Journal
HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Volume 39, Issue 5, Pages 898-912Publisher
ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/07294360.2019.1705253
Keywords
Belonging; social capital; support; trust; wellbeing; university life satisfaction
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
University participation has increased in many countries in recent years in response to the requirement for a strong knowledge economy. While this has provided additional access opportunities, not all students enter university with the same transferrable social capital. To counter this, educational institutions could play a strategic role in the development of networks and connections that provide students with valuable information, support and a sense of belonging. This research project explored the development of social capital, and its impact upon university life satisfaction and wellbeing, within an Australian university course undertaken by all first-year students regardless of programme or discipline. A survey of students was conducted three times over one semester. The results suggested that peer-level social capital indicators of trust, social support and relatedness changed over the semester, while other social capital indicators begin high and remain stable. Bridging social capital and peer social support predicted university life satisfaction. The relationship between social capital and wellbeing was found to be more complex. In a competitive, global tertiary environment, institutions could maximise the satisfaction and success of increasingly diverse student cohorts through strategies that facilitate social capital development.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available