Siblings Matter: Familial Context and College-Going for Minority Students

• In Event: 66.024 - Context and Relationships Matter for Students' College Matriculation

Abstract

This research moves beyond data that mask the diverse educational experiences of Southeast Asian Americans by qualitatively exploring their paths to university and how they invest in education through the dispositions they acquire, the resources available to them, and the choices they make as a result. The frameworks of social (Bourdieu, 1986; Coleman, 1988), cultural (Bourdieu, 1986), and aspirational capital (Yosso, 2005) frame this exploration. Findings suggest that while schools both facilitate and validate the notion of higher education as the pathway for success, familial context has critical implications for Southeast Asian American students. Older sibling relationships served as the primary source for accessing valued cultural capital to more successfully navigate the college-going process and inform decision making.

Author

• Jennifer R. Crandall, American Council on Education