Investment in and Returns to Capital at Home and at School: Differences in the Achievement Process by Sex and Race

• In Event: Roundtable Session 25
  In Roundtable Session: Family and School Influences on Children’s Achievement

Abstract

While research has demonstrated that children derive social capital from more than one context, it is less clear whether students from different status groups receive different returns to that social capital. We compare creation of and returns to social capital for boys and girls and for white and nonwhites. We hypothesize that students in historically-advantaged groups will receive greater returns to both their family and school social capital. Using large national datasets and multi-group analyses in structural equation modeling, we find that more pronounced differences exist in returns to social capital than in creation thereof. Family social capital has a stronger effect on academic achievement for boys and whites, while boys also gain more from school social capital.

Authors

• Mikaela J. Dufur, Brigham Young University

• Toby L. Parcel, North Carolina State University

• Kristie J.R. Phillips, Brigham Young University