Page 72 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Cooperation Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 72
ermines their social capital to an even greater extent. For instance, fam-
ilies with a lower SES usually live in less settled neighbourhoods and school
areas, and children have friends from those neighbourhoods. Accordingly,
policy attention to strengthening social capital in these areas is even more
warranted. To some point, it is therefore not a coincidence which friends
children chose, relationships they form, peer and community values they
absorb, and which teachers educate them. Still, OECD studies (2013) show
that school and community practices which encourage supportive relation-
ships among teachers, students, families, schools and the wider communi-
ty and establish the same teaching standards for all can help overcome the
obstacles of cultural capital in case of deprivileged students.
Conclusions
According to the literature review we can identify the following social and
cultural capital factors that importantly affect ESL: SES of the individu-
al, parents’ education level, structure of the family, time spent with chil-
dren, family culture and educational values, immigrant status, quality of
the family environment and relationships, peer relationships, relationships
within the school and wider community, and school climate. As seen in
previous chapters, all of these factors have an important direct impact on
students’ educational outcomes and ESL and an indirect impact through
interaction between an individual’s social- and cultural-level factors. The
latter means that the relationship of cultural capital with a student’s early
dropping out is weaker for students with higher social capital (compared to
low social capital); it means that social capital can reduce the negative ef-
fects of cultural capital (e.g. low SES) on ESL. The main focus of this article
was to identify the factors of social and cultural capital that can be impact-
ed so as to lower ESL rates.
We found that social capital factors originate from family, school
and wider community environments (Epstein, 2009; Tukundane, Zeelen,
Minnaert, & Kanyandago, 2014). Parents are the first and closest agents
when considering a student’s educational outcomes. In order to success-
fully tackle ESL, the social and cultural capital of parents needs to be im-
proved. In other words, parenting support is desirable and even necessary
to ensure the required framework enabling proper parental involvement
in children’s education (Giddens, 2011; Panzaru & Tomita, 2013). In this
matter family support policies that support child health and appropriately
72
ilies with a lower SES usually live in less settled neighbourhoods and school
areas, and children have friends from those neighbourhoods. Accordingly,
policy attention to strengthening social capital in these areas is even more
warranted. To some point, it is therefore not a coincidence which friends
children chose, relationships they form, peer and community values they
absorb, and which teachers educate them. Still, OECD studies (2013) show
that school and community practices which encourage supportive relation-
ships among teachers, students, families, schools and the wider communi-
ty and establish the same teaching standards for all can help overcome the
obstacles of cultural capital in case of deprivileged students.
Conclusions
According to the literature review we can identify the following social and
cultural capital factors that importantly affect ESL: SES of the individu-
al, parents’ education level, structure of the family, time spent with chil-
dren, family culture and educational values, immigrant status, quality of
the family environment and relationships, peer relationships, relationships
within the school and wider community, and school climate. As seen in
previous chapters, all of these factors have an important direct impact on
students’ educational outcomes and ESL and an indirect impact through
interaction between an individual’s social- and cultural-level factors. The
latter means that the relationship of cultural capital with a student’s early
dropping out is weaker for students with higher social capital (compared to
low social capital); it means that social capital can reduce the negative ef-
fects of cultural capital (e.g. low SES) on ESL. The main focus of this article
was to identify the factors of social and cultural capital that can be impact-
ed so as to lower ESL rates.
We found that social capital factors originate from family, school
and wider community environments (Epstein, 2009; Tukundane, Zeelen,
Minnaert, & Kanyandago, 2014). Parents are the first and closest agents
when considering a student’s educational outcomes. In order to success-
fully tackle ESL, the social and cultural capital of parents needs to be im-
proved. In other words, parenting support is desirable and even necessary
to ensure the required framework enabling proper parental involvement
in children’s education (Giddens, 2011; Panzaru & Tomita, 2013). In this
matter family support policies that support child health and appropriately
72
