Description of the Questionnaire

This questionnaire aims to measure the impact of parental cultural capital on the educational trajectory of their children. It is theoretically grounded in Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of cultural reproduction and Paul DiMaggio’s theory of cultural mobility. It focuses on two main dimensions of parents’ cultural behavior: participation in highbrow cultural activities (such as visits to museums, theater, concerts) and reading habits within the family environment. The instrument is based on the methodology of the Netherlands Family Survey 1992–93, with adaptations made for broader application in the Greek context.

Data Analysis and Use

The data collected can be analyzed using quantitative methods such as linear or logistic regression to assess the extent to which cultural variables influence children’s educational performance. Special emphasis is placed on interaction analysis between cultural capital and socioeconomic background, in order to evaluate which theoretical approach better fits the empirical evidence: cultural reproduction or cultural mobility. The results may lead to substantive conclusions regarding the intergenerational transmission of either inequality or opportunity through the family.

Objective

The objective of the questionnaire is to investigate to what extent parents’ cultural practices influence their children’s educational outcomes, whether reading and cultural participation have an independent or combined effect, and whether these effects differ based on social origin. Additionally, it aims to clarify which theoretical approach better explains educational success in the contemporary social and institutional context of Greece or Europe.

Scoring

Responses are numerically coded using Likert-type scales (e.g., from 1 = never to 5 = very often), depending on the frequency of participation in cultural or reading activities. Two main composite indices are created: the Cultural Participation Index (average score of responses related to theater, concerts, museums, exhibitions) and the Reading Culture Index (composite score of responses related to the presence of books at home, reading habits, shared reading activities with children). These indices are introduced into regression models alongside demographic and social data to draw conclusions.

Bibliography

Bourdieu, P. (1973). Cultural reproduction and social reproduction. In R. Brown (Ed.), Knowledge, Education and Cultural Change.
DiMaggio, P. (1982). Cultural capital and school success: The impact of status culture participation on the grades of U.S. high school students. American Sociological Review.
De Graaf, P. M., De Graaf, N. D., & Kraaykamp, G. (2000). Parental cultural capital and educational attainment in the Netherlands: A refinement of the cultural capital perspective. Sociology of Education, 73(2), 92–111.
Farkas, G. (1996). Human Capital or Cultural Capital? Aldine de Gruyter.