À partir du cas des dispositifs d’ouverture sociale lancés en France et en Angleterre, cette thèse aborde la question des effets des institutions d’élite sur les processus de stratification sociale, dans un contexte d’internationalisation de l’enseignement supérieur. En nous concentrant sur la mise en œuvre de ces dispositifs, nous avons apporté trois éclairages sur ce débat : - Le travail d’ajustement des institutions repose sur leur capacité à instituer des liens d’interdépendance, qui assurent une cohésion autour de la lecture commune des inégalités sociales. Plus précisément, les institutions contribuent à affecter le fonctionnement des politiques éducatives en matière d’ouverture sociale, en promouvant des modes de coopération entre des « univers » qui s’ignoraient relativement auparavant. - Par ailleurs, le travail d’ajustement engendre des changements dans les processus de certification. Il conduit les institutions à promouvoir de nouvelles conventions de jugement comme le potentiel. - Enfin, le travail des institutions concerne aussi leur capacité à transmettre des normes scolairement légitimes dans le cadre d’espaces de socialisation anticipatrice, comme le tutorat. La comparaison des dispositifs entre les deux pays étudiés souligne la convergence dans le traitement et la temporalité des ajustements. Alors que la question de la diversification des élites apparaît comme spécifique à chaque espace national, l’analyse comparée souligne l’existence de traits communs entre les institutions et l’impact de l’internationalisation sur cette question.Cette thèse porte sur les cas de Sciences Po, de l’ESSEC et de l’Université d’Oxford. / Widening participation programmes have been launched simultaneously in both France and England in the 2000s. They stem from the idea that it is necessary for elite universities, despite their traditional mission of elite education, to get involved in the field of antidiscrimination and thus develop measures to increase equality of opportunity and diversify their student body. This thesis highlights the impact of these programmes on the way to address social inequalities in the educational sector. In fact, widening participation schemes contribute to the dissemination of a new interpretation of social mobility on the basis of a compensation targeting talented pupils (Pupils identified as “with potential”) rather than sustaining the most deprived of them. It is allowed by the current withdrawal of the traditional role of the Welfare state in education (in a context of financial crisis) which increases the pressure on universities (through financial incentives), in the name of their social responsibility towards society. This work is based on an ethnographic survey led in three French and English elite institutions, including the University of Oxford, Sciences Po and ESSEC.

Thesis advisor: David L. Blustein / Education is often thought of as the great equalizer that is capable of offsetting societal inequities (Holmes & Zajacova, 2014). Elite universities are characterized by the most selective admissions criteria, and attendance at these universities often provides access to the social capital necessary to pursue prestigious careers. Research shows that Black students attending elite universities experience racism while on campus (Torres & Charles, 2004; Warikoo, 2018). Scholars have also found that the experience of racism negatively impacts Black student’s well-being (Neville et al., 2004). However, little is known about what happens when Black students at elite universities graduate and enter the workforce, especially the ways in which they experience racism at work. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to better understand the ways in which experiences of racism at work impact on well-being and work-fulfillment for Black graduates at elite universities and to examine potential factors that may protect against racism. Black graduates of elite universities (N= 1,010) were invited to complete measures that assessed racial microaggressions (Racial and Ethnic Microaggressions Scale), racial identity (Black Racial Identity Attitudes Scale), racism-related coping strategies (Racism-Related Coping Scale) well-being outcomes (Mental Health Inventory and Satisfaction with Life), and work-fulfillment outcomes (Work Engagement and Job Satisfaction). The present study used structural equation modeling and findings were mixed. However, the results revealed that particular experiences of racism at work negatively impact both well-being and work-fulfillment. The results of moderation analyses showed that racial identity may serve as a protective factor against experiences of racism at work for Black graduates of elite universities. Implications for research, practice and policy, as well as study limitations are presented. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2022. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

In this dissertation, I examined the experiences of QuestBridge Scholars attending three different elite universities that enroll more students from the top income quintile than from the lowest three income quintiles combined. The universities attended by participants in this study are among the few that are both need-blind and that fully meet students’ demonstrated financial need through grant and scholarship aid. Additionally, these universities have acceptance rates of no more than 10%. The QuestBridge organization’s mission is to match high-achieving, low-income students with elite institutions. Data from participants were collected through an audio and video recorded interview using a semi-structured protocol. Interviews were transcribed and then coded using an iterative open coding process to identify themes. The themes that emerged were: changing relationships with family and friends from before college, finding support while enrolled, the transition from family of origin to elite higher education, experiencing privilege, campus involvement, social belonging, navigating elite higher education, and academic adjustment and impostor phenomenon. These themes suggest that QuestBridge Scholars experience something akin to class culture shock when they enter the world of elite higher education. This study is significant because it focuses specifically on QuestBridge Scholars who have been successful at a highly selective subset of QuestBridge institutions with high income disparity, where success is defined by having reached second-semester junior status or having graduated. The focus on those who attend or attended highly selective institutions and who are succeeding suggests that these students might have insights that would smooth the path for others like them. This study may also have implications for practice for highly selective institutions that admit QuestBridge Scholars and other low-income students. Finally, in this study, I explored participants’ perceptions of socioeconomic class, with results suggesting that the transition from family of origin to elite higher education causes changes in self-perception and behavior.