Toward understanding academic risk and resilience : a social capital perspective

[摘要] The purpose of this study was to examine school-based social processes that help explain how and why students experience a wide range of educational outcomes under seemingly similar conditions. This local-level study pursued individual narratives by taking into consideration variations in how individuals develop and use social relationships for academic gains. The day-to-day processes and micro-level interactions in which individuals activated their social capital to gain access to valuable resources or achieve desired outcomes was examined within a social constructivist and dialectical framework.; Data was generated from a purposive sample of academically resilient and non-resilient Latino high school students. Interviews, student photography, and written expressions were used as qualitative approaches to capturing the essence of social experiences that influenced each participant's academic achievement. Participants reported a range of interactions that made a difference in their achievement motivation. Through dialogue and phenomenological narratives, students reconstructed their past and present relationships as a framework to contextualize their experiences with success, adaptive and maladaptive behaviors, risk and adversity, and their ability to mobilize personal and interpersonal resources in times of need.; Emerging themes and sub-themes indicate a non-linear causal dynamic in each participant's capacity to development the type of social capital needed for academic gains and opening educational opportunities. Results also suggest an alternative conceptualization that departs from prevailing notions of ;;being;; resilient. The study concludes by discussing implications for policy, practice and further research.

[发布机构] University of Southern California . Libraries