The Role of Different Types of Social Capital on First Generation Students’ Academic Self-Concept and Success

Social capital has been shown to have a significant impact on one’s ability to overcome life’s challenges and to be successful. This includes overcoming challenges on college campuses. First generation students are often faced with major challenges on college campuses, however little is known about the extent to which they use social capital to address these challenges. This study examines differences in social capital use between first generation and non-first generation students among a sample of 66 college students at a small liberal arts college. Results suggest that first generation students tend to rely more on bridging social capital and less on bonding social capital than non-first generation students. Implications for improving academic success for first generation students are discussed