Loading...
Social capital and aspirations for educational attainment: a cross-national comparison of Australia and Germany
Chesters, Jenny Smith, Jonathan
Chesters, Jenny
Smith, Jonathan
Author
Abstract
With the emergence of ‘knowledge economies’ across the industrialised world, transitions from school to work have generally become more complex and uncertain. Nonetheless, such developments vary between countries, as young people form aspirations which align with their individual preferences, academic abilities and the economic, cultural and social capital to which they have access. Previous research emphasises the positive influence social capital received from parents and school networks has on young people's developing aspirations. Meanwhile, the social capital young people generate for themselves through ‘out-of-school’ activities is often construed as either irrelevant or problematic. In this paper, we examine the relationship between this latter dimension of social capital and the educational aspirations of young people in Australia (aged 14/15; n = 3586) and Germany (aged 14/15; n = 2517). Both countries have distinct institutional settings with varied school-to-work transition regimes. Our results show that youth-derived social capital, generated through participation in out-of school extra-curricular activities, mediates the association between parental background and educational aspirations in both countries. We suggest that, by exposing young people to broader sets of values, skills and resources not accessible within the family and the school context, such involvement may be important for promoting educational aspirations and attainment.
Keywords
schooling, labour market, transition
Date
2015
Type
Journal article
Journal
Journal of Youth Studies
Book
Volume
18
Issue
7
Page Range
932-949
Article Number
ACU Department
Non-faculty
Collections
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
File Access
Controlled