Social structure and the importance of habitus in the tertiary education enrolment decision

Abstract

Most policy that underlies tertiary education is based on the presumption that economic models, such as human capital theory, are the most appropriate models and that factors, such as those included in any cost-benefit analysis, are reasonable. Previous studies make passing mention of other factors that could be important but then ignore them in any of the modelling or analysis that follows. This article takes the opposite approach, it starts with a passing mention of the standard models and then considers the role of social environment, networks, referents and expectations on individual decisions to enrol in tertiary training. It combines these measures using methodologies from across the social sciences, illustrating how an integration of perspectives is both possible and desirable. The data used is a unique set collected from first year tertiary students in New Zealand where there is a diverse, yet relatively limited, choice set. It is found that self-esteem and personal growth are strong pre-requisites to enrol in tertiary study. Expectations and the closeness of fit with an individual's habitus also play an important role in the decision of where and what to study. These are related to networks, both existing networks that provided the social context and helped form the habitus, but also the desire to actively develop new networks.