Tertiary Education and Social Capital Project (2003-2005)

Tertiary education and social capital in Victoria: the effects of the new economy courses in Business and IT (2003-2005)
ARC Linkage Grant project
Simon Marginson & Leesa Wheelahan (Griffith University)
Project Research Fellow: Emmaline Bexley
Partner Organisation: Victorian Government Office of Higher Education (Dr Terry Stokes)

The primary aim of the research project was to gain an understanding of the contribution of business and IT courses (described as ‘new economy’ courses) in Victorian tertiary institutions, to social capital. By social capital is meant the social relationships which individuals can leverage to access opportunities and support.  Collectively it means the collaborative networks that underpin economic innovation and sustainable community. 

The project report has been drafted and is currently undergoing finalisation as required by the Partner Organisation. The Report contains the following broad sections. 

1. Discussion of social capital from a theoretical perspective, including varying interpretations of social capital and key criticisms.

2. Literature-based investigation of social capital in public policy through two case studies: British Education Action Zones and the World Bank.

3. Empirical investigation of the social capital of business and IT students in Victorian tertiary education institutions.  This section was the main focus of the funded project.  It summarises the findings of the project survey of business, IT and other students in Victorian higher education (HE) and vocational education and technology (VET) institutions, plus interviews with educators of business and IT students across four universities and two TAFEs.  By focusing on both HE and VET students the project also supports the secondary policy research aim of investigating both universities and VET institutions as sites of social capital, and as contributors to social capital growth for their students and communities.

4. An overview of the policy context, the recommendations of the report, and the policy implications.

In general the project found that the effects of the study period on networking behaviour were slight although as expected IT students increased their electronic networking activities. Kinship and locality networks, networking via the workplace (more than three quarters of all students in the survey sample worked during semester) and some interest group/ affinity networks such as sporting clubs and religious institutions, appeared to have much more effects in creating and sustaining social capital than the tertiary education experience. TAFE students had lower levels of social capital behaviour and were less affected by tertiary education than university students. The Business and IT students had weaker and less extensive networks and lower levels of trust than students from the other disciplines. This appeared linked to the fact that the Business and IT students were more likely to come from first generation higher education families that typically network less extensively with other tertiary education families, pointing to the continuing impact of social origin on the extent of value obtained in tertiary education, and the tendency of networks to be socially exclusive as well as inclusive.