Exploring the Theoretical Social Capital "Deficit" of First Generation College Students: Implications for Engineering Education.

This paper investigates social capital, that is, resources accrued through relationships, of engineering students based on their generational status in college. We administered a "Name and Resource Generator" instrument adapted from the field of sociology to a sample of 1,410 engineering undergraduates from five U.S. universities. Quantitative analysis of results revealed many statistically significant differences in the social capital characteristics and accessed resources for First Generation College students (FGC) compared to Continuing Generation College (CGC) students. While some of these results were theoretically anticipated, we also present unique findings regarding (1) the prevalence of available and accessed resources for FGC students, and (2) the type of individual (known as an "alter") providing the engineering-related resources. The retrospective nature of the study allowed us to draw conclusions about the nature of these resources and alter types both during and before undergraduate engineering studies. These results represent a significant theoretical contribution that engineering education stakeholders can use to enhance outreach, recruitment and retention efforts to help grow and diversify the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]