Social Identity Theories in Education

There is a large body of research in studies of schooling, particularly ethnographic case studies, which posits that collective action among students undermines engagement in school and contributes to educational inequality. Perhaps the most well known examples are research which hypothesizes a ‘burden of acting white’ among minorities (Fordham & Ogbu, 1986), and Willis’ (1977) study of hell-raising among working-class British youth. Although those are the most frequently cited examples, Cohen (1955) advanced a similar hypothesis with regard to delinquent behavior more generally decades earlier. At the heart of this research are questions about how peer-group interaction and intra-group process affect educational outcomes. Although not explicitly referenced as such, studies which posit a link between collective action among various student groups and disengagement are applications of social identity theory to the study of student engagement. In this paper I review studies of engagement from a social identity theory perspective. I consider three social identities in particular; race/ethnic identity, social class identity, and track-based identities. To what extent can collective action explain why some student groups are less engaged than others? I find that apart from track-based identities, educational research does not suggest that the disengagement of low-status youth can be frequently attributed to a social-identity mechanism. Competing explanations for disengagement have not yet been ruled out, and further studies of the relationship between classroom and peer-group context and engagement are needed. I conclude by posing the hypothesis that while further empirical research is needed, trackbased identities in particular are highly salient, and thus likely to influence peer group behavior and consequently engagement.