From high school to college

This qualitative four-year study examines the influence that parents, friends, and teachers have on the academic achievement of nine Dominican students from their junior year of high school through their sophomore year (or equivalent) of college. Using social capital as a framework, I examined the variation between the quality and types of supports each network (parents, friends, teachers) could provide. This study offers a more nuanced understanding of supports gained through relationships. One source or network of support was not enough to help students do well academically. Only when parental support was combined with support from friends, teachers, or professors did participants do well. However, establishing and maintaining these supportive relationships over time could be difficult. Students' level of academic success varied as a function of support received from friends and teachers/professors. Additionally, in high school, all participants were a part of networks that promoted anti-school attitudes and behaviors. Successful students developed strategies on how to distance themselves from those networks while in school so that they could maintain their academic success. Finally, all of these participants had the opportunity to access support from willing friends and teachers/professors who had the capacity to help them academically, but not all of them did so. Students in this study needed to feel comfortable within a relationship with a peer or teacher in order to ask for or receive help. Being able to establish these close relationships became especially important as students transitioned into college. Only participants who were able to establish supportive relationships in college were able to adjust to the more demanding academic course load Implications from this study are discussed.