The Invisible Hand of Social Capital: Narratives of First Generation College Students in Engineering

First generation college students can increase both the number and diversity of students in engineering. We use Lin's Network Theory of Social Capital, which describes relationships as being embedded with resources used to achieve a goal, as a framework for understanding undergraduate students' decisions to enroll in engineering studies. While much of the discourse on social capital in higher education focuses on inequalities and deficits experienced by first generation college students, our work helps to transition the discussion by highlighting the positive influence of education personnel as well as teachers and mentors associated with institutionalized programs. We use narrative analysis and two types of explicitly integrated complementary qualitative data to expand on Lin's theory. This paper presents an exemplar narrative describing what Lin calls the "invisible hand of social capital;" that is, when particularly resource-rich networks do not necessitate an individual knowingly mobilizing resources because information and resources are received in routine exchanges. Our findings support the need for continued proactive outreach, educational, and support systems that can serve as research-rich networks for first generation college students.