Socio-Cultural Strategy

Socio-Cultural Strategy

The Role of Reference Groups and Social Capital in Social Mobility Motivation in Students

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Shamsolmolouk Seifoddini-Khaleghi 1
Amir-Masoud Amir-Mazaheri 2
Shahla Kazemipour 3
Hossein Aghajani-Mersa 4
1 Ph.D. Student of Department of Sociology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 Associate Professor of Sociology, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran, (Corresponding Author)
3 Associate Professor of Demographics, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran
4 Associate Professor of Sociology, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/scs.2023.396811.1445
Abstract
The concept of social mobility is an important topic in the social sciences which affects people’s lives at both the micro and the macro level. The existence of greater opportunities for social mobility in a society implies that society can progress further. In this research, the role of two influencing variables on the Motivation of Social Mobility, including Reference Groups and Cultural Capital, has been investigated. A survey research technique was used and 381 students of Islamic Azad University of Science and Research Unit were selected using Cochran's formula. Because a valid measurement instrument did not exist, a researcher-made questionnaire was made to measure the research variables. The validity and reliability of the designed questionnaires were examined and confirmed. The results of the hypotheses test showed that the variable of Reference Groups including Insiders and Outsiders could predict 21% and the variable of Cultural Capital including Embodied, Objectified and Institutionalized Capital could predict 30% of the variance of Social Mobility Motivation. It can be said that being a member of a group can lead to new behaviors and direct a person to social mobility. When a person has a higher cultural capital, he can convert it into other types of capital. Therefore, cultural capital can be an influential factor affecting social mobility.
Keywords
social mobility motivation
reference group
cultural capital
social bas

Subjects

References
Arastekhoo, M. (2002). Dictionary of scientific and social terms, Tehran: Chapakhsh.
Bahripour, A., Zulfiqari, A., & Rastgar Khaled, A. (2012). Investigating the relationship between social trust and feeling of social security (case study of Kashan city), Strategic Researches of Security and Social Order, 1(4), 89-109.
Bourdieu, P. (2001). Theory of Action, translated in Persian by Mardiha M., Tehran: Naqshvonagar.
Chetty, R., Hendren, N., Kline, P., & Saez, E. (2014). Where is the land of opportunity? The geography of intergenerational mobility in the United States. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 129(4), 1553-1623.
Cohen, B. (2015). Basics of Sociology, translated in Persian by Tavasoli G.A., Tehran: Samt.
Deaux, K., & Major, B. (1955). Putting gender into context: An interactive model of gender-related behavior. Psychological Review, 94(3), 369-389.
Delajara, M., Vázquez, R., & Grajales, R. (2020). Social mobility in Mexico, What can we learn from its regional variation? Agence Française de Développement Working Paper.
Dodin, M. F., Henkel, L., Sachs, D., & Schüle, P. (2021). Social Mobility in Germany. CESifo Working Paper No. 9200, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3892624 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3892624.
Fazli, M. (2012). Consumption and lifestyle, Tehran: Sobh Sadegh.
Firozjaian, A.A., & Sharifi Moghadam, P. (2016). Analysis of academic laziness as social laziness among students of Mazandaran University. Applied Sociology, year 28, (4), 5-70.
Georg, W. (2004). Cultural capital and social inequality in the life course. European Sociological Review, 20(4), 333-344.
Ghafari, Z. & Haghighatian, M. (2016). The effect of embodied (mental) cultural capital on intergenerational social mobility (case study: 30-54-year-old residents of Gorgan), Social Development Quarterly (formerly Human Development), 11(4), 183-206.
Giddens, A. (2002). Basics of Sociology, translated in Persian by Sabouri Kashani M., Tehran: Ni.
Hashemzehi, N. & Ghadimi, B. (2019). Intergenerational social mobility among Tehran residents. Examining Iran's social issues. 11(2), 201-232.
Iversen, K. (2017). Cultural Capital, Reference Group, and Social Mobility in India. Economic & Political Weekly.
Karami, F. (2019). "Investigation of sociological factors affecting the social mobility (intergenerational) of women in Dehloran city", Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz.
Kazmipour, Sh. (1378). A model for determining the socioeconomic status of individuals and measuring social mobility based on a case study in Tehran. Social Science Letters (14), 172-139.
Khodabandelou, S. (1993). "Social Mobility (Intergenerational): A Case Study of Kermanshah City", Doctorate Sociology Thesis, Tarbiat Modares University.
Khosravi, S., Mohseni Tabrizi, A., & Aghajani Mersa, H. (1400). Sociological explanation of the contribution of social capital in social mobility. Iranian Social Development Studies, 13(2), 99-113.
Leites, M., & Ramos, X. (2019). Intergenerational mobility and reference groups. Serie Documentos de Trabajo, 19-23.
Lipset, S. M. (2018). Social mobility in industrial society. Routledge.
Lipset, S., & Bendix, R. (1959). Social Mobility in Industrial Society. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Lotfi, M. (2007). Investigating the relationship between social and cultural capital and social mobility, doctoral dissertation in sociology, Al-Zahra University.
Mahdilou, M. (2018). "Investigation of social factors affecting the social mobility of students-teachers of Farhangian University of Urmia", doctoral dissertation in sociology, Tabriz University.
Majeddin, A. (2016). Investigating the reasons and effects of increasing the marriage age of rural girls in Ashtian, Journal of Humanities, (53), 375-386.
Merton, R. (2006). Social problems and sociological theory, translated in Persian by Tolai N., Tehran: Amir Kabir.
Mousavi, K. & Javadi, S. (2017). Investigating the role of internet use in the occurrence of negative cultural habits and traits: a case study of Kashan city. New Media Studies Quarterly, Year Four, (14), 281-249.
Naibi, H. & Masoumi-Rad R. (2013). Investigating cultural factors affecting the social mobility of men aged 35 to 65 in Tehran, Sociological Studies, 18(39), 1-34.
Nunn, A., Johnson, S., Monro, S., Bickerstaffe, T., & Kelsey, S. (2007). Factors influencing social mobility. Technical Report. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. available at http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/6057/.
Piketty, T. (2000). Theories of persistent inequality and intergenerational mobility in A.B. Atkinson and F. Bourguignon (eds.), Handbook of Income Distribution (Vol. 1). Amsterdam.
Rahimizad, F. (2015). Investigating the factors affecting the social laziness of students. Master's thesis, Allameh Tabatabai University, part-time campus faculty. Free specialized training center.
Rastgar Khalid, A., Mohammadi, M., & Pakbaz, S. (2012). The relationship between cultural capital and quality of life. Social Development Quarterly, (7), 106-77.
Reeves, A. & Vries, R. (2018). Can cultural consumption increase future earnings? Exploring the economic returns to cultural capital. The British journal of sociology, 214-240.
Shahryaripour, R, Aminbeidokhti, A.K., Mohammadifar, M.A., & Kiani, K. (2017). Prediction of the tendency of the elite students to emigrate from the country based on the effect of their satisfaction and attitude towards the image and atmosphere of the university (case study: Semnan University), Journal of Iranian Higher Education, 8(3), 26-49.
Stones, R. (2013). Great Sociological Thinkers, translated in Persian by Mirdamadi M., Tehran: Center.
Tavasoli, G.H. (2004). An analysis of Pierre Bourdieu's thought about the conflicting social environment and the role of sociology. Social Science Letters, 11(3).
Throsby, D. (2017). Economy and Culture, translated in Peisian by Farhadi K., Tehran: Ni.
Uzair-ul-Hassan, M., Parveen, I., & Saleem, S. (2020). Education Participation and Social Mobility Implications of Cultural Capital in Women’s Highe. Pakistan Journal of Education, 36(3), 145-169.
Xie, Y., Dong, H., Zhou, X., & Song, X. (2022). Trends in social mobility in postrevolution China. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(7).
Zare, B., & Lotfi, M. (2012). Investigating social factors affecting intergenerational mobility in Kermanshah city. Iran's Social Issues, fourth year, (1), 113-139.
Zare, B., & Lotfi, M. (2014). Sociologi cal analysis of intergenerational social mobility in Kermanshah city. Social analysis of social order and inequality. Journal of Human Sciences, 7(1).

  • Receive Date 22 May 2023
  • Revise Date 05 July 2023
  • Accept Date 05 July 2023