Applying Bourdieu's Habitus Theory in Mixed-Method Research: A Typological Analysis of Students' Academic Habitus

• In Event: Fresh Considerations Regarding Bourdieu's Habitus

Abstract

In educational research, students’ habitus is still rarely studied as a key driver of inequality. This paper presents a mixed-method approach to operationalize and examine students’ academic habitus in relation to various social background factors. Using qualitative and quantitative data from 7th-graders in Luxembourg, Europe, we develop a typology of students’ academic habitus based on their dispositions towards school and learning. Drawing on latent class analysis, we identify three types of habitus: habitus of academic excellence, habitus of mediocrity, and habitus of academic disengagement. Further analyses show that while socioeconomic status surprisingly has no effect on student’s habitus, cultural capital and family structure in combination with immigrant background are associated with habitus.

Authors

• Frederick de Moll, University of Luxembourg

• Alyssa Laureen Grecu, TU Dortmund

• Andreas Hadjar, University of Luxembourg