Do Coding Club After-School Activities Improve Pupils’ Non-cognitive Skills and Performance in Coding?

Gender differences in non-cognitive abilities are important in explaining the “female advantage” in education. The existing literature, however, has not yet given a clear answer as to why gender differences in non-cognitive skills arise. Based on the theoretical perspective of social interaction, this research analyses how parenting styles affect gender differences in adolescents’ non-cognitive skills during the family education process and discusses the differential patterns of these effects among different social classes. The study found that there are significant gender differences in the non-cognitive skills of Chinese adolescents. Girls’ non-cognitive skills are higher than that of boys, and this gender difference is more obvious among non-elite social class. Parents put stricter constraints on and communicate more frequently with girls than boys, which has a great impact on the gender differences in non-cognitive abilities of teenagers and exert differentiated impact on elite and non-elite class.

It is considered to be important that 'non-cognitive skills' - the social, emotional and behavioural skills that are influenced by environmental factors - are nurtured from an early age, such as in childhood education in the classroom setting. Teachers have a strong influence on the non-cognitive skills of their students and it is therefore important that they are mindful of this and work to enhance such skills. A team of researchers based at Tamagawa University in Japan is working to collect data on non-cognitive abilities in order to convert this into a science that can be built upon, assisting with the development of such skills.<br/> This research is headed up by Professor Takashi Omori of the Cognitive Architecture Research Lab, which is based in the University's Department of Information and Communication in the Faculty of Engineering. In the team's lab, modelling research related to the process of human cognition is underway. The team are modelling the behavioural search processes of what makes the human consideration looks like logical. They expect development of the thinking process will come out as the change of non-cognitive ability in daily activity of children. The researchers have been observing nursery and kindergarten children in their educational environments with a view to optimising these environments for non-cognitive development. The idea is that this can then be expanded to benefit students beyond this, and society in general. The team is using Big Data to elucidate the causal relationship of post-growth non-cognitive abilities with a view to improving children's educational environments to, in turn, nurture and improve non-cognitive skills.

An increasing number of school-age children currently learns programming at after-school programming clubs, also referred to as code clubs. Some clubs are part of international programs like CoderDojo or Code Club, while others are independent. This work investigates how code clubs are organized in terms of participants, lesson material, style and assessments by means of a survey. It also explores the teachers' experiences and perceptions related to gender differences among their code club students and the learning difficulties that they identify in their classes. The survey results shed light on the differences between code clubs and school lessons. Code club teachers often have a computer science background and no education experience. Moreover, motivation and commitment are rarely identified as learning barriers for code club students, whereas debugging, error messages and abstract thinking are the most commonly reported difficulties. With respect to gender differences, boys are commonly perceived as being more confident and girls as being more persistent and able to concentrate better. Gender differences are also found in the preferred type of projects, the responsiveness to instruction and collaboration skills.

Ascribed as skills of the 21st century or soft skills, non-cognitive skills include the ‘4Cs' of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity as well as persistence, resilience, and grit: requisite abilities for engineers of today and the future. This chapter presents a single illustrative experimental case study of 16 seventh grade students who designed boats using the engineering design process (EDP) and 3D mixed reality (a combination of virtual and augmented realities) to understand students' non-cognitive skill use and perceived growth. Qualitative data converged to suggest that critical thinking, creativity, and grit were the most salient skills used (observed) and developed (reported). Further, findings indicated that the MR technology (zSpace) was easy to use and helped students with enhanced 3D visualization (immersion) and control (interaction) of designs. Collaboration and communication were perceived as skills that had decreased and were less observed. This research provides insight to how MR elicits secondary students' non-cognitive abilities in STEM.

A well-matched job can effectively cultivate employees’ non-cognitive abilities, which in turn enhances their income and career prospects. This study analyzes the mechanism of job matching affecting non-cognitive abilities using data from the 2018 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). The findings suggest that job matching positively enhances non-cognitive abilities, with a more significant positive impact from negative job matching compared to positive job matching. Job mismatch negatively affects non-cognitive abilities, and the impact intensifies with the duration of mismatch. Intervening in workers’ early career choices by providing sufficient job information can help them identify and terminate mismatched jobs promptly, thereby protecting and promoting their non-cognitive abilities.

This article establishes that a low‐dimensional vector of cognitive and noncognitive skills explains a variety of labor market and behavioral outcomes. Our analysis addresses the problems of measurement error, imperfect proxies, and reverse causality that plague conventional studies. Noncognitive skills strongly influence schooling decisions and also affect wages, given schooling decisions. Schooling, employment, work experience, and choice of occupation are affected by latent noncognitive and cognitive skills. We show that the same low‐dimensional vector of abilities that explains schooling choices, wages, employment, work experience, and choice of occupation explains a wide variety of risky behaviors.

This article establishes that a low‐dimensional vector of cognitive and noncognitive skills explains a variety of labor market and behavioral outcomes. Our analysis addresses the problems of measurement error, imperfect proxies, and reverse causality that plague conventional studies. Noncognitive skills strongly influence schooling decisions and also affect wages, given schooling decisions. Schooling, employment, work experience, and choice of occupation are affected by latent noncognitive and cognitive skills. We show that the same low‐dimensional vector of abilities that explains schooling choices, wages, employment, work experience, and choice of occupation explains a wide variety of risky behaviors.

This study addresses the relationship between various family forms and the level of cognitive and non-cognitive skills among 15- to 16-year-old students. We measure cognitive skills using standardized scores in mathematics; non-cognitive abilities are captured by a composite measure of internal locus of control related to mathematics. A particular focus lies on father absence although we also examine the role played by co-residence with siblings and grandparents. We use cross-nationally comparable data on students participating in the Programme for International Student Assessment’s release for 2012. By mapping inequalities by family forms across 33 developed countries, this study provides robust cross-country comparable evidence on the relationship of household structure with both cognitive and non-cognitive skills. The study produces three key results: first, the absence of fathers from the household as well as co-residence with grandparents is associated with adverse outcomes for children in virtually all developed countries. Second, this is generally true in terms of both cognitive and non-cognitive skills, although the disadvantage connected to both family forms is notably stronger in the former than in the latter domain. Finally, there is marked cross-national diversity in the effects associated with the presence in the household of siblings and especially grandparents which furthermore differs across the two outcomes considered.

The prospect of improving “noncognitive” skills through intervention increases the need to understand how to represent them in evaluations. Economic assessment of such efforts rarely incorporates these factors, especially when a benefit-cost approach is employed. Programs targeting such skills are more likely to be assessed through approaches that do not monetize noncognitive ability (e.g., using cost-effectiveness analysis). This could lead to ineffective policy formulations in situations where policy is swayed toward programs that can show monetized effects. Benefit-cost analyses (BCAs) that are employed for programs that target noncognitive competencies currently may underestimate the true economic impact if such skills are left out of the equation. The limitations in valuing these skills impede thorough economic assessment for important and effective programs that target noncognitive competencies. This is especially the case for programs for younger children where readily monetized outcomes are few. The targeted outcomes in programs for children are often noncognitive skills, skills that are perceived as vital to healthy human development and valued by parents, teachers, and educators.In this paper, we review the state of valuation of key noncognitive skills that are often targeted in social policy intervention directed toward children in youth. We examine the state of valuation of noncognitive skills through a summary of the frameworks in research for characterizing noncognitive ability and by considering the measurement approaches for noncognitive skills in terms of origin (interpersonal versus intrapersonal) and measurement type (observed versus assessed). We review examples of recent BCAs that have employed shadow prices for certain noncognitive skills. Finally, we consider what research is necessary to facilitate valuation in BCA in the future. Shadow price methodology should be carried out in a rigorous manner that recognizes uncertainty in cost projections. Improved methodologies in this area will increase the potential for more comprehensive BCA in evaluations of programs for children and youth.

In this paper, we estimate the returns to higher education in Brazil, controlling for the effects of latent abilities. We leverage a unique data that measures cognitive and noncognitive abilities to estimate a structural factor model that accounts for the effects of latent cognitive and non cognitive skills. We find that college returns are on average 43% and they are positive even for the lowest levels of cognitive and non-cognitive skills. Additionally, both cognitive and non-cognitive skills influence the probability of having college education, but cognitive abilities have a larger effect. Among the college educated workers, cognitive skills are more important for earnings, but among the unskilled workers, non-cognitive skills are more rewarded.

The after-school program is a crucial initiative for implementing the Double Reduction policy; however, prior research has not provided conclusive evidence on whether extended school hours contribute to students’ cognitive and non-cognitive development or on which types of after-school services are more beneficial for student development. This study analyzed 37 after-school programs from 18 publications using meta-analytic techniques, and the results indicated that participation in after-school programs had positive effects on student cognitive and non-cognitive development despite the small effect size (d = 0.327, p = 0.000). The decomposition of the effects of after-school programs revealed that they had modestly positive effects on academic achievement (d = 0.369) and social-emotional competence (d = 0.220). In addition, the analysis of moderating variables revealed that socioeconomic status, educational phase, number of after-school service days per week, sample size, and testing instrument all influenced the after-school program effects. This study concludes, based on the results of the meta-analysis, that there should be a balanced consideration of the development of student cognitive and non-cognitive abilities in planning after-school service, a substantial variety of activities in after-school programs, a flexible adoption of diverse after-school programs, and a reasonable participation frequency in after-school service.

This article aims to explore the impact of teacher support on junior high school students' non-cognitive abilities-Psychological and Emotional Development. By collecting and analyzing relevant data, the study examines the effects of three types of teacher support-emotional support, academic support, and behavioral support-on the development of students' non-cognitive abilities -Psychological and Emotional Development. Non-cognitive abilities -Psychological and Emotional Development encompass multiple dimensions such as conscientiousness, openness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism, which have significant impacts on students' personal growth and future development. The research results indicate that emotional support, academic support, and behavioral support provided by teachers all have significant positive effects on junior high school students' non-cognitive abilities -Psychological and Emotional Development. Emotional support helps enhance students' emotional security and self-confidence, thereby promoting the development of their non-cognitive abilities -Psychological and Emotional Development; academic support, by providing learning resources and guidance, assists students in improving their learning abilities and problem-solving skills, thereby positively influencing their non-cognitive abilities -Psychological and Emotional Development; and behavioral support, by regulating student behavior and encouraging their active participation in activities, shapes students' good behavior habits and social skills. Furthermore, the variables individual, family, and school levels were controlled to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results. The findings show that, even after controlling all these variables, the impact of teacher support on non-cognitive abilities -Psychological and Emotional Development remains significant. In summary, this study reveals the important role of teacher support in the development of junior high school students' non-cognitive abilities -Psychological and Emotional Development, providing valuable insights and suggestions for educators. Teachers should focus on providing comprehensive support, including emotional, academic, and behavioral support, to promote students' overall development

Non-cognitive skills play an essential role in economic development because they help determine the adoption of technological innovations, such as information and communication technology (ICT). However, evidence of the influence of non-cognitive abilities on ICT adoption in Indonesia is limited. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the role of non-cognitive skills in ICT adoption in Indonesia. This study employed the big five personality traits to measure individuals’ non-cognitive abilities. Using the national representative data from the Indonesian family life survey, the probit regression analysis was applied to analyze the role of non-cognitive skills on ICT adoption. The findings show that openness and extraversion can significantly increase ICT adoption. Meanwhile, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and neuroticism show a negative and significant influence. The disaggregate analysis based on gender and location shows different results. The findings in this study have shown that policymaking needs to consider the roles of non-cognitive skills. This finding implies that non-cognitive skills, such as the big five personality traits, should be considered in the formulation of the economic development policy.

Cognitive or non-cognitive? The effect of maternal dominance on adolescent human capital: Evidence from adolescents' educational decisions.

At Girls Who Code, we believe that all girls are capable of making a positive impact on the world through computer science. That is why we are leading the movement to close the gender gap in technology and change the image of what a programmer looks like and does. Join us to learn more about how to encourage girls in your community to connect their new coding skills and confidence with real world problems they care about. During this presentation, we will be featuring our Girls Who Code Clubs, which are completely free after-school programs for 3rd-12th grade girls to join a sisterhood of supportive peers and role models and use computer science to change the world. Through fun and interactive curricula, Club girls not only learn about how to positively impact their community through code, but they also are taught to be brave and resilient -- which has an enormous impact on how they approach challenges and whether they stick with coding in the years to come. Anyone can start a Girls Who Code Club - computer science experience is NOT required - and our curriculum is designed to allow the facilitator to learn alongside the girls.