Rodzina i szkoła jako przestrzenie budowania kapitału społecznego
Family and school as a space of social capital creation

Summary/Abstract: Social capital is a resource desired and perceived as a prerequisite for the economic development of the state and as the basis of civil society. Poland’s social capital is low and in the future this may impede Poland’s development. Family and school are the main spaces where social capital, which manifests itself in the attitude which fosters cooperation and communication, is created. Social capital does not refer to individuals, but to social networks – communities that these individuals are able to create. However, it may be used by individuals to achieve individual goals and change their own situation. In the family, which is among the primary groups, social capital is created by cultural mechanisms (based on norms, beliefs, trust etc.). The school generates social capital by integrating groups, teaching cooperation and democratic values that build trust. Social capital is expressed in the relationships among members of the community. The nature of particular relationships is dependent on the scope of duties and rights, the distribution of authority and power. The size of the capital may change depending on the shape of the relationship among people and the number of their roles in society. Children, who have a special position in the family (educational function of the family), do not live in two separate areas: family and education, they are members of both of these communities and are subjects of their interactions. The article is an attempt to investigate what happens at point of contact between these two spaces and to assess what are the possibilities and limitations of utilizing the social capital of a family in the context of the new role of school, which is understood as “public good”.

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