Youths? Social Networks in Community Colleges: Influences on Social Capital Accrual, Academic Achievement, Employment Skills and Psychosocial Wellbeing

Stacey Alicea

Social capital, the resources and supports embedded in social networks that facilitate the accomplishment of goals, is associated with positive academic and employment youth outcomes. Community colleges are one of the few settings post-high school through which low-resourced youth in the U.S. can access social networks containing social capital needed to pursue life goals. Yet little is known about characteristics of these networks and how they influence youth outcomes. My dissertation addresses limitations in the literature through two innovative studies. Study 1 uses social network theory and methods to develop an in-depth understanding of the structure and composition of existing social networks in community colleges for ethnic and immigrant origin youth.  Study 2 uses structural equation modeling to examine associations between social network structures and composition, social capital and three youth outcomes: academic achievement, employment skills, and psychosocial wellbeing.

About Stacey Alicea

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