Cultural Mismatches for First-Generation Students

How Conflicting Working- and Middle-Class Norms Contribute to the Academic Opportunity Gap

Abstract

Working-class norms are not inherently detrimental for education; rather, a strong sense of duty towards one's family can foster academic resilience and a sense of responsibility over one's own success (Azmitia et al., 2018). Family circumstances and hardships are often the inspiration for first-generation students to pursue higher education, and that is a great strength in and of itself. However, norms conflicts that arise between schools, which are driven by middle-class norms, and working-class families result in misunderstandings that damage working-class students' success in the classroom. These misunderstandings are examined from the parent perspective, student perspective, and teacher or school perspective. The emphasis of this paper is on exploring the ways in which working- class students and middle-class institutions can more effectively communicate in a warm and deliberate manner that supports the goals of both parties—helping students participate in and succeed in the classroom.