The Role of Social Capital in Educational Aspirations of Rural Youth

• In Event: Rural Education and Youth

Abstract

Drawing on a recent national survey of rural high school students (N = 5,663), this study investigated how social capital shaped educational aspirations of rural youth. Results showed that various process features of family and school social capital were important to predict rural youth’s educational aspirations. In particular, parents’ and teachers’ educational expectations for their child and student respectively were positively related to educational aspirations of rural youth. In addition, discussion with parents about college was positively related to educational aspirations of rural youth. On the other hand, there was little evidence to suggest that the structural features of family and school social capital matter to educational aspirations of rural youth.

Authors

• Soo-yong Byun, The Pennsylvania State University

• Judith L. Meece, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Matthew J. Irvin, University of South Carolina

• Bryan C. Hutchins, Center for Developmental Science