Intersectionality in a Sociogenomic World: How do Race, Disability, Socioeconomic Status, and Polygenic Prediction Interact to Impact Perceptions of Educational Trajectories?

Abstract

Purpose: Education is important for life-long skills and economic growth, but student placement decisions may be shaped by social biases. As genomic information captured via polygenic scores becomes more available, it may also inform student placement decisions. We assessed the intersectional effects of polygenic scores, race, disability, and socioeconomic status on US adults' views about educational trajectories using an online experimental survey design.

Methods: 1,367 US adults were randomized to one of 16 conditions and prompted to read a short vignette about a boy named "Michael," also depicted in an image. Each condition varied Michael's race (Black/White), disability (wheelchair-user/no), socioeconomic status (high/low), and polygenic score (high/low) for educational attainment (EA-PGS). After reading the vignette, respondents were asked to answer multi-choice questions about Michael's immediate and long-term educational trajectories.

Results: Variation in Michael's EA-PGS strongly influenced participants' expectations regarding: 1) the most appropriate immediate educational program for Michael (i.e., general, 'special', or gifted education); 2) whether he would graduate high school; and, if so, 3) the highest educational degree he would complete in his lifetime (Associates, Bachelors, Masters, or PhD). Across these responses, high EA-PGS was associated with more socially desirable outcomes and the opposite was the case for low EA-PGS. Depicting Michael in a wheelchair significantly influenced respondents' expectation that his most appropriate immediate educational trajectory would be 'special' education. There were significant interactions between Michael's race, disability, socioeconomic status, and EA-PGS.

Conclusion: Information about a child's EA-PGS may impact views about their immediate and long-term educational trajectories. The negative impacts of a low EA-PGS are comparable to the positive impacts of a high EA-PGS. EA-PGS may be interpreted in ways that compound existing stereotypes related to a child's race, disability, and socioeconomic status.