Date of Award
Spring 5-2020
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Education
First Advisor
Dr. Raquel L. Farmer-Hinton
Second Advisor
Dr. Graham Weir
Third Advisor
Dr. Sherrie Wisdom
Abstract
High school is the time when final preparations are made prior to embarking on postsecondary opportunities—enrollment in two or four-year colleges/ universities or vocational training programs, enlistment in the military, or employment. These decisions become based on resources, information, and networks—forms of social capital. By conceptualizing within-school differences among the student population, the experiences of the haves and have nots are shared to highlight the impact of social capital disparities on the postsecondary decision-making process. Through qualitative research, the researcher analyzed data culled from interviews with both student and parent participants in a medium-sized Midwestern high school by examining postsecondary planning and advisement through a social capital framework. Findings from 27 student and 11 parent interviews reveal the complexities of dismantling barriers to school-based social capital for all students. Finally, these findings problematize staff failure to leverage support, agency, and empowerment for a heterogeneous population of students in suburban contexts replete with resources.
Recommended Citation
Closson, Patricia M., "The Haves and the Have Nots: How Disparities in Social Capital Impact the Postsecondary Decision Processes of Seniors at a Midwestern High School" (2020). Dissertations. 36.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/dissertations/36
Rights
Copyright 2020