Connecting the Dots: Social Capital and the College-Going Beliefs of Rural Appalachian Students

• In Event: 63.018 - Promising Scholarship in Education: Dissertation Fellows and Their Research

Abstract

Rural and potential-first generation college students may face many barriers on the road to college. These include lower levels of education and degree attainment, lower socioeconomic status, and lower levels of cultural capital (Sander, 2006; Roscigno & Crowley, 2001). Lack of information about financial aid and college admissions might also play a role in rural students’ educational decisions. (Howley, 2006; Howley et al., 1996). A review of the literature on college-going suggests that students benefit from being connected to a network of individuals who can help them prepare for college. When students do not have access to information about college from their parents and other immediate family members, the messages that they receive about college may be limited. Although the importance of family, friends, and school staff has been studied relative to educational aspirations, no research has investigated how students obtain college information through the social ties that they have to others. In this study, I examined how rural Appalachian students obtain information about college and how the nature of students’ social ties with others ultimately influence their beliefs about college-going and educational aspirations.
This study was guided by three research questions: (1) To whom do rural Appalachian students talk about college? What is the structure of their information networks?; (2) Does the availability of social capital differ as a function of students’ grade level, gender, potential first-generation status, or an interaction among these factors?; (3) Does a reciprocal relationship exist between rural Appalachian students’ educational beliefs (i.e., college-going self-efficacy and educational aspirations) and social capital when controlling for gender, perceived socioeconomic status, potential first-generation college student status, and cultural capital?

Author

• Amanda R. Butz, University of Wisconsin - Madison