Despite social capital theory being a valuable theoretical framework in the field of higher education and having multiple well-established methods proposed by seminal researchers, there is limited synthesis on how to assess students’ social capital in higher education. This lack of consensus perpetuates inconsistent findings and evidence for educational interventions. In this presentation, Mx. Adrian Gentry will share their findings from a review of 93 higher education studies on social capital quantitative assessments. The aim of the study is to evaluate quantitative social capital assessments, based on survey design and operationalized measures, and recommend methods, operationalized measures and assessment instruments for social capital. Results from the 93 articles revealed that generators (18 papers), social network analysis (5 papers), and standard Likert measures (80 papers) were commonly used to assess social capital. Standard Likert measures, while most common, were rarely aligned with social capital theory, reducing the validity of the measures. Results also showed that operationalizations of social capital were heavily rooted in social network theory, where social capital is accessed through social networks (86 papers) and actions from alters (65 papers) in the students’ network. However, direct measures of social capital—that is, network characteristics, access to supports, and seminal definitions of trust and community—were less common.
This study provides important consensus and recommendations for researchers to select assessment instruments appropriate for their study and rooted in principles of assessment validity. We recommend researchers select survey methods (e.g., social capital generators) and operationalizations (e.g., actions from alters) that are well aligned with social capital theory. Assessment instruments designed using strong theoretical frameworks, such as Lin’s network theory of social capital, add to the validity of the researchers’ instrument design, use and interpretation of the students’ social capital scores.
About the presenter:
Mx. Adrian Nat Gentry is a PhD candidate at Purdue University in Engineering Education. They have a background in materials engineering with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in the field. Mx. Gentry utilizes quantitative and qualitative methods to study engineering students’ social capital, including students in work-integrated learning programs and a framework for understanding nonbinary engineering students access to identity-based supports. Mx. Gentry continues to be dedicated to supporting the LGBTQ+ STEM community through their involvement in Purdue’s oSTEM organization, the International Society of Nonbinary Scientists, and mentorship of LGBTQ+ undergraduate and graduate researchers.
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About Our Webinar Series
This event is part of our regular webinar sessions for social capital researchers including PhD/master students. These sessions include invited presentations from prominent scholars as well as presentations by PhD students and experts in professional practice.
For social capital researchers, these sessions are an opportunity to hear about the latest social capital research and insights from scholars working on the concept. They can be a great way to connect with people, to get advice, discuss ideas or issues, get suggestions for literature to read, or you can just listen.
Are you researching social capital and want to present your research? Click here for more information and to submit a proposal.
Generally, presentations can be 20 to 30 mins. The content of your presentation will depend on your research stage.
