The power of social capital: the significance of relationships in third space practice

Abstract

Relationships, and relational working, are key for third space professionals in higher education and their practice. This article considers the literature on third space working and social capital, explores findings from qualitative data collected during practice-based research, and examines in more detail the nature and significance of relationships in third space practice, and in particular the power of social capital (Bourdieu, e.g. 1990; Nahapiet and Ghosal, 1998; Lin 2001). It offers insights into the way that relationships are developed and harnessed and provides a steer on future scholarly investigation, which promotes the importance of high-quality relationships in realising the benefits that third space professionals bring to the academy. It also offers perspectives on how recognised affiliative networks of practitioners, such as academic developers (Staff Educational Development Association) and learning developers, via the Association for Learning Development in Higher Education Network (ALDinHE), are fundamental to supporting and nurturing this partnership working.

Keywords

• third space professionals
• social capital
• relationships
• networks
• relational working
• learning development