Social Capital, Civic Engagement, and Success in Higher Education
SOCIAL CAPITAL, CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, AND SUCCESS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Adam Blaylock
BYU-Idaho
Senior Seminar in Political Science
April 8, 2011
1
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This paper could not have been completed without the help of several people, and it would be incomplete to publish it without expressing due thanks.
First, Trent M. Rose, my advisor for this paper, for providing helpful feedback and placing my feet on solid ground with respect to my understanding of the importance of civic engagement in our communities, and whose dissertation provided an outline for this study.
Second, Garrett Saunders, whose assistance with the statistical analysis of the survey used for this paper, was invaluable and without whose help this could not have been completed.
Third, all of the participants who willingly took time out of their busy school schedules to answer a thorough survey about their lives and academic experiences, many of whom wrote helpful and encouraging words of feedback throughout this process.
As much as I am indebted to these people for their help, I alone am responsible for the content of this paper.
2
I. INTRODUCTION
In an April 29, 2009 speech, while explaining the importance of educational achievement in America, President Barack Obama said, ―There are few things as fundamental to the American dream or as essential for America‘s success as a good education. This has never been more true than it is today‖ (Obama 2009, emphasis added). This paper examines what part social capital and civic engagement play in the success of students in higher education. Given what is known about the vast array of benefits that accompany high levels of civic engagement and social capital in a number of different areas of life (Rose 2006), it seems wise to make an effort to determine the extent to which civic engagement and social capital play a role in determining outcomes of student achievement in higher education. Interestingly, this is not something the academic community has
Adam Blaylock
BYU-Idaho
Senior Seminar in Political Science
April 8, 2011
1
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This paper could not have been completed without the help of several people, and it would be incomplete to publish it without expressing due thanks.
First, Trent M. Rose, my advisor for this paper, for providing helpful feedback and placing my feet on solid ground with respect to my understanding of the importance of civic engagement in our communities, and whose dissertation provided an outline for this study.
Second, Garrett Saunders, whose assistance with the statistical analysis of the survey used for this paper, was invaluable and without whose help this could not have been completed.
Third, all of the participants who willingly took time out of their busy school schedules to answer a thorough survey about their lives and academic experiences, many of whom wrote helpful and encouraging words of feedback throughout this process.
As much as I am indebted to these people for their help, I alone am responsible for the content of this paper.
2
I. INTRODUCTION
In an April 29, 2009 speech, while explaining the importance of educational achievement in America, President Barack Obama said, ―There are few things as fundamental to the American dream or as essential for America‘s success as a good education. This has never been more true than it is today‖ (Obama 2009, emphasis added). This paper examines what part social capital and civic engagement play in the success of students in higher education. Given what is known about the vast array of benefits that accompany high levels of civic engagement and social capital in a number of different areas of life (Rose 2006), it seems wise to make an effort to determine the extent to which civic engagement and social capital play a role in determining outcomes of student achievement in higher education. Interestingly, this is not something the academic community has
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