Social networks, social capital, social support and academic success in higher education: A systematic review with a special focus on ‘underrepresented’ students

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2019.100307Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Social networks, social capital and social support play a role in the academic success of underrepresented students.

  • Underrepresented or minority students access different forms of social capital from different network members.

  • Personal networks predominantly provide support-related social capital.

  • Institutional networks are a source of information-related social capital.

Abstract

Widening higher education participation has resulted in efforts directed towards increasing higher education access. However, inequality in higher education completion continues to exist. Social factors have been found to play an important role in academic achievement. Given the role of social factors, this article examines the academic outcomes of students from a social network, social capital, and social support perspective with a special focus on underrepresented groups in higher education. The article is based on a systematic review of literature where evidence shows that the networks of students including their family, ethnic and religious affiliations, friends, and faculty play a role in academic success. The article details a framework describing how network members of underrepresented groups complement each other with regard to resources offered and contribute to academic success.

Introduction

Widening higher education participation has gained increased political focus globally in recent years, resulting in efforts directed towards expanding higher education access (Marginson, 2016; Osborne, 2003). Indeed, these political reforms have resulted in an increase in the number and diversity of students entering higher education. For instance, in the last ten years, the enrolment of students aged 25–34 years in tertiary education has increased in all OECD countries, with some countries e.g., Australia, Czech Republic, Greece, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland even reporting an increase of over 10% (OECD, 2018). Furthermore, previously underrepresented groups such as students from low social background are now increasingly becoming a part of the higher education system. Nonetheless, disparities in education achievement continue to exist as increased participation within these groups alone cannot guarantee academic success (Crozier, Reay, Clayton, Collinader, & Grinstead, 2008; Marginson, 2016). It is observed that first-generation learners (Müller & Schneider, 2013; OECD, 2018), those with migration background (Ebert & Heublein, 2017) are still at-risk of dropping out of university without obtaining a degree.

The achievement gap between students from high and low socio-economic backgrounds can be attributed partly to the differences in family's resources vis-à-vis finances, academic guidance or information, parental involvement or language skills (Willingham, 2012). Alongside family members, the role of peers and support groups at university also influence academic outcomes. Hossler, Schmidt, and Vesper (1999) highlight the importance of peer support in improving understanding of course materials and clarifying difficult concepts (Gallop & Bastien, 2016). Peer support and networks also determine student's integration and acceptance in higher education institutions which subsequently affects retention and success (Gallop & Bastien, 2016; Nagasawa & Wong, 1999).

Given the value of social factors (alongside academic and personal factors) in academic success, this article examines the link between social networks, social capital, social support, and higher education success with a special focus on underrepresented groups in higher education. Underachievement of students from disadvantaged backgrounds is certainly a well-researched area. Yet less attention has been paid to the factors that in fact, contribute to their success (Dika, Pando, Tempest, & Allen, 2018; Nagasawa & Wong, 1999). Based on a systematic review of literature, this article examines the role of networks, social capital, and social support in shaping academic success, especially for underrepresented1 students. Specifically, this article addresses the following research questions:

  • RQ1: Do social networks, social capital, and social support play a role in the success of students in higher education, with a special focus on underrepresented students?

  • RQ2: What are the mechanisms through which these factors influence academic success, here again, with a special focus on underrepresented students in higher education?

The article begins by differentiating the central concepts (social networks, social capital, and social support) used in the study, describing their significance for higher education success, followed by a description of the methodology and an overview of studies included in the review. The findings elaborate on the role of personal and institutional networks in academic success as well as develop a framework describing the mechanisms through which these networks influence success. The article concludes by discussing the reflections from literature review and its implications for reducing inequalities in higher education.

Section snippets

Social networks, social capital, social support and higher education outcomes

Before discussing the role of ‘social network’, ‘social capital’, and ‘social support’ in higher education success, it is important to elaborate on their conceptualization and disentangle the interrelationships between these interchangeably used concepts.

Method

In order to improve the quality of reporting systematic review and to minimize reporting biases, the literature search was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement (Moher, Liberati, Tetzlaff, Altman, & The PRISMA Group, 2009). The PRISMA statement consists of a 27 item checklist including items such as title, abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussions as well as a four phase flow diagram representing the search protocol.

Description of the studies included in the review and major themes

Table 2 gives an overview of the 136 studies included in the review and the major themes that emerged from the selection process. A complete list of studies included in the review is presented in Appendix 1.

The studies included in the review varied considerably in terms of publication dates, sample size, target student groups and methods (Table 2 and Appendix 1). Articles included in this review could be classified into two major types: those which focused on the position of students in their

Relationship between social networks, social capital, social support and academic achievement in higher education

This section presents the findings from the literature review on whether students' networks, social capital, and social support influence higher education outcomes of ‘underrepresented’ students. Bringing together both personal and institutional networks of students allows recognizing unique strength and barriers of each and how these relations complement one another.

  • RQ1: Role of social networks, social capital and social support in the success of higher education students with a special focus

Conclusion and discussion

This paper highlights the role and mechanisms through which social networks, social support, and social capital influence higher education. Support emerges as an important factor in the success of minority students. Unfortunately, discrimination and segregation experienced by underrepresented students restricts their access to support from members outside of their own communities (Ayala, 2012), with the exception of learning groups. This suggests that even though access to higher education has

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