SOCIAL CAPITAL AND THE REPRODUCTION OF INEQUALITY - INFORMATION NETWORKS AMONG MEXICAN-ORIGIN HIGH-SCHOOL-STUDENTS

The critical role of significant others in status attainment continues to be interpreted mainly in functionalist terms. This article present s an alternative interpretation based on social reproduction theories and on current research on social ties and adult occupational mobility . Using the concept of social capital, defined as social relationships from which an individual is potentially able to derive various types of institutional resources and support, the authors examine data on th e information networks of a selected sample of Mexican-origin high sch ool students. Apart from the influence of parental socioeconomic statu s, they assess how students' grades and educational and occupational e xpectations are related to the formation of instrumental ties to insti tutional agents (such as teachers and guidance counselors). Although t he authors found some evidence for the relation between grades and sta tus expectations and measures of social capital, their strongest assoc iations were with language measures, suggesting that bilinguals may ha ve special advantages in acquiring the institutional support necessary for school success and social mobility.