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Social Capital and Post-Secondary Decision-Making Alignment for Low-Income Students

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  • Rod Missaghian

    (Department of Sociology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada)

Abstract

How is post-secondary decision-making influenced by the types of social capital students access? This study draws from interviews with 30 students in a low-income neighbourhood to examine who they turn to for post-secondary advice during the application process. Interactions with different ties and their influence on decision-making alignment, misalignment or uncertainty are explored. I find that students who report relying more on bonding (family and friends) social capital over (bridging) ties with school personnel demonstrate more misalignment in decision-making. In contrast, those who rely more on ties with school personnel exhibit more decision-making alignment. Many students whose proposed choices demonstrated alignment also lacked overall ‘fit’ and had unrealistic aspirations, except for a select few who reported close and consistent relationships with institutional agents. These findings contribute to the social capital literature examining the potential of institutional agents to help low-income students circumvent social stratification processes.

Suggested Citation

  • Rod Missaghian, 2021. "Social Capital and Post-Secondary Decision-Making Alignment for Low-Income Students," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-18, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:10:y:2021:i:3:p:83-:d:508398
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    References listed on IDEAS

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