Deepened Support of Students with Varied Degrees of Social and

Economic CapitalNew York University Student Affairs Conference 2014

What are we talking about?

• Socioeconomic Status & Forms of Capital

• Economic Capital’s Relationship to Student Engagement

• Social Capital’s Relationship to Student Engagement

• Common Practices as Barriers to low-SES Student Engagement

• Next Steps

What is socioeconomic status/SES?

The aggregate of all forms of capital a student possesses by virtue of their family/families’ level of income, profession, and educational attainment.

Social Cultural Economic

Controlling for cultural capital

Cultural

Geography

Knowledge

Behaviors

Taste

• Often dictated by geography, identity, community, and economic access

• Ascribes a level of worth something has to an individual

• Education intrinsically alters cultural capital

Social Capital

• Breadth and depth of interpersonal connections

• Different types of connections can influence others

• Involves both support and resource access

LocalCommuni

ty

Peers

Mentors/

Educators

Memberships

Family

Economic Capital

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“

”

A $100 net price difference is estimated to have a positive enrollment effect… on the higher cost college.

Long (2007) p.2404

Reducing cost does matter…

While other Practices Can…

Increase Economic Barriers• Housing requirements

• Pricing differentials for different amenities

• Deposits for program participation

• Fees

Decrease Economic Barriers• Flat-rate housing

• Truly relevant programming

• Assessment*

• Self-awareness

Social Integration, Capital, & Success

• Interaction with faculty (administrators) and other students affects social integration which has returns for academic success and persistence (Tinto, 1975)

• SES, given its impact on access, must also affect social integration (Tinto, 2007)

Differences in Social Capital in College

• First-generation and low-income students tend to live off-campus and work (Hornak et al. 2010; Martinez et al. 2009; Pascarella et al., 2003, 2004; Rubin, 2012)

• First-generation and low-income students are also likely to sacrifice on-campus engagement in favor of familial obligations (Bryant & Simmons, 2004; Hornak et al. 2010)

• Students with more social capital by means of education value on-campus engagement; occasionally to the detriment of their academic performance (Martin & Spenner, 2009; McCarron & Inkelas, 2006)

The Challenge

Time & Other

Resources

“needs” vs. Needs

Balancing the Demands

Lower Ed. Social Capital• How can programs be

tailored to students who work/commute/have family obligations?

• How am I leveraging my capital with other departments to encourage engagement of these students?

Higher Ed. Social Capital• How do the demands of more

connected students affect my ability to support students with less capacity to access my resources?

• Does my department have a protocol for working with the students of legacies/donors/the highly privileged?

References

• Bryant, E., & Simmons, L. A. (2009). Family involvement: Impacts on post-secondary educational success for first-generation Appalachian college students. Journal of College Student Development, 50(4), 391–406.

• Hornak, A. M., Farrell, P. L., & Jackson, N. J. (2010). Making it (or not) on a dime in college: Implications for practice. Journal of College Student Development, 51(5), 481–495.

• Long, B. T. (2007). The contributions of economics to the study of college access and success. Teachers College Record, 109(10), 2367-2443.

References

• Martin, N. D., & Spenner, K. I. (2009). Capital conversion and accumulation: A social portrait of legacies at an elite university. Research in Higher Education, 50(7), 623–648.

• Martinez, J. A., Sher, K. J., Krull, J. L., & Wood, P. K. (2009). Blue-collar scholars?: Mediators and moderators of university attrition in first-generation college students. Journal of College Student Development, 50(1), 87–103.

• McCarron, G. P., & Inkelas, K. K. (2006). The gap between educational aspirations and attainment for first-generation college students and the role of parental involvement. Journal of College Student Development, 47(5), 534–549.

References

• Pascarella, E. T., Pierson, C. T., Wolniak, G. C., & Terenzini, P. T. (2004). First-generation college students: Additional evidence on college experiences and outcomes. The Journal of Higher Education, 75(3), 249–284.

• Pascarella, E. T., Wolniak, G. C., Pierson, C. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (2003). Experiences and outcomes of first-generation students in community colleges. Journal of College Student Development, 44(3), 420–429.

• Rubin, M. (2012). Social class differences in social integration among students in higher education: A meta-analysis and recommendations for future research. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 5(1), 22–38.

References

• Tinto, V. (1975). Dropout from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent research. Review of Educational Research, 45(1), 89-125.

• Tinto, V. (2007). Research and practice of student retention: What next? Journal of College Student Retention, 8(1), 1-19.

Marc A. Lo, M.A.PhD Student, Higher & Postsecondary Education

NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development