Whereas the literature on educational inequality extensively illustrates how parents shape children’s educational experiences, we know little about parental involvement in track selection – even though tracking is a major determinant of educational inequality. This study investigates the impact of social class on parental roles in selecting the best-paid educational tracks among Indian American students in the US. Focusing on Indian Americans, and the best-paid tracks, we explore social class differences in parental roles in track selection. Data from 71 in-depth interviews of Indian American students majoring in engineering and science tracks, employs grounded theory to explore differences in parental strategies across social classes. Findings indicate that while the overall parental encouragement strategies are similar regardless of social class, the methods employed by affluent and less affluent families differ significantly. Affluent families leverage their resources and networks, whereas less affluent families rely on non-familial resources to support their children’s educational aspirations. This is because the best-paid tracks hold different meanings to different classes. This further highlights the complex interplay between social class, parental involvement, and track selection while contributing to understanding the broader implications of educational tracking and parental roles in perpetuating or mitigating social inequalities.
Co-author(s): Akshaj Dev Bhattacharya
Journal: Sociological Imagination
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