Social Class Effects on Development and Learning

Social class is defined as a system of stratification within society that separates groups and individuals on the basis of their relationship to capital. Although there is variation in how class is categorized, often the upper class refers to those who own the means of production; the middle class are those white-collar workers/professionals who invest in capital and who have control to a degree over the working-class/blue-collar wage workers, who are often grouped with the poor. Oftentimes, social class is aligned with income and educational levels. Because of structural inequities within society, the social class hierarchy is influenced by factors such as race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, language/national origin, and (dis)ability. Because these factors are intertwined, early childhood research often adopts an intersectional approach when discussing social ...