The effect of social, cultural and economic capitals and parental support on students' placement in BİLSEM

This study focuses on the differences of social, cultural, and economic capital, school perceptions and parental support of students selected for Science and Art Centers (Bilim ve Sanat Merkezi, BİLSEM) from their peers. In this context, the aim of the study was determined as to reveal the social, cultural, and economic capital, school perceptions and parental support of primary school students and to examine the effect of these variables on their placement in BİLSEM. The study, which was structured using the causal-comparative model, one of the quantitative research approaches. It was conducted with two different participant groups. The first group consists of 489 primary school students who study in primary schools with a high number of BİLSEM students and their parents. This group was determined by cluster sampling method. The second group consists of 1,257 students and 74 graduates attending BİLSEM. The data were obtained by using two different data collection forms, one for the students and the other for the parents of the students. The data obtained in the study were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, chi-square, correlation, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. The main findings of the study are as follows: (a) Students who were admitted to BİLSEM were in a special family position (only child or only sibling) and were more interested in literacy and numeracy activities in their early childhood compared to their peers. (b) Cultural capital, together with the intensity of educational resources in the home environment, perception of school life and students' school readiness levels, can explain 32% of the variability of placement in BİLSEM. (c) Embodied cultural capital and intra-familial cultural communication are the dominant driving cultural capital forces in placement to BİLSEM. (d) Social and economic capital do not have any significant predictive power on placement to BİLSEM. The current findings suggest that the main determinants of admission to BİLSEMs, which select students based on intelligence tests, are the cultural capital of the family, educational resources in the home environment, parental support, and the level of early literacy and numeracy activities.