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'I wasn't my authentic self': identity concealment during placement-based work-integrated learning among students from equity-deserving groups.

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Title: 'I wasn't my authentic self': identity concealment during placement-based work-integrated learning among students from equity-deserving groups.
Authors: Garg, Soumya (AUTHOR), Drewery, David (AUTHOR), Fannon, Anne-Marie (AUTHOR)
Source: Studies in Higher Education. Feb2026, Vol. 51 Issue 2, p455-469. 15p.
Subjects: Diversity in the workplace, Identity (Psychology), Minorities, Cooperative education, Social role, Cultural humility, Psychology of students
Abstract: This study explores how students from equity-deserving groups (EDGs) manage concealable stigmatized identities during placement-based work-integrated learning (WIL). Through thematic analysis of interviews with 36 participants, we identify students' motivations for identity concealment or disclosure, the strategies they use, the impacts on their WIL experiences, and their recommendations for institutional support. Students concealed identities to access work, avoid detection, and conform to organizational norms, while others disclosed identities to self-verify and embrace authenticity. Partial disclosure and full concealment emerged as key strategies, shaped by perceptions of workplace receptivity and the temporary nature of WIL experiences. The findings reveal that identity concealment impacts students' social relationships and well-being in complicated ways and usually undermines the educative potential of WIL. Students called on institutions to address identity stigmatization by equipping employers with tools to support diversity, including improving job advertisement transparency, offering workplace cultural safety training, and facilitating meaningful student-employer interactions. By amplifying students' voices, this study provides actionable insights for institutions to create culturally safe WIL environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Studies in Higher Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Diversity+in+the+workplace%22">Diversity in the workplace</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Identity+%28Psychology%29%22">Identity (Psychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Minorities%22">Minorities</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cooperative+education%22">Cooperative education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+role%22">Social role</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cultural+humility%22">Cultural humility</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychology+of+students%22">Psychology of students</searchLink>
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  Data: This study explores how students from equity-deserving groups (EDGs) manage concealable stigmatized identities during placement-based work-integrated learning (WIL). Through thematic analysis of interviews with 36 participants, we identify students' motivations for identity concealment or disclosure, the strategies they use, the impacts on their WIL experiences, and their recommendations for institutional support. Students concealed identities to access work, avoid detection, and conform to organizational norms, while others disclosed identities to self-verify and embrace authenticity. Partial disclosure and full concealment emerged as key strategies, shaped by perceptions of workplace receptivity and the temporary nature of WIL experiences. The findings reveal that identity concealment impacts students' social relationships and well-being in complicated ways and usually undermines the educative potential of WIL. Students called on institutions to address identity stigmatization by equipping employers with tools to support diversity, including improving job advertisement transparency, offering workplace cultural safety training, and facilitating meaningful student-employer interactions. By amplifying students' voices, this study provides actionable insights for institutions to create culturally safe WIL environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Studies in Higher Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1080/03075079.2025.2472913
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Identity (Psychology)
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      – SubjectFull: Minorities
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      – SubjectFull: Cooperative education
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      – SubjectFull: Social role
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      – SubjectFull: Cultural humility
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              Text: Feb2026
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