Karrie D. Mitchell

Finding Their Way: Cultural Capital Facilitators and First-generation Community College Students Karrie D. Mitchell

First-generation students enter community colleges at record numbers, but many lack the knowledge (i.e. cultural capital) to maneuver higher education successfully. This lack of capital is often attributed to the student?s role as first-generation. So the question is posed, how do students who lack the cultural capital upon entering college find the correct information to flourish? This book explores how students find their way by looking at the people they interact with, cultural capital facilitators. Through the use of social networking and social and cultural capital theories, this book reveals the types of information shared and the role these facilitators play in student knowledge acquisition and success. Implications for community college practitioners include the key positions these facilitators hold on-campus and the characteristics and attributes individuals can acquire through professional development experiences. Finally, the interconnectedness of facilitators' social networks and the domination of academic, cultural capital information are expanded on for college administrators to examine the structural and functional barriers to first-generation student success.