Social relationships and acquisitation of knowledge

Abstract

"The purpose of this article is to reveal the significance of social capital for individual educational opportunities and the acquisition of knowledge. Hereby, social capital should not be thought of as separate from other forms of capital, for network relationships offer little help, if anyone connected to other individuals in the network has few resources at hand. Based on these considerations, we will first provide a short overview of the educational context in Germany and then examine, besides social capital, the influence of economic and cultural capital on the development of competencies and the course of education. Moreover, the authors call for not underestimating the institutional level and 'subordinate' composition effects beyond micro-level examinations. Furthermore, the authors suggest for future research on the topic of social capital and education to pay greater attention to classmates and friends in addition to parents and siblings; to view not only formal certificates but also competencies as resources; and to consider the sustainability of networks and the utilisation of capital. In order to achieve this goal, a more interdisciplinary approach and broad longitudinal studies are needed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Allmendinger, J., Ebner, C. & Nikolai, R. (2007): Soziale Beziehungen und Bildungserwerb. In: A. Franzen & M. Freitag (Hrsg.) (2007): Sozialkapital : Grundlagen und Anwendungen (Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie. Sonderheft, 47), p. 487-513.