Social capital at school: a tool to measure students’ endowments

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.71014/sieds.v80i3.552

Keywords:

social capital, assessment at primary school, social preferences, economic games

Abstract

This study presents an innovative methodology for measuring social capital among students to detect variations in its distribution across different territorial contexts. The proposed model is based on a multidimensional perspective of social capital, encompassing structural, relational, and cognitive dimensions, and utilizes three tools: a questionnaire, sociometric mapping, and age-appropriate economic games. The work provides a solid methodological framework that is helpful in exploring how social networks, trust relationships, and prosocial preferences develop and differ in relation to the living environment and school. The study aims to contribute to the understanding of social capital as a relational and value-based resource that promotes social cohesion, educational inclusion, and civic participation within school and territorial contexts.

Author Biography

Stefania Badiglio, Institute for Studies on the Mediterranean, National Research Council of Italy

Stefania Badiglio earned her Master’s Degree in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Palermo. In 2024, she completed her Ph.D. in Applied Economics at LUMSA University in Palermo.

Since 2016, she has been a lecturer at LUMSA University in Palermo, where she teaches Mathematical Methods for Economics, Financial Mathematics, and Microeconomics. Since 2022, she has also been teaching the Basic Mathematics Skills course at the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Palermo.

Her research activities focus on applied, experimental, and behavioral economics. She has developed expertise in managing experimental interventions in the field of Behavioral Economics, designing experimental protocols to measure social capital through economic games applied to the school context, and analyzing the impact of Artificial Intelligence on specific cognitive biases. Additionally, she has experience in survey design as well as in data processing and statistical analysis, using R and STATA software.

References

ALGUACIL MIR L., VALDIVIA-VIZARRETA P. 2025. Social networks and linkages: A systematic literature review (PRISMA) on the impact of social capital in youth communities. Pedagogia Social Revista Interuniversitaria, Vol. 46, pp. 210–227. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7179/PSRI_2025.46.12

ALDRIDGE S., HALPERN D., FITZPATRICK S. 2002. Social Capital: A Discussion Paper. London (UK): Performance and Innovation Unit.

BADIGLIO S. 2025. Impatto di un programma psicoeducativo basato sul PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Support) sul benessere e sul capitale sociale degli studenti. Phd Thesis. Palermo (IT): Libera Università Maria Ss Assunta-LUMSA.

BETTS L. R., ROTENBERG K. J., TRUEMAN M. 2009. The early childhood generalized trust belief scale. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Vol. 24, No. 2, pp. 175-185. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2008.10.002

BLAKEMORE S-J., MILLS K.L. 2014. Adolescence a Sensitive Period for Sociocultural Processing? Annual Review of Psychology, Vol. 65, pp. 187-207. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115202

BOURDIEU, P. 1980. Le capital social. Notes provisoires. In Actes de la recherche en sciences sociales, Vol. 31, p. 248-49.

BOURDIEU P. 1986. The forms of capital. In Richardson, J. G. (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education. New York, NY: Greenwood Press.

BRONFENBRENNER U. 1979. The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674028845

BRYK A. S., SCHNEIDERB. 2002. Trust in schools: A core resource for improvement. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.

CAPRARA G. V., PASTORELLI C. 1993. Relazioni tra coetanei. La nomina dei pari come predittore delle forme di adattamento e disadattamento nella prima adolescenza. Età Evolutiva, Vol. 44, pp. 86-93.

CLARIDGE T. 2018. Can social capital be measured? Is any measurement valid? Social Capital Research, published online, 30 September 2018.

COLEMAN J. S. 1988. Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital. American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. S95–S12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/228943

COLEMAN R. 1990. Foundation of Social Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

CROSNOE R. 2004. Social capital and the interplay of families and schools. Journal of Marriage and Family, Vol. 66, No. 2, pp. 267–280 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2004.00019.x

CSIKSZENTMIHALYI M., LARSON R., PRESCOTT S. 1977. The ecology of adolescent activity and experience. Journal of youth and adolescence. Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 281-294. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02138940

DENZIN N. K. 2006. Sociological Methods: A Sourcebook (5th ed.). London: Routledge.

DASGUPTA P. E SERAGELDIN, I. 1999. Social Capital. A Multifaceted Perspective. Washington D.C.: The World Bank. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1596/0-8213-4562-1

FERRIN D. L., BLIGH M. C., KOHLES J. C. 2007. Can I Trust You to Trust Me? A Theory of Trust, Monitoring, and Cooperation in Interpersonal and Intergroup Relationships. Group & Organization Management, Vol. 32. No. 4, pp. 465-499. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1059601106293960

FORBES E., DAHL R. E. 2010. Pubertal development and behavior: hormonal activation of social and motivational tendencies. Brain and cognition, Vol. 72. No. 1, pp. 66-72. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2009.10.007

FUKUYAMA F. 1995. Trust. The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity. New York: Free Press.

FUKUYAMA F. 2002. Social Capital and Development: The Coming Agenda. SAIS Review, Vol. 22, No. 1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/sais.2002.0009

GITTELL R., VIDAL A. 2000. Community Organizing: Building Social Capital as a Development Strategy. Contemporary Sociology A. Journal of Reviews, Vol. 29, No. 2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2654436

GODDARD R.D. 2003. Relational Networks, Social Trust, and Norms: A Social Capital Perspective on Students’ Chances of Academic Success. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Vol. 25, pp. 59-74. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737025001059

GOODERHAM P. N. 2007. Enhancing Knowledge Transfer in Multinational Corporations: A Dynamic Capabilities Driven Model. Knowledge Management Research & Practice, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 34–43. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.kmrp.8500119

GRANOVETTER M. S. 1973. The Strength of Weak Ties. American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 78, pp. 1360-1380. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/225469

GROOTAERT C. 2004. Measuring social capital: An integrated questionnaire. Danvers: World Bank Publications. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1596/0-8213-5661-5

HANIFAN L. 1916. The Rural School Community Center. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 67, pp. 130-138. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/000271621606700118

HARRISON J. L., MONTGOMERY C. A., BLISS J. C. 2016. Beyond the Monolith: The Role of Bonding, Bridging, and Linking Social Capital in the Cycle of Adaptive Capacity. Society & Natural Resources, Vol. 29, No. 5, pp. 525–539. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2015.1103389

IMBER S. 1973. Relationship of trust to academic performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 145-150. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/h0035644

JACOBS J. 1961. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Vintage Books.

LIN N. 2000. Inequality in social capital. Contemporary Sociology, Vol. 29, No. 6, pp. 785–795. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2654086

LIN N. 2001. Social Capital: A Theory of Social Structure and Action. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511815447

MIKIEWICZ P. 2021. Social capital and education – An attempt to synthesize conceptualization arising from various theoretical origins. Cogent Education, Vol. 8, No. 1: 1907956. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2021.1907956

NAHAPIET J., GHOSHAL S. 1998. Social Capital, intellectual capital and the creation of value in firms. The Academy of Management Review, Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 242-266. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/259373

ONYX J., BULLEN P. 2000. Measuring Social Capital in Five Communities. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, Vol. 36, No. 1, pp. 23-42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886300361002

PARCEL T., DUFUR M. 2004. Capital at Home and at School: Effects on Child Social Adjustment. Journal of Marriage and Family. Vol. 63, pp. 32-47. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2001.00032.x

PFATTHEICHER S., NIELSEN Y. A., THIELMANN I. 2022. Prosocial behavior and altruism: A review of concepts and definitions. Current Opinion in Psychology, Vol. 44, pp. 124-129. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.08.021

PUTNAM R. D. 2000. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York: Touchstone Books. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/358916.361990

PUTNAM R. 2001. Social capital: Measurement and consequences. Canadian Journal of Policy Research, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 41-51.

PUTNAM R. D., LEONARDI R., NANETTI R. Y. 1993. Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy. Princeton: Princeton University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400820740

ROTTER J. B. 1971. Generalized expectancies for interpersonal trust. American Psychologist, Vol. 26, No. 5, pp. 443-452. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/h0031464

ROTTER J. B. 1980. Interpersonal Trust, Trustworthiness and Gullibility. American Psychologist, Vol. 35, pp. 1-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.35.1.1

SALLOUM S., GODDARD R., LARSEN R. 2017. Social Capital in Schools: A Conceptual and Empirical Analysis of the Equity of Its Distribution and Relation to Academic Achievement. Teachers College Record, Vol. 119, No. 7, pp. 1-29. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811711900706

SETA L., BADIGLIO S. 2024. School Leadership Between Accountability and Values. Annals of Social Sciences & Management Studies, Vol. 10, No. 3, ID: 555787 DOI: https://doi.org/10.19080/ASM.2024.10.555787

THÖNI C., TYRAN J.-R., WENGSTRÖM E. 2012. Microfoundations of social capital. Journal of Public Economics, Vol. 96, No. 7–8, pp. 635-643. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2012.04.003

UPHOFF N. 1999. Understanding Social Capital: Learning from the Analysis and Experience of Participation. In P. DASGUPTA, & I. SERAGELDIN, (Eds.), Social Capital. A Multifaceted Perspective. Washington D.C.: The World Bank.

VAN DER GAAG M., SNIJDERS T. A. B. 2005. The Resource Generator: Social Capital Quantification with Concrete Items. Social Networks, Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 1–29. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socnet.2004.10.001

VAN ROSSEM R., VERMANDE M., VÖLKER B., BAERVELDT C. 2015. Social capital in the classroom: a study of in-class social capital and school adjustment. British Journal of Sociology of Education, Vol. 36, No. 5, pp. 669–688. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2013.848779

WOOLCOCK M., NARAYAN D. 2000. Social Capital: Implications for Development Theory, Research, and Policy, The World Bank Research Observer, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 225–249 . DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/wbro/15.2.225

WUTHNOW R. 2002. Religious Involvement and Status‐Bridging Social Capital. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. Vol. 41, pp. 669-684. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5906.00153

Downloads

Published

2026-02-26

Issue

Vol. LXXX-3 July-September 2026

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Stefania Badiglio, Luciano Seta

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.