Social capital and student achievement: exploring the influence of social relationships on school success in Norway and Romania

Abstract

This paper investigates student social relationships in secondary schools and its relationship with student achievement in Norway and Romania. Using data from national youth surveys (“Young in Norway 2010” for Norway and “School Success Profile Survey 2010” for Romania), we explore the concept and measurement of social capital in the school context by applying factor analysis. The paper also tests an analytical model that links student home background, student social capital and student academic achievement, using a structural equation modelling technique (LISREL). Control variables in the analysis are student gender and ethnicity. Testing the analytical model with the two datasets respectively, the results show that student social capital, generated from student social relations with parents, teachers and peers, has a significant influence on student achievement in both countries. Analysis also confirms differences between the two countries in respect to the effect of home background variables and social capital on achievement.