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Learning Alone and Academic Capital

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Learning Alone and Academic Capital SPRING/SUMMER 2019 | VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 1 EXPLORATORY PIECE Utilizing the concept of academic capital allows for a number of useful innovations, particu- larly in areas like developmental education, univer- sal design in instruction, and learning assistance, Learning Alone and where researchers have struggled to combine or reconcile awkward combinations of theoretical Academic Capital: An paradigms (e.g. the overlap between critical race theory and ESL). Students in this new theoretical Old Sociological Idea framework can be gifted cognitively and successful in secondary experiences yet still come to college in a New Educational with academic capital assets that vary widely. Ac- ademic capital provides a new way to assess how Application “at-risk” a student is based on measures more sep- arable from race, socio-economic status, disability, Jack Trammell or other traditional minority identity statuses that involve complicated historical stigmas. ABOUT THE AUTHOR As a theory, academic capital has the prom- ise of transforming learning assistance and higher Jack Trammell is chair of the Sociology, Criminal education in several ways, but one perhaps more Justice, and Human Services Department at important than the others is the possibility of mov- Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland. He ing beyond deficit models that frame developing specializes in social history, disability, education, students as needing something. Instead, academic and human services. capital recognizes that everyone is their own agent with control over where they want to spend, in- he concept of social capital has been dis- vest, or develop their own academic capital. Just cussed for more than 75 years, as Wall Street is incredibly diverse, pioneered by social scientists with a sometimes-overwhelming T collection of tools and possibilities, such as Bourdieu’s (1996) theory of Academic capital capital, Coleman’s (1990) rational so academic capital opens a rich choice theory, and Putnam’s (2000) is a framework window on educational success that democratic theory. Despite a great does not rely on simply reading bet- deal of debate about specific defini- that takes ter or getting accommodations. tions, social capital can generally be This theory may seem to be defined as the transactional value educators back too good to be true, although con- of relationships, networks, associa- sidering some basic initiatives that tions, and social knowledge—in es- to the primary could be part of this shift is not over- sence, a commodity that people can whelming. Some of these ideas in- earn, store, spend, and invest toward importance of clude the following: a dramatic re- specific purposes and goals. framing of new-student orientation Academic capital, a relatively relatonships, away from simply how to get help new concept, can be seen as a sub- and more toward developing rela- set within the larger world of social which is what the tionships that will matter—when capital and/or cultural capital (Tram- you develop your academic capital mell, 2018a; Trammell, 2018b). In original theory of you know where to get help; encour- this framework, academic capital is aging living and learning communi- defined in similar general terms: the ties (LLCs) where faculty, staff, and transactional value of relationships, social capital was students interact together, creating networks, associations and social and banking academic capital; and knowledge, only geared specifically all about. continuing to reframe the college/ toward situations and environments university experience as having fuzzy particular to education (and in this conversation, edges (i.e. doesn’t really begin or end in the strictly higher education). The development of new in- dichotomous sense). There are many other ideas struments, such as the Combined Measures of Ac- and possibilities, including some with direct impli- ademic Capital Survey (CMACS), is part of the de- cations for tutoring, ESL, and disability programs. veloping concept (Trammell, 2019). Putnam’s original sociological concept of so- cial capital lamented the trend that modern society 62 JOURNAL OF COLLEGE ACADEMIC SUPPORT PROGRAMS seemed to indicate that people were becoming more distant from each other (his example was bowling leagues) (Putnam, 1995). He pointed out that more people bowl now than in decades past, and yet bowl- ing leagues (i.e., social networks related to bowling) have nearly disappeared. In the same way, areas of the academy have oen become encased in silos and students can be overwhelmed, partcularly at larger insttutons. Academic capital is a framework that takes educators back to the primary importance of relatonships, which is what the original theory of so- cial capital was all about. References Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. Richard- son (Ed.), Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Educaton (pp. 241-258). New York, NY: Greenwood Press. Coleman, James S. (1990). Foundations of Social Theory. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Putnam, R. D. (1995). Bowling alone: America’s declining social capital. Journal of Democracy, 6(1), -8. htps://doi.org/10.1/jod.1.0002 Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. Trammell, J. (2018a). Learning alone: Academic capital and learning assistance. Paper presented at the annual conference of the College Reading and Learning Association. Albuquerque, NM. Trammell, J. (2018b). Learning alone: Academic capital and learning assistance. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Natonal College Learning Center Associaton. Niagara Falls, NY. Trammell, J. (2019). Combined measures of academic capital survey (CMACS). In progress. 63.
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