Exploring the impact of social class on adjustment to college: Anna’s story

The purpose of this instrumental case study (Stake, 2003 Stake, R. E. 2003. “Case studies”. In Strategies of qualitative inquiry , (2nd edn), Edited by: Denzin, N. K. and Lincoln, Y. S. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Google Scholar) is to explore the role of social class in student adjustment to the college environment. The story of Anna is presented to illustrate how social class impacts on the ability of students to participate in campus life and engage in their academic work. Anna’s story is interpreted through the lens of research that examines the role of social class in the choices and experiences of college students, as well as through Bourdieu’s (1977 Bourdieu, P. 1977. “Cultural reproduction and social reproduction”. In Power and ideology in education, Edited by: Karabel, J. and Halsey, A. H. New York: Oxford University Press. Google Scholar, 1987 Bourdieu, P. 1987/1979. “The forms of capital”. In Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education, Edited by: Richardson, J. G. New York: Greenwood Press. Google Scholar, 1993 Bourdieu, P. 1993. The field of cultural production, New York: Columbia University Press. Google Scholar) ideas of social class reproduction. This paper contributes to the conversation about how higher education institutions respond to the needs of an increasingly diverse student population that includes working‐class students, students of color and first‐generation college students like Anna.