The forces of persistent inequality

Toward a (Re)Integrated Application of Bourdieuan Theory

“…Most commonly applied are the concepts of cultural and social capital. Cultural capital are the attitudes, values, and beliefs that can be expressed, used, and converted into valuable social, cultural, and material resources, that are passed on as generational advantages (McDonough & Nuñez, 2007). Social capital refers to the advantage that is accumulated though interaction with and within social networks.…”

“…Fields are definable areas in which people struggle because capital is at stake (economic, social, cultural, and symbolic). Understanding a field means understanding and making explicit who defines culture, exclusion, and worth, which groups have power in the status quo and how they maintain their hidden advantages (McDonough et al, 2000;McDonough & Nuñez, 2007). Fields are the contexts in which valued cultural artifacts (high SAT scores) are legitimized by those whose interests are best served by such legitimization and who thereby maintain their class privilege.…”

“…A good example of how capital, field, habitus, cultural arbitraries, and symbolic violence operate is the context of elite college admissions. In different historical moments, entrance exams, and discretionary admissions criteria were introduced to select the lucky from the worthy (McDonough & Miller, 2016). What constitutes merit in admissions criteria are cultural arbitraries that exclude individuals by placing them on the delegitimized side of the relational arbitrary.…”

“…Higher education exists in societies that have their own cultural systems and histories that serve the interests of dominant groups and whose purpose has been to legitimate unequal distributions of power in society (McDonough & Miller, 2016). Since social beliefs and the accumulated knowledge of every society varies, cultural arbitraries exist, they are arbitrary because not every society defines them the same, meaning these cultural arbitraries are not universal.…”

Impact of the Preparation for Academic Success in Science (PASS) High School to University Transition Program

“…Academic preparation is an important predictor of success in university (Adelman, 1998(Adelman, , 1999Cabrera & La Nasa, 2000;Hossler et al, 1999;Perna & Titus, 2005;Stampen & Fenske, 1988), but academic performance in high school, as defined by the student's grade-point average (GPA) is not a strong and consistent predictor of post-secondary academic success and retention rates (Adalman, 1999;Berger & Milem, 1999;Mayer & Salovey, 1997;Murtaugh et al, 1999;Randsell, 2001). Results from Bettinger and Long (2005) suggest that approximately one third of entering post-secondary students require remedial or development work, particularly amongst students who attend less-resourced high schools (Gonzalez-Muniz et al, 2012;Horn & Kojaku, 2001;Long et al, 2009;McDonough & Fann, 2007;Perna & Titus, 2005). Moreover, social competencies and emotional intelligence such as interpersonal skills, adaptability, and stress management may be a greater predictor of a successful transition than GPA (Bowman & Denson, 2012;Britton & Tesser, 1991;Conley, 2008;Strayhorn, 2011;Venezia & Jaeger, 2013).…”