Non-cognitive Skills Research Articles

Path Analysis of Grit, Self-Efficacy, Self-Regulation, and Science Academic Performance in Online Learning

Aims: This study investigates the relationships between grit, self-efficacy, self-regulation, and Science academic performance among junior high school students in an online learning context. While previous research has established the importance of these non-cognitive skills in academic success, their specific interplay during the pandemic remains underexplored. This study tested a model examining the impact of grit, self-regulation, and self-efficacy on students' Science academic performance in an online setting, focusing on the extent of these traits, their relationships with performance, individual contributions, and the mediating role of self-regulation and self-efficacy. Study Design: The research employed a quantitative design and path analysis. Place and Duration of Study: The study included 216 junior high school students from a private school in Bacolod City during the 2020-2021 school year selected through random sampling. Methodology: Data were collected through online surveys, completed via Google Forms over two weeks. The instruments used were the Short Grit Scale, Self-Efficacy Online Learning Questionnaire, and Academic Self-Efficacy Scale for Filipino Junior High School. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data, with model relationships tested using path analysis. Results: Findings revealed that students exhibited average levels of grit and moderately high levels of self-efficacy and self-regulation. Grit did not directly impact Science academic performance, nor did self-regulation or self-efficacy mediate this relationship. An unexpected finding was that consistency of interest negatively impacted time management, while perseverance of effort positively influenced metacognitive skills, time management, and persistence. Conclusion: These results highlight the complexity of factors influencing academic performance in online learning environments. While grit, self-efficacy, and self-regulation are essential for student development, their direct impact on academic performance requires further investigation. This study underscores the need for educational strategies that cultivate these non-cognitive skills to improve students' academic performance across diverse learning settings and modalities.

Virtual Multiple Mini Interviews: Implementation and evaluation for undergraduate medical, dental, and oral health degrees

Introduction The Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) is a widely used method for evaluating non-cognitive skills of applicants to health professions training programs. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a swift transition to virtual MMIs (vMMIs), with initial indications of their feasibility and acceptability. This novel study describes the implementation and evaluation of a large-scale vMMI model for selection into undergraduate medical, dental, and oral health degrees within an Australian university. Methods A vMMI process was implemented in November 2022, comprising onsite interviewers (n = 450) and remote applicants (n = 1001). Using the online platform Zoom, applicants rotated through six to eight 10-min virtual stations. Acceptability of the virtual process was evaluated using online surveys, completed by interviewers (n = 396) and applicants (n = 255). Results Overall, interviewers (98%) and applicants (96%) reported the vMMI as a positive experience, citing clear information, suitable interview questions, Zoom use, diversity of interviewers, and lack of gender and cultural bias as strengths of the process. Challenges included difficulties with rapport building and the disturbance of background noise. Conclusions A large-scale vMMI for three health programs was successfully implemented and positively evaluated. As the uptake of virtual interviews are likely to increase, this study can provide guidance for institutions planning to implement comparable vMMI processes.

Fostering social-emotional competencies to improve social functioning, social inclusion, and school well-being: Results of a cluster non-randomized pilot study

BackgroundThe development of social competencies is key for enhancing both cognitive and non-cognitive skills among students. These competencies are central to students' ability to function socially, feel included, and experience overall well-being within the school environment. Schools can play an active role in promoting and shaping these outcomes by implementing various strategies. This study presents and reports on the outcomes of a six-week social-emotional intervention program implemented by class teachers. MethodsThe pilot study employed a two-arm cluster non-randomized trial with a pretest-post-test design. The study evaluates students' social competencies as the primary outcome and social functioning, social inclusion, and school well-being as the secondary outcomes. Students in the intervention group participated in a six-week social-emotional learning intervention, attending two sessions each week, while the control classes followed the regular curriculum. ResultsData were collected from both teachers and students. Student-reported data were collected from 266 students (n = 124 girls, n = 142 boys) aged 8 to 14 (M = 9.84) and from teachers on 212 students (n = 92 girls; n = 115 boys). Results of the linear mixed model analysis showed for teacher reporting on students’ outcomes a decrease in internalizing (β = -0.85, p = 0.035) and externalizing behavior problems for students in intervention classes (β = -6.84, p = 0.020). No significant changes were observed in social-emotional competencies, social inclusion and school well-being. ConclusionAfter the social-emotional intervention program reduced internalizing and externalizing behavior problems were observed, with age moderating both outcomes. The results are consistent with previous research; however, they also suggest that the intervention could benefit from adjustments, such as a longer implementation period and follow-up evaluation. External factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and repeated school closures at the time of the study may have impacted the results additionally.

Parent-Child Relationships and Adolescents' Non-Cognitive Skills: Role of Social Anxiety and Number of Friends.

This study aimed to examine the association between parent-child relationships and adolescents' non-cognitive skills, while also investigating the mediating effect of social anxiety and number of friends. A survey was conducted with 773 students, ranging from grade 4 to 9, in five public schools of Guangdong Province of China (49.9% male), with a mean age of 12.20 years old. Latent mediation structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that (1) the father-child relationship and mother-child relationship both had a positive influence on grit, innovation, conscientiousness, and hope; (2) social anxiety had a negative effect on adolescent non-cognitive skills including innovation, conscientiousness, and hope; (3) the number of positive friends was found to be positively associated with the development of non-cognitive skills in adolescents, whereas the presence of negative friends correlated negatively with grit but positively with innovation; (4) social anxiety emerged as a significant mediating variable between parent-child relationships and adolescents' non-cognitive skills, including innovation, conscientiousness, and hope; and (5) the mediating effect of the number of positive friends on the relationship between parent-child relationships and grit, innovation, conscientiousness, and hope was also found to be significant. Educational programs and family interventions should take these factors into account, providing a more holistic approach to supporting adolescent growth.

Large language models for whole-learner support: opportunities and challenges

In recent years, large language models (LLMs) have seen rapid advancement and adoption, and are increasingly being used in educational contexts. In this perspective article, we explore the open challenge of leveraging LLMs to create personalized learning environments that support the “whole learner” by modeling and adapting to both cognitive and non-cognitive characteristics. We identify three key challenges toward this vision: (1) improving the interpretability of LLMs' representations of whole learners, (2) implementing adaptive technologies that can leverage such representations to provide tailored pedagogical support, and (3) authoring and evaluating LLM-based educational agents. For interpretability, we discuss approaches for explaining LLM behaviors in terms of their internal representations of learners; for adaptation, we examine how LLMs can be used to provide context-aware feedback and scaffold non-cognitive skills through natural language interactions; and for authoring, we highlight the opportunities and challenges involved in using natural language instructions to specify behaviors of educational agents. Addressing these challenges will enable personalized AI tutors that can enhance learning by accounting for each student's unique background, abilities, motivations, and socioemotional needs.

Comparing the Impact of Non-Cognitive Skills in STEM and Non-STEM Contexts in Kazakh Secondary Education

The role of non-cognitive skills in academic achievement has garnered increasing attention in educational research. This study explores the impact of non-cognitive skills on academic achievement in STEM and non-STEM subjects in secondary education. Survey data from 795 teachers and 12,965 students across 20 STEM schools in Kazakhstan were analyzed to examine the impact of 26 non-cognitive skills on performance in math, physics, first language, and history. Regression and mediation analyses were conducted to investigate how students’ self-assessment of non-cognitive skills directly affects academic achievement and how these effects are mediated by teachers’ assessments. The findings indicate that non-cognitive skills exhibit varying direct and total effects, with mediated effects showing greater consistency across different subjects. In math and physics, information processing skill and grit show the strongest direct and total effects on academic achievement. In first language and history, responsibility management and teamwork skill are most influential. Except for capacity for optimism and growth mindset, all skills demonstrated mediated effects across the four subjects. This research informs curriculum development and equitable policies by showing how non-cognitive skills impact academic performance across subjects. It studies the case of Kazakhstan, adding to global education discourse and offering valuable insights for enhancing STEM education.

Student development of social capabilities and life skills: a mixed-methods study from Pakistan

ABSTRACT Holistic development of school-going students has gained momentum. Developing countries need to equip students with skills to thrive in the contemporary world, yet research on this topic in Pakistan is limited. This study, therefore, examines students’ non-cognitive skills (i.e., social capabilities and life skills) using a sequential mixed-methods approach. The sample was selected through multi-stage cluster sampling technique. The quantitative sample comprised students (n=263) from eight schools. The qualitative sample of students (n=16), teachers (n=8), and school leaders (n=4) was purposively selected. The results revealed that students are socially capable and possess basic life skills. However, schools do not explicitly prioritise the development of social capabilities and life skills. As a result, the holistic development of students is generally a neglected aspect in Pakistan. Moreover, educational structures and the school system strongly predict students’ non-cognitive skills. This study has implications for policy, practice, and further research.

Investigating Students' Clinical Experiences of Learning the Nursing Process Using an Integrated Teaching-Learning Method at Shahid Qazi Tabatabaei Hospital: A Qualitative Content Analysis

Introduction: Integrated teaching-learning methods have demonstrated potential in enhancing students' cognitive skills and, subsequently, the quality of patient care. This qualitative study aimed to explore the learning experiences of nursing students engaged in an integrated teaching-learning method during their clinical education in oncology nursing. Method: : Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 nursing students who had completed a clinical training program in oncology nursing using an integrated teaching-learning method. Conventional qualitative content analysis was employed to analyze the data, identifying sub-categories and categories related to students' experiences. Results: The analysis revealed four main categories: (1) sustained cognitive learning, (2) non-cognitive learning, (3) application of learned concepts in real-world situations, and (4) students' suggestions for improving the learning of the nursing process. Conclusion: The findings suggest that an integrated teaching-learning method, implemented as a creative and student-centered approach at the bedside, effectively enhances both cognitive and non-cognitive skills, facilitating the practical application of learned concepts. To fully leverage the benefits of this method, its implementation should be expanded across clinical education units, starting in lower semesters. Simultaneously, optimizing real-world clinical education environments will further accelerate positive educational outcomes, enhancing students' cognitive and non-cognitive skills and creating a foundation for applying learned concepts in clinical practice.

Examining Instructional Approaches to Foster Soft Skills among Information Technology Undergraduates in Nairobi Metropolitan Area, Kenya

Abstract: This study examines the pedagogical methods meant to improve soft skill acquisition and development in information technology undergraduates in the Nairobi Metropolitan Area. Utilizing a sequential mixed-methods design, the research adopted a two-stage cluster sampling where 10 universities were selected from a total of 31 within the region, representing 5 private and 5 public institutions. Thereafter, 1,143 undergraduate IT students were randomly sampled from an overall population of 3,814 enrolled students, while professors and IT technicians were purposively selected for qualitative interviews. Quantitative data in this respect were collected by using semi-structured questionnaires, capturing the points of view of stakeholders on perceived improvement in soft skills. Although the modern-day job markets require graduates with soft and non-cognitive skills, employers have nonetheless complained about the lack of such competencies among university graduates concerning aspects such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership. This study was based on Vygotsky's social constructivism theory and investigated the development of soft skills among students taking a Bachelor of Information Technology at selected universities within the Nairobi Metropolitan Area. The results have indicated that modern learning methods support the development and acquisition of soft skills aptly. The programs for soft-skill are adequate and frequent training which impacts performance in other disciplines. Signs were proving that there was significant enhancement regarding interpersonal and cognitive competencies of the students as a result of collaborative projects, problem-solving in real life, and reflective practices. It also stresses that educational institutions need to orient themselves more toward interactive and practical teaching methods to better prepare IT graduates for the challenges of a modern workforce.

“Taking This Course Triggered a Change in Me”: First-Generation Students’ Reported Outcomes From a Self-Regulated Learning Course

ABSTRACT This qualitative case study explored first-generation students’ self-reported outcomes from participating in a self-regulated learning course. Self-regulated learning is the process of planning, implementing, and evaluating one’s learning skills and strategies in the affective, behavioral, and cognitive domains. I analyzed four semesters’ worth of written coursework from 46 students, resulting in four key themes: increasing metacognition, adopting and practicing effective academic skills, shifting mind-set and self-talk, and defining personally meaningful success. The results suggest first-generation students may benefit from asset-based, proactive academic success interventions that address both cognitive and non-cognitive skills. Practical strategies for teaching are addressed.

Grit and academic resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic

Grit, a non-cognitive skill that indicates perseverance and passion for long-term goals, has been shown to predict academic achievement. This paper provides evidence that grit also predicts student outcomes during the challenging period of the Covid-19 pandemic. We use a unique dataset from a digital learning platform in the United Arab Emirates to construct a behavioral measure of grit. We find that controlling for baseline achievement, students who were grittier according to this measure before the pandemic, register lower declines in math and science scores during the coronavirus period. Using machine learning, behavioral data obtained from the platform prior to the pandemic can explain 77% of the variance in academic resilience. A survey measure of grit coming from the same students, on the other hand, does not have significant predictive power over performance changes. Our findings have implications for interventions on non-cognitive skills, as well as how data from digital learning platforms can be used to predict student behavior and outcomes, which we expect will be increasingly relevant as AI-based learning technologies become more common.

Special noncognitive skill activities ( Tokkatsu ) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America: the Osoji Japan project as SDG-4 in Peru

Special noncognitive skill activities ( <i>Tokkatsu</i> ) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America: the <i>Osoji</i> Japan project as SDG-4 in Peru

Impacts of innovation school system in Korea: a latent space item response model with Neyman–Scott point process

Abstract South Korea’s educational system has faced criticism for its lack of focus on critical thinking and creativity, resulting in high levels of stress and anxiety among students. As part of the government’s effort to improve the educational system, the innovation school system was introduced in 2009, which aims to develop students’ creativity as well as their non-cognitive skills. To better understand the differences between innovation and regular school systems in South Korea, we propose a novel method that combines the latent space item response model with the Neyman–Scott point process model. Our method accounts for the heterogeneity of items and students, captures relationships between respondents and items, and identifies item and student clusters that can provide a comprehensive understanding of students’ behaviours/perceptions on non-cognitive outcomes. Our analysis reveals that students in the innovation school system show a higher sense of citizenship, while those in the regular school system tend to associate confidence in appearance with social ability. A comparison with exploratory item factor analysis highlights our method’s advantages in terms of uncertainty quantification of the clustering process and more detailed and nuanced clustering results. Our method is made available to an existing R package, lsirm12pl.

Human capital indicators as influenced by SES, cognitive and non-cognitive skills: evidence from Taiwan’s PISA performance

Taiwan’s high performance in the PISA surveys has not been unnoticed by researchers. However, both individual level research and cross-national research which is relevant for Taiwan’s PISA achievement is typically lacking, especially as regards later surveys. This article examined Taiwan’s PISA mathematics and reading achievement in 2018, using individual level data (Valid N = 6863) and cross-national data with aggregated data for 77 countries. At the individual level, socioeconomic and non-cognitive variables explain the most variance of PISA mathematics and reading. At the cross-national level, cognitive ability and average income were statistically significant with cognitive ability as the strongest predictor. As Taiwan has a high level of average cognitive ability it may regarded as a strong comparative advantage with regard to human capital.

Psychometric assessment of the Persian translation of the School Counselor Noncognitive Skills Scale using Iranian high-school students

Assessing students’ perceptions of the services provided by school counselors is crucial in promoting these services. However, there is no reliable scale for this assessment in the Persian language to date. Thus, this study aimed to translate and validate the School Counselor Noncognitive Skills Scale (SCNSS) among Iranian high school students. The English version of the SCNSS was translated into Persian, and its content and face validity were confirmed through cognitive interviews and expert evaluations. Using a convenience sampling method, data were collected from 308 high school students across three educational districts in Sanandaj, Iran. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the three-factor structure of the SCNSS, demonstrating good model fit. Measurement invariance analysis indicated consistency across genders. The internal consistency of the scale was high, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients exceeding .86 for all subscales. Convergent validity was established through significant correlations with the School Belonging Scale (SBS). Additionally, a positive correlation was found between the number of counseling sessions attended and students’ perceptions of their counselors’ noncognitive skills. These findings suggest that the Persian version of the SCNSS is a valid and reliable tool for assessing the impact of school counselors on the development of noncognitive skills among Iranian students.

Genetic associations between non-cognitive skills and academic achievement over development

Non-cognitive skills, such as motivation and self-regulation, are partly heritable and predict academic achievement beyond cognitive skills. However, how the relationship between non-cognitive skills and academic achievement changes over development is unclear. The current study examined how cognitive and non-cognitive skills are associated with academic achievement from ages 7 to 16 years in a sample of over 10,000 children from England and Wales. The results showed that the association between non-cognitive skills and academic achievement increased across development. Twin and polygenic scores analyses found that the links between non-cognitive genetics and academic achievement became stronger over the school years. The results from within-family analyses indicated that non-cognitive genetic effects on academic achievement could not simply be attributed to confounding by environmental differences between nuclear families, consistent with a possible role for evocative/active gene–environment correlations. By studying genetic associations through a developmental lens, we provide further insights into the role of non-cognitive skills in academic development.

The Impact of Working Memory Training on Children’s Cognitive and Noncognitive Skills

The Impact of Working Memory Training on Children’s Cognitive and Noncognitive Skills

Beyond milestones and percentiles: Revisiting non-cognitive and non-interpretive skills in radiology

While there is no precise formula for a great radiology resident, certain attributes and achievements may herald success during training. We briefly review prior works exploring predictive factors and evaluation metrics of top resident performance, noting that those focusing on non-cognitive attributes are over twenty years old. As radiology practice and education has substantially evolved in the interim, we revisit this topic from a contemporary perspective. Inspired by the literature and our own personal experiences, we suggest that the following non-cognitive traits are invaluable for radiology trainees: communication expertise, workplace adaptability, self-awareness, tech savvy and genuine interest in one's individual work and greater community. These characteristics should be highlighted by applicants, sought by selection committees, cultivated by mentors, evaluated by programs and valued by colleagues.

Executive functions as predictors of learning prerequisites in preschool: A longitudinal study

IntroductionThis study focuses on 'learning prerequisites', cognitive and non-cognitive skills crucial for school success, often measured in preschoolers. Executive Functions (EF), like inhibition and cognitive flexibility, are vital among these prerequisites. While EF's role in early literacy and numeracy is acknowledged, some components are often overlooked. ObjectiveThe study aims to longitudinally explore the link between EF, assessed at the beginning of the preschool year and the learning prerequites, measured at the end of the same preschool year. Method and ResultsEvaluating 70 preschoolers (62.30 months, SD 4.55), results showed that certain EF measures predicted performance in literacy and numeracy tasks. Specifically, response inhibition predicted rhyme and syllable recognition, series completion, and cognitive flexibility predicted rhyme recognition. Moreover, EF, particularly response inhibition, correlated with overall metaphonology and pre-math abilities. ConclusionThe findings suggest the importance of integrating EF enhancement in early educational interventions, aiding in selecting and optimizing EF skills crucial for later academic success.

Parental socioeconomic status and adolescent development in Indonesia

ABSTRACT We examine the impact of parental socioeconomic status on adolescent cognitive and non-cognitive development using data on adolescents from the 2014–15 Indonesian Family Life Survey. The analysis is relatively new for a developing country, by including non-cognitive skills and by looking at adolescents rather than young children. Parental education has a greater cognitive skills effect than parental income and job status, especially for fathers. For non-cognitive skills, parental job status is important but only for mothers. Education policy could therefore focus especially on high school completion and higher education enrolment, while employment policy could improve women’s job flexibility.