Cultural- Economic Capital Awareness and Academic Achievement: A Comparative Study of Adolescents in Family-Based and Institutional Care

Authors

  • Shikha Vinwal Research Scholar, Department of Sociology, Kumaun University, Nainital
  • Prof. Jyoti Joshi Department of Sociology, Kumaun University, Nainital

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31305/rrijm.2025.v10.n5.007

Keywords:

Academic achievement, Capital awareness, cultural capital, economic capital, institutional care, family-based care, educational inequality

Abstract

Academic achievement significantly influences individuals' future prospects, self-reliance, and social mobility. This study examines whether adolescents are aware of the cultural capital (guardian education) and economic capital (monthly household income) available to them, and how this awareness influences their academic achievement. Using a mixed-methods approach, we compared 115 adolescents in institutional care (children's homes) with 115 adolescents in family-based care (ages 11-18) in Uttarakhand, India, recognized under the Juvenile Justice Act- 2015 and Ministry of Women and Child Development, India. The research specifically explored adolescents' awareness of their guardians' educational background and monthly income, and how this knowledge mediated academic outcomes as measured by grade performance. ANOVA results revealed significant effects of both cultural capital [F(1, 227) = 72.329, p < .001] and economic capital [F(1, 227) = 4.226, p = .041] on academic achievement. Adolescents in family-based care demonstrated greater awareness of their parents' education levels, which facilitated subject-related discussions and improved academic performance. Similarly, these adolescents' awareness of family income correlated with better access to educational resources. The model explains 28.1% to 44.4% of variance in academic achievement between groups, with adolescents in family-based care showing consistently higher achievement than those in institutional care. Notably, within institutional settings, adolescents in more family-like arrangements (SOS Children's Village, Bhimtal) exhibited better outcomes than those in larger, more impersonal institutions, suggesting that care structure meaningfully mediates capital effects. These findings extend Bourdieu's theoretical framework by demonstrating that while capital awareness significantly influences academic achievement, institutional context fundamentally conditions the efficacy of capital conversion processes. Educational inequalities emerge not merely from differential distribution of resources, but critically from institutional variation in adolescents' capacity to mobilize awareness of available capital into academic advantage.

Author Biographies

Shikha Vinwal, Research Scholar, Department of Sociology, Kumaun University, Nainital

Shikha Vinwal is a Senior Researcher (SRF) in the Department of Sociology at Kumaun University's DSB Campus in Nainital, where she is currently pursuing her Ph.D. under the supervision of Professor Dr. Jyoti Joshi. Her doctoral research focuses on educational inequality among orphaned adolescents in Uttarakhand, examining the sociological dimensions of educational challenges faced by this vulnerable population. A gold medalist in her M.A. Sociology program (2018-2020) from Kumaun University, Ms. Vinwal is also a UGC-NET/JRF qualifier. Her research interests center around education, family dynamics, children's issues, and social inequality. She has published in peer-reviewed journals and presented her work at multiple national and international conferences.

Prof. Jyoti Joshi, Department of Sociology, Kumaun University, Nainital

Dr. Jyoti Joshi is a Professor of Sociology at Kumaun University, Nainital, where she currently serves as Head of Department. She earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from Kumaun University after completing her Master's and Bachelor's degrees from Banasthali Vidyapith, Rajasthan. With over 30 years of academic experience, Dr. Joshi has established herself as a prominent researcher in social change and cultural preservation, with special focus on tribal communities, folk culture, gender studies, and environmental sociology. She has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and contributed to several scholarly books. Dr. Joshi is a life member of the Indian Sociological Society and actively participates in national and international academic conferences. Beyond her research, she has held numerous administrative positions at Kumaun University and currently also serves as convenor of the Department of Criminology.

References

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Published

19-05-2025

How to Cite

Vinwal, S., & Joshi, J. (2025). Cultural- Economic Capital Awareness and Academic Achievement: A Comparative Study of Adolescents in Family-Based and Institutional Care. RESEARCH REVIEW International Journal of Multidisciplinary, 10(5), 67–77. https://doi.org/10.31305/rrijm.2025.v10.n5.007

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 5 (2025): RESEARCH REVIEW International Journal of Multidisciplinary

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Articles

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

This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).