| Framework | Key Concepts | Applicability Gap |
| Social Capital | Social status/class Access to benefits Capital transfer/capital sharing Social structure reproduction | Deficit framing; no logical solution to provide capital to all; cannot explain agency/how some students access capital |
| Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) | Nondeficit framing Experience-centered Role of the family/community Narratives/storytelling Six forms of capital | Developed/validated among persons of color, not necessarily valid for first-generation students from other backgrounds; limited attention to agency |
| Funds of Knowledge (FoK) | Nondeficit framing Learning participation Informal knowledge Role of the family/community Personal agency Dark funds of knowledge | Lack of attention to power, class, and economic barriers; no contextual frame for decision making |
| Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) | Self-efficacy Personal agency Decision making Aspiration Environmental context Career/academic intent | Incomplete regarding capital, systems, and structures |