Imposter syndrome is greater among first-generation university students, study finds
Written by Scarlett Parr-Reid
An unfortunate by-product of the education system is the epidemic of comparison: What grade did you get on the test? Which percentile did you rank in this year? What degree classification did you achieve? These kinds of questions rub off on us, and can leave people feeling dejected, inadequate and unworthy of their achievements. This negative inner monologue was first identified in 1978 by Psychologists Dr. Pauline Clance and Dr. Suzanne Imes, who described the phenomenon as ‘imposter feelings’ or imposter syndrome. They describe the experience as feeling like a fraud, whereby those around you might have been deceived into thinking you are talented only to later discover that it was all an act. Imposter syndrome is not considered a mental health condition itself, but is intertwined with a range of mental health aspects including self-esteem, self-worth, anxiety, stress and self-doubt. Imposter feelings are common in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects, which often foster competition.
Many of us will have experienced the phenomenon at least once in our lifetime, and details of the imposter phenomenon, its origin and relationship with higher education have been well documented. Less understood, though, is whether first-generation university students (those first to attend in their family) show contrasting experiences of imposter syndrome to those of continuing generation students. First-generation students make up almost one third of the total college student population, however, they may experience significant challenges in going to university. For example, compared to non-first-generation students, they might receive less guidance through the higher education system from family members, which can leave them more likely to drop out. With that in mind, a longitudinal study by Elizabeth Canning and colleagues has explored the effects of being a first-generation student in STEM on engagement, attendance, dropout intentions and grades.
Image source: Scarlett Parr-Reid
Using a series of questionnaires, STEM students were asked to report their experiences of perceived competition as well as the above factors throughout a university term. 818 first- and second-year students were involved in the final analysis, of which 12% were first-generation and 65.6% were women. The study, published in Social Psychology and Personality Science, yielded a few surprises and plenty of interesting questions.
It found that greater “in-class imposter feelings” were associated with perceived levels of classroom competition. In addition, the association was more pronounced in first generation students and subsequent analysis showed that imposter feelings are a predictor of student’s attendance, course grades, engagement and intention to drop out. Taken together, the findings suggest that both classroom competition and imposter feelings are major barriers for first-generation students in STEM.
So, what can be done to overcome some of the imposter-related barriers in first-generation students?
Firstly, it will be important to examine the academic environment in which STEM students are placed.
Dr Brown and colleagues, from the University of North Florida, have noted a survival of the smartest ethos in STEM, in which one must be better than the rest. Dr Diekman’s team, working out of Miami University, have also found that there is often toxic language surrounding STEM, with words like ‘power’, ‘achievement’ and ‘self-promotion’ cultivating a hierarchical dynamic, through which individualism supersedes collaboration. This kind of atmosphere puts immense pressure on students to succeed and score highly, which can be demotivating. It also fosters a competitive environment, which can be especially off-putting to first-generation students.
Previous studies have found that first-generation students enrolled on competitive STEM courses, such as civil engineering, report substantially lower levels of motivation to learn than continuing-generation students on less competitive courses. What’s more, first-generation students can be two to three times more likely to experience the mental health ramifications of competition such as increased anxiety and stress. Interestingly, the more competitive courses, which engender the strongest feelings of imposter syndrome, are also those that tend to bring in the higher salaries ─ according to an article published in the New Scientist. It stands to reason, therefore, that higher attrition rates among first-generation students might help to perpetuate economic inequalities in the workforce.
Altogether, the results paint a more detailed picture of the disparities between first-generation and continuing-generation university students, and it is hoped that improving our understanding of the root cause will help us to close the gap. It also opens the door to building further support structures to combat imposter syndrome in STEM students, especially in those who are first to go to university in their family. This might include workshops at the beginning of the academic year centred around what imposter syndrome is and how to manage it as well as encouraging a more collaborative (rather than competitive) ethos.
Looking to the future, it would be interesting to investigate imposter syndrome in other demographics, such as women and certain racial minorities, that have also been found to have increased “imposter feelings”. What’s more, while the results of the current study are compelling, and have high ecological validity, the methods used were not without limitations. For example, the repeated questioning of students may have led to bias in a particular direction, e.g. towards more imposter feelings. As such, it’s important to recognise that while informative, these kinds of studies often present some kind of trade-off, and that further investigation using alternative methods should be encouraged.
Sources
1) Canning, E., LaCosse, J., Kroeper, K. and Murphy, M., 2019. Feeling Like an Imposter: The Effect of Perceived Classroom Competition on the Daily Psychological Experiences of First-Generation College Students. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 11(5), pp.647-657. Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1948550619882032#bibr15-1948550619882032
2) Brown, E., Steinberg, M., Lu, Y. and Diekman, A., 2017. Is the Lone Scientist an American Dream? Perceived Communal Opportunities in STEM Offer a Pathway to Closing U.S.–Asia Gaps in Interest and Positivity. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 9(1), pp.11-23. Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1948550617703173
3) Diekman, A., Brown, E., Johnston, A. and Clark, E., 2010. Seeking Congruity Between Goals and Roles: A New Look at Why Women Opt Out of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Careers. Psychological Science, 21(8), pp.1051-1057. Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0956797610377342?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed
4) Sommet, N., Quiamzade, A., Jury, M. and Mugny, G., 2015. The student-institution fit at university: interactive effects of academic competition and social class on achievement goals. Frontiers in Psychology, 6. Available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00769/full
5) New Scientist. 2020. New Scientist Survey Shows Science Jobs Are Long And Fulfilling. Available at: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24532711-000-new-scientist-survey-shows-science-jobs-are-long-and-fulfilling/#:~:text=Between%202018%20and%202019%2C%20STEM,%C2%A340%2C925%20to%20%C2%A339%2C130.