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Matthew A. Diemer
Professor of Educational Studies and the Combined Program in Education and Psychology; Faculty Associate, Research Center for Group Dynamics, Institute for Social Research (ISR)
Matthew Diemer is a developmental psychologist who examines how young people overcome racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and other constraints in school, college, work, and civic/political institutions. He is particularly interested in how marginalized people develop critical consciousness, which is a careful analysis of societal inequalities, the motivation to produce social change, and participation in social or political action. His recent work examines best practices in conceptualizing and measuring social class, the validation of a critical consciousness scale, and how family wealth contributes to intergenerational educational and occupational success.
Diemer serves on the editorial board for Journal of Youth and Adolescence and serves as the Statistical Consultant for the Psychology of Women Quarterly. His research is currently funded by the Spencer Foundation, William T Grant Foundation, Institute for Education Sciences, National Institute of Health, and the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Ph.D., Boston College
Key Issues
Faculty Projects
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Charting How Wealth Shapes Educational Pathways from Childhood to Early Adulthood: A Developmental Process Model The project: Wealth plays a pervasive and pernicious role in transmitting inequality. Wealth (assets like savings and financial holdings such as housing) differs from income (wages, salaries, and cash assistance from the government) and is generally more unequally distributed than income. This contributes to widening social inequality, including impacts on educational attainment. Wealth demonstrably impacts youth […]