How does cultural capital affect educational performance: Signals or skills?

Bidragets oversatte titel: Hvordan påvirker kulturel kapital faglige præstationer: signaler eller færdigheder?

Asta Breinholt*, Mads Meier Jæger

*Corresponding author

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningpeer review

Abstract

In this paper, we test two mechanisms through which cultural capital might affect educational performance: (a) teachers misinterpreting cultural capital as signals of academic brilliance and (b) cultural capital fostering skills in children that enhance educational performance. We analyse data from the ECLS‐K and ECLS‐K:2011 from the United States and focus on three aspects of children’s cultural capital: participation in performing arts, reading interest and participation in athletics and clubs. We find that (1) none of the three aspects of cultural capital that we consider affects teachers’ evaluations of children’s academic skills; (2) reading interest has a direct positive effect on educational performance; and (3) the direct effect of reading interest on educational performance does not depend on schooling context. Our results provide little support for the hypothesis that cultural capital operates via signals about academic brilliance. Instead, they suggest that cultural capital fosters skills in children that enhance educational performance. We discuss the theoretical implications of our findings.
Bidragets oversatte titelHvordan påvirker kulturel kapital faglige præstationer: signaler eller færdigheder?
OriginalsprogEngelsk
TidsskriftBritish Journal of Sociology
Vol/bind71
Udgave nummer1
Sider (fra-til)28-46
Antal sider19
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2020
Udgivet eksterntJa

Emneord

  • Kulturel kapital
  • faglige præstationer
  • fixed effects
  • læsning

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