May 18, 2016
Professor Irenee Beattie has published an article on inequality in higher education in the Journal of Higher Education, a top interdisciplinary journal, along with her co-author, Professor Megan Thiele at San Jose State University. The article, “Connecting in Class? College Class Size and Inequality in Academic Social Capital” analyzes survey data that was collected with the assistance of UC Merced undergraduate students. The study finds that students enrolled in larger classes sizes are less likely to develop important forms of “academic social capital” that support academic success. The effects of larger classes are especially negative for Black, Latino/a, and first generation college students.
