The Relationship Between Social Capital and School-Related Outcomes for Youth With Disabilities

• In Event: Roundtable Session 22
  In Roundtable Session: Supporting Adolescents in School: Issues and Challenges

Abstract

This study examined a model of social capital where support from parents, peers, teachers, and mentors (SOS) was hypothesized to mediate the link between students’ abilities to mobilize support (MOS) and four school-related outcomes: academic, behavioral, emotional, and career outcome expectations. Survey data from 220 high school students with disabilities and 17 special education teachers in seven school districts across four states were collected. Results from structural equation modeling, with bootstrap tests of indirect effects, indicated that SOS mediated the links between MOS and emotional well-being and career outcome expectations. Invariance testing revealed significant sex differences. Implications for research and practice include the need to distinguish between social capital and the process of its formation for youth with disabilities.

Author

• Yen Kim Pham, University of New Mexico