Facilitators and Barriers to Accessing Social Capital for Black First-Generation College Students Attending Pwis

Background and Purpose: Black and first-generation students are underrepresented in colleges and universities, as well as more likely than their continuing-generation peers to have poorer outcomes (dropping out prior to graduation, lower GPAs, less likely to report feeling a sense of belonging. Evidence suggests that social capital can positively impact these outcomes. This study aims to 1) illuminate the facilitators and barriers to accessing social capital for black first-generation students attending Predominantly White Institutions and 2) determine how barriers can be mitigated.

Methods: This qualitative study involves semi-structured individual interviews with 9 black adults who entered college as first-generation students. Participants (ages 18-41) were mostly women (55% women, 45% men—all cisgender) and all moved away from home to attend college as undergraduates. Four participants completed their undergraduate degrees, three are currently enrolled, and two left school prior to completing their degrees. Participants were recruited via email, word of mouth, and snowball sampling. Interviews explored participants’ decisions about college and major choices, cultural knowledge, sense of inclusion and belonging, and decisions to remain, transfer, or disenroll during their time as undergraduates. MAXQDA software was used to analyze the data through thematic coding.

Findings: Bordieu’s theory of capital (and the relationship between capital and inclusion) is used to frame the findings of the study. Access to social capital is influenced by access to economic capital, symbolic capital, and cultural capital. Having any form of capital increases access to the others. Inclusion and belonging also facilitate access to cultural knowledge and social capital—and vice versa. Additionally, students possessed internal resources that drove their academic pursuits and ambitions. Contrary to what was expected, racialization was not a major factor in the sense of belonging for most participants. Also, college enrollment for older siblings did not translate to increased cultural knowledge for younger siblings in these cases.

Conclusion and Implications: Education is not only a vehicle for socioeconomic mobility, but also a social determinant of health. The role of social workers in promoting equitable access and social inclusion for students should not be limited to K-12 . This paper increases current knowledge by illuminating the mechanisms by which students gain access to the knowledge and resources they need to successfully navigate institutions of higher learning. To alleviate the racial and class disparities in higher education retention and graduation, concerted effort is required from high schools and colleges to increase support and cultural knowledge for students—particularly black, lower income, and first-generation students. Colleges must examine the ways that they are designed for upper class, white, and continuing generation students to belong and succeed and transform policies and practices that disadvantage or exclude lower income, minoritized, and first-generation students. Policymakers can prioritize public school funding and consider free tuition or alternative, debt-free funding options for first-generation students. Suggestions for future research are discussed.