NETWORKS, SCHOOLS, AND HIGHER EDUCATION: LINKING SOCIAL CAPITAL AND STUDENT PATHWAYS BEYOND SECONDARY SCHOOL

Abstract

Understanding the factors driving students’ university choices elucidates the dynamics underlying educational transitions. Scholars highlight how economic, social, and marketing factors influence these decisions, along with key factors such as personal characteristics, family background, school context, and peer relationships. While much of the literature focuses on the effects of peer influence on academic performance, less attention has been given to how social networks impact decisions related to higher education. In this study, we explore the role of egocentric networks – family, friends, classmates, and acquaintances – in shaping students’ university choices, emphasising the interplay between personal, familial, and social dimensions. By considering these networks as a form of social capital, we examine how relational composition and structure influence students’ access to support in the form of informational, emotional, and appraisal resources. Our findings reveal that students embedded in highly interconnected networks are better positioned to obtain support, which facilitates educational transitions. In contrast, students with weaker personal networks face significant challenges in decision-making due to the limited availability of relevant information and support. These results underscore the importance of both network size and structural composition in enhancing social capital and decision-making processes during the transition from secondary school to university.