Page 69 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Cooperation Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 69
developing healthy social and cultural capital and its effects on education
The results of different research studies (e.g. Cederberg & Hartsmar,
2013; Gregory & Weinstein, 2004; Owens, Shippe, & Hensel, 2008) show
that students with close social ties are able to face difficult situations better,
have greater resistance to stress, and deal with problematic situations more
easily. Hence, in order to support the development of young peoples’ social
capital it is crucial to concentrate on promoting those environments most
vital for enabling use of those resources (Rose, Wooley, & Bowen, 2013). In
the case of ESL, youth, i.e. secondary school students, following social sys-
tems with important social ties can be distinguished in the research litera-
ture: family (particularly parents), peers, schools (especially teachers), and
relationships in the wider community (e.g. organisations that connect fam-
ilies, schools and local communities and create inclusive, safe and nurtur-
ing environments). Since it is hard to separate the effects of a particular re-
lationship on a student’s well-being and functioning in the school context
and because those relationships are usually always connected to the social
network, most of the reviewed research focuses on investigating the whole
network or at least two important social settings.
The Confederation of Family Organisations in the EU (COFACE)
points out that family context in the sense of healthy parental behaviour
and the relationship with a child plays a crucial role in the future academic
success of children and ESL (Coface, 2010).
Besides that, Downes (2011) states that in order to tackle ESL efficient-
ly socio-emotional support needs to be present not only at a student’s fam-
ily level, but also at a systemic level which includes the teacher’s supportive
interaction with students, positive relationships in peer groups, supportive
collaboration among teachers, schools and community agents.
Studies (e.g. Wrona, Malkowska-Szkutnik, & Tomaszewska-Pekala,
2014) that investigated the correlation between students’ socio-emotional
support in three social settings (family, peers and school) – as a factor of so-
cial capital – and respondents’ desire to continue secondary education con-
firmed the existence of a negative correlation between the respondents’ de-
sire to leave education before completing upper secondary school and the
perceived level of social support. However, in the case of perceived paren-
tal and teachers’ support, the correlation appeared to be weaker than in the
case of a student’s relationship with their friends/peers.
There are also other studies that support those results in an ESL con-
text where authors (Frostad, 2014; Archambault, Janosz, Morizot, & Pagani,
2009) found that feelings of loneliness and being rejected by peers are some
69
The results of different research studies (e.g. Cederberg & Hartsmar,
2013; Gregory & Weinstein, 2004; Owens, Shippe, & Hensel, 2008) show
that students with close social ties are able to face difficult situations better,
have greater resistance to stress, and deal with problematic situations more
easily. Hence, in order to support the development of young peoples’ social
capital it is crucial to concentrate on promoting those environments most
vital for enabling use of those resources (Rose, Wooley, & Bowen, 2013). In
the case of ESL, youth, i.e. secondary school students, following social sys-
tems with important social ties can be distinguished in the research litera-
ture: family (particularly parents), peers, schools (especially teachers), and
relationships in the wider community (e.g. organisations that connect fam-
ilies, schools and local communities and create inclusive, safe and nurtur-
ing environments). Since it is hard to separate the effects of a particular re-
lationship on a student’s well-being and functioning in the school context
and because those relationships are usually always connected to the social
network, most of the reviewed research focuses on investigating the whole
network or at least two important social settings.
The Confederation of Family Organisations in the EU (COFACE)
points out that family context in the sense of healthy parental behaviour
and the relationship with a child plays a crucial role in the future academic
success of children and ESL (Coface, 2010).
Besides that, Downes (2011) states that in order to tackle ESL efficient-
ly socio-emotional support needs to be present not only at a student’s fam-
ily level, but also at a systemic level which includes the teacher’s supportive
interaction with students, positive relationships in peer groups, supportive
collaboration among teachers, schools and community agents.
Studies (e.g. Wrona, Malkowska-Szkutnik, & Tomaszewska-Pekala,
2014) that investigated the correlation between students’ socio-emotional
support in three social settings (family, peers and school) – as a factor of so-
cial capital – and respondents’ desire to continue secondary education con-
firmed the existence of a negative correlation between the respondents’ de-
sire to leave education before completing upper secondary school and the
perceived level of social support. However, in the case of perceived paren-
tal and teachers’ support, the correlation appeared to be weaker than in the
case of a student’s relationship with their friends/peers.
There are also other studies that support those results in an ESL con-
text where authors (Frostad, 2014; Archambault, Janosz, Morizot, & Pagani,
2009) found that feelings of loneliness and being rejected by peers are some
69
