Chapter 1: Insights into Different forms of Capital

Distribution of capital in home and school settings affects the types of educational outcomes and the quality of lifelong opportunities that individuals are able to enjoy. Resource availability and accessibility influence the success levels at which teaching and learning is experienced. Capital possession or acquisition impacts the ability to navigate the academic pipeline and to recognize the appropriate tools by which to do so. Given the relative nature of capital, the know-hows of navigating the pipeline reflect the ideologies of the respective context. There are four types of capital: economic, human, cultural, and social. The ways in which these forms of capital emerge as consumer, producer, and regulator demonstrate how educational processes occur within a mutually interactive relationship. Understanding the nature of the different roles of capital provides more informed perspectives about the complexities of education and schooling.