A Theory of Success for Disadvantaged
Children:
Reconceptualization of Social Capital in the Light of
Resilience
Xiao Ying Zhang
Lucie DeBlois
Université Laval
Marc-André Deniger
Université de Montréal
and
Canisius Kamanzi
Université Laval
Social Capital
Social capital is a term widely used in diverse contexts and in diverse meanings. For the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, 1998), social capital is defined as networks with shared norms and values that facilitate cooperation (Cote & Healy, 2001); for Putnam (1995), as networks, norms, and trust that enable members of the community to pursue common objectives. In the context of education, social capital is conceptualized in terms of its function in producing human capital (Coleman, 1988). It is lodged in the structure of relations between a child and his or her parents, other adults in the community, and his or her friends.
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of Alberta, 2008.
Last revised: May 27, 2008.
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