Assessing the role of social support in personal networks during educational transitions

The student decision-making process in the transition from high school to university or the labor market is affected by a complex interplay of personal aspirations, motivations or social relationships. Beyond educational performance and economic factors, the support received by students from family, peers, and other adults can shape students’ choices. The present contribution investigates how different types of social support —informational, emotional, and appraisal—are mobilized within students’ personal networks and which factors influence their choices. Personal network data were collected on a sample of high school students in Southern Italy using a multiple name generator to identify significant alters within three key social circles: family, school, and social environment. Information on alters’ characteristics, along with ego-alter and alter-alter ties, has been gathered through a name interpreter. Multilevel logistic regression models have been estimated, one for each kind of support, to examine the determinants of support provision while accounting for the hierarchical nature of the data. The models undertake alters (level 1) nested within egos (level 2), and incorporate both alter characteristics (type of relationship, gender, age), and ego attributes (gender, parental education, and specific soft skill scales, such as autonomy, problem-solving, leadership). Preliminary results highlight how the provision of social support varies based on the kind of relationship between alter and ego and individual characteristics.