Meritocracy seen through the eyes of its champions: a comparative study of educational elites

Gogescu, Fiona (2024) Meritocracy seen through the eyes of its champions: a comparative study of educational elites. British Journal of Sociology of Education. ISSN 0142-5692

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Abstract

This paper explores the way in which elite students from Germany and Romania understand the role of talent, effort, and structural factors in shaping educational success and failure. The image of a successful student aligns with the requirements of the selection processes, with Romanian students emphasising effort, and German students projecting an image of effortless achievement. Although most students acknowledged structural inequalities played into the selection processes, they did not seem to doubt the intelligence and skills of those who were selected to the most prestigious tracks and streams. By exploring the way in which students at prestigious universities talk about success and failure, this paper captures some ways in which they resist reproducing meritocratic discourses, and other ways in which they perpetuate the myth of meritocracy.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2024 The Author
Divisions:	Social Policy
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HM Sociology L Education
Date Deposited:	30 Oct 2024 11:00
Last Modified:	12 Dec 2024 04:33
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/125926

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