Article from NK Warikoo and C Fuhr: Legitimating status: Perceiptions of meritocracy .... at Oxford

Here is a very interesting article about how the elite view meritocracy and equality. The article, called "Legitimating Status: perceptions of meritocracy and inequality among undergraduates at an elite British university" appears in the British Educational Reseach Journal. Here is the link.

The researchers interviwed 46 students at Oxford University.

We got a tip from the BBC program "Thinking allowed" which intervied Ms. Warikoo who is an assistant professor at Harvard School of Education.  Here is the link to the thinking allowed program.

Here are some highlights:

80% believe admissions were based on merit alone.

40% believe there is some truth to inequlaity in schools which affects the admissions process.

Students ignored family background. They also had a general conservative view of the whole process.

Students were against postive discrimination in general.

The discussion on "Thinking Allowed" noted that 75% of US students fvor special help for working class students while only 33% of UK students thought such help was needed.