Social Capital and the Higher Education Academic Achievement: Using Cross-Classified Multilevel Models to Understanding the Impact of Society on Educational Outcomes

This article aims to show the influence of social capital on the academic achievement of American students. Using data from Waves I and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), this study explored how one of the domains of social capital, the family, makes a difference to educational outcomes in higher education. Cross-classified multilevel models were used to analyze the data to understand the effects of family social capital variables and contexts on academic achievement. In addition, the models examined if gender, race, and parental socioeconomic status influenced the relationship. The findings from this study showed that the effects of family social capital differed for different groups of students and was impacted by the context. This study also found that parental income, education, and employment all affected how family social capital influenced academic achievement.