Forms of Capital and Currencies

The multiple forms of capital represent a powerful framework for understanding certain approaches to capacity-building. This chapter explores how particular groups of learners and educators exhibit specific forms of capital and how the participants in the associated research projects gain access to and mobilise those forms of capital to generate certain outcomes. This exploration is analysed from the broader perspective of which activities and outcomes hold currency in certain contexts and how that currency can be converted into other contexts. The chapter concludes by synthesising key implications for theorising the links among capital, currencies and capacity-building. These propositions are illustrated by reference to circus families in England, Australian teachers supporting student well-being and Australian parents’ perceptions of capital and their adaptations to systemic practices.