Sharing Student Projects

The cost of living crisis means more and more people, especially young people of colour’s (YPOC’s) families, cannot afford things like food and heating. Studies suggest this probably affects YPOC’s feelings, thoughts, relationships, and self-identity at school, or more simply, their wellbeing. However, no psychology studies have actually asked YPOC themselves how the cost of living crisis affects their wellbeing in school. Therefore, this study aimed to do this, whilst also asking how schools can support YPOC’s wellbeing right now. Twenty-three YPOC from a sixth-form in Northern England talked about these topics in seven focus groups. To avoid upsetting YPOC, the researcher did not ask them about their personal experiences, but asked questions about YPOC in general and YPOC characters in realistic stories. The groups were audio recorded and the recordings analysed, to understand the most common and meaningful answers. YPOC were described to feel constantly bad at school, including feeling stressed, guilty, worried, tired, not relaxed, and not content. Some YPOC feel trapped, hopeless, and unable to be normal kids. YPOC already have fewer opportunities in life, but YPOC feel the cost of living crisis makes this even worse. YPOC also feel socially isolated, left out, and can’t talk to friends. They compare themselves to better-off friends, making them feel worse. YPOC know their parents are struggling and try to help by cutting down spending and hiding their emotions. They feel judged by peers and embarrassed when asking teachers for help. These findings all fit with research about how poverty affects YPOC’s wellbeing, but one main finding builds on previous studies. The cost of living crisis adds financial pressure and intensifies cultural pressures on YPOC - things like shame, family honour, and feeling obliged to succeed academically and make parents’ immigration worth it. YPOC feel this pressure at school, reducing their wellbeing. YPOC described that schools can reduce pressure on YPOC by providing financial and pastoral support. Financial support should pay enough, be easy to access, and not make YPOC feel bad for getting help. Pastoral support should be reliable, available, private, and understanding. YPOC wanted schools to hire more POC staff, whose cultural connection with YPOC makes them more supportive. Overall, YPOC described the cost of living crisis to negatively affect their wellbeing at school in many ways, including making them feel very pressured. YPOC described how schools can support them financially and pastorally, and schools should consider how to improve their support based on this. Further research is needed to understand how different kinds of YPOC are affected differently by the cost of living crisis.

Academically, this study benefits psychology and education researchers. By providing rich preliminary understandings of YPOC’s wellbeing during the COLC and theoretically conceptualising these, this study both addresses a research gap and provides future research directions. Publishing findings in a journal article as intended will disseminate findings more widely. Educationally, this study benefits schools, indicating they must consider how their policies and procedures impact YPOC affectively and relationally. It recommends schools follow CPAG (2022) guidelines to prevent support procedures being ostracising, marginalising, and altogether ineffective. It highlights the importance of schools directly consulting YPOC about this to better understand and meet YPOC’s needs. Moreover, it suggests YPOC want schools to employ more pastoral staff who are culturally connected to YPOC. Teachers and pastoral staff also benefit. YPOC constructed the various characteristics of supportive staff; staff can reflect on these and evaluate which characteristics they are demonstrating and which they could moreso. Additionally, the study raises White staff’s awareness and understanding of YPOC’s realities, hopefully creating more empathic appreciation of the pressures on YPOC and changing perceptions of YPOC students. Findings will be disseminated to staff at the participants’ college during a staff meeting to maximise this impact locally. Socially, this study benefits students. For participants themselves, the study provided an experience they can reflect on in university applications, that may motivate them to pursue research or psychology careers, and that hopefully reinforced that voicing their subjective realities is important. For white students, it raises awareness and understanding of YPOC peers’ experiences, thus hopefully changing their perceptions of and behaviours towards them (e.g. being less stigmatising/judgmental). Findings will be verbally disseminated to participants and their peers to maximise this impact locally.