06, Vol.53 (4), p.595-611 |
| issn | 0046-2772 1099-0992 |
| language | eng |
| recordid | cdi_proquest_journals_2825342933 |
| source | Wiley Online Library Journals Frontfile Complete; Sociological Abstracts; Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts (ASSIA) |
| subjects | Access to education College students Colleges & universities Disadvantaged gender Gender identity Higher education Identity individual mobility Inequality Meritocracy Minority groups Occupational achievement Perceptions Qualitative research social identities Socioeconomic status University students |
| title | Support (and rejection) of meritocracy as a self‐enhancement identity strategy: A qualitative study of university students’ perceptions about meritocracy in higher education |
| url | https://sfx.bib-bvb.de/sfx_tum?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_tim=2025-01-23T14%3A08%3A39IST&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=infofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rfr_id=info:sid/primo.exlibrisgroup.com:primo3-Article-proquest_cross&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Support%20(and%20rejection)%20of%20meritocracy%20as%20a%20self%E2%80%90enhancement%20identity%20strategy:%20A%20qualitative%20study%20of%20university%20students%E2%80%99%20perceptions%20about%20meritocracy%20in%20higher%20education&rft.jtitle=European%20journal%20of%20social%20psychology&rft.au=Fern%C3%A1ndez,%20Daniela%20P.&rft.date=2023-06&rft.volume=53&rft.issue=4&rft.spage=595&rft.epage=611&rft.pages=595-611&rft.issn=0046-2772&rft.eissn=1099-0992&rft_id=info:doi/10.1002/ejsp.2925&rft_dat=%3Cproquest_cross%3E2825342933%3C/proquest_cross%3E%3Curl%3E%3C/url%3E&disable_directlink=true&sfx.directlink=off&sfx.report_link=0&rft_id=info:oai/&rft_pqid=2825342933&rft_id=info:pmid/&rfr_iscdi=true |