First-Generation College Students Talk About Social Class Socialization and Identity: A Focus Group Study

How social class identity develops within first-generation college students (FGCS) and their families is not understood. This study explored FGCS’ retrospective narratives of how parental socialization about social class helped shape their identities and adjustment in college. Focus group data was analyzed from 21 FGCS from socioeconomic and racial-ethnically diverse backgrounds (Mage =19.43 years, 67% female) at a historically white, private university. Through constant-comparison analysis, three major themes emerged: (1) macrosystem influences, or factors related to family’s respective positioning in society and interactions with systems of oppression, and under this meta-theme was: (2) social class socialization process including sources of socialization, strategies, and message content and (3) FGCS’ emergent social class identity. The framework for social class socialization is the first known model to explicitly explore the dimensions of parental socialization that shape social class identity in first-generation college students. Findings begin to uncover the processes behind social class identity development in FGCS as they navigate the college context for the first time.