Utbildningssociologiska seminariet - Föreläsning med Laura Giorio, Ida Lidegran och Anna Tyllström

Elite business schools are highly selective environments where students are exposed to subtle and overt signals about the expectations of elite positions, and function as sites of anticipatory socialization, where professional orientations, values, and social skills are fostered. In this study we look at the (self-perceived) personality profile of students at elite business schools over their studies and ask whether and how socialization in their education can play a role in shaping their traits and anticipatory dispositions towards elite careers.

Our analysis draws on a longitudinal survey of students at Finland’s and at three of Sweden’s leading business programs. We analyse psychometric items with multiple correspondence analysis to investigate the spread of self-perceptions amongst first-year students at these programs and how they intersect with self-confidence, studies-related stress and perception of wellbeing.

We explore their responses on personality factors as sociological hints of anticipatory dispositions and we attempt to situate them in a longitudinal perspective by comparing our analysis with responses at year 2 and 3 of their studies.

Our analysis shows that there is a strong pole of highly sociable students in all schools and preliminary results suggest that students’ personality follows a distinct trajectory over the course of their studies towards higher sociability, with this trend consistent for all schools and genders. The findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of self-perceived personality as an element in elite formation that evolves along students’ educational trajectories.