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Cited by 109Social and Cultural DynamicsSocial and Intergroup PsychologyIntergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies

Re‐Establishing the Social‐Class Order: Restorative Reactions against High‐Achieving, Low‐SES Pupils

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Batruch, Anatolia, Autin, Frédérique, Butera, Fabrizio·2017·Journal of Social Issues
DOI 10.1111/josi.12203
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Abstract

This research investigates a barrier faced by low‐SES pupils who are on an upward social mobility trajectory: resistance to their high‐achiever status. We hypothesize that, as they disconfirm the usual social‐class academic disparities (i.e., high‐SES on average outperform low‐SES pupils), they threaten the status quo and induce restorative reactions that may hinder their chances of success. Experiment 1 showed that participants remembered less accurately information about pupils when low‐SES pupils were presented as outperforming high‐SES pupils than when the reverse was true. The errors appeared to be congruent with existing social hierarchies. In Experiment 2, preservice teachers assessed a test supposedly produced by a low‐ versus high‐SES pupil who was presented as being either high or low achieving. The evaluation was harshest when the test was produced by a high‐achieving low‐SES pupil. These results suggest that people attempt to recreate the social‐class academic hierarchy when it is challenged.

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  • Teachers were harshest in their assessments of tests supposedly completed by high-achieving low-SES students.

    “teachers were harshest in their assessments of tests that were supposedly completed by high-achieving low-SES students (Batruch et al., 2017)”

    From Tackling Educational Inequalities with Social Psychology: Identities, Contexts, and Interventions (2021) · cites this paper as Batruch et al., 2017

    The Abstract says the evaluation was harshest for a test attributed to a high-achieving, low-SES pupil, and the Rating of the test section reports lower ratings in that condition. The evaluators were preservice teachers, however, so the claim's unqualified reference to teachers extends beyond the population studied. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Students who are expected to do poorly because they are subjected to descriptive and prescriptive negative stereotypes are more likely to get placed in lower sets than their ability warrants.

    “Students who are expected to do poorly because they are subjected to descriptive and prescriptive negative stereotypes are more likely to get placed in lower sets than their ability warrants (Autin, Batruch, & Butera, 2015;Batruch et al., 2017;Connolly et al., 2019;Francis, Hodgen, Craig, Taylor, Archer, Mazenod, Tereshchenko, & Connolly, 2019a;Muntoni & Retelsdorf, 2018).”

    From Tackling Educational Inequalities with Social Psychology: Identities, Contexts, and Interventions (2021) · cites this paper as Batruch et al., 2017

    The Rating of the test section (page not provided) reports that preservice teachers gave lower grades and ratings to identical work when it was attributed to a high-achieving, low-SES pupil rather than a high-SES pupil. But track was an existing condition in the experiment: the paper does not show that pupils were placed in lower sets than their ability warranted, or test the claimed descriptive and prescriptive stereotypes as the cause. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Cited by

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Authors
Batruch, A., Autin, F., & Butera, F.
Affiliations
  • University of Lausanne (CH)
  • Université de Poitiers (FR)
Corresponding author
Butera, Fabrizio
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Social Issues
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2017-03
Volume
73
Issue
1
Pages
42-60
ISSN
  • 0022-4537 (ISSN-L)
  • 1540-4560
DOI
10.1111/josi.12203
OpenAlex
W2597086000
Cited by
109
References
6
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 52 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 8
FWCI
51.11
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor, 16 d)
Locations
  • Journal of Social Issues (publishedVersion)
  • SERVAL (Université de Lausanne) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • HAL (submittedVersion)
  • IRIS (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (CRSII1_141872)
  • Université de Lausanne
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Cultural Dynamics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies
Keywords
social class, socioeconomic status, upward mobility, academic performance, social hierarchy, status threat, memory accuracy, pre-service teachers, teacher evaluation, underachieving students

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