Non-cognitive Skills Research Articles

Estimating the Influence of Adolescents' Non-Cognitive Skills on Awareness of Social Disaster Responses.

This study examines the influence of 2 noncognitive skills, self-esteem and teamwork, on social disaster response awareness among Korean adolescents. Although self-esteem is a well-established predictor of health-related knowledge, the inclusion of teamwork in this study is motivated by its collective nature and its relevance to social norms. This study used data from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey 2018 (KCYPS 2018). Sibling fixed effects models, which account for the common unobserved characteristics shared by siblings within the same family, were estimated. Conventional ordinary least square models showed that both self-esteem and teamwork are significant predictors of social disaster response awareness (bs = .011 and .014, respectively). However, our preferred sibling fixed effects estimates revealed that the controlling for unobserved family-level confounders attenuates the association for self-esteem, rendering it statistically insignificant (b = .003, p = .33). Despite some attenuation, the association between teamwork and social disaster response awareness was robust to controlling for sibling fixed effects (b = .010, p < .001). The study's finding emphasizes the role of students' interpersonal noncognitive abilities in their social disaster response awareness. An intervention aimed at enhancing adolescents' teamwork may be effective to improve their awareness about how to respond to social disasters. Policymakers and practitioners may consider developing social disaster preparedness curricula that highlight the importance of social disaster response measures as community rules or social norms, in addition to safeguarding personal safety.

Investigating Heterogeneity in the Relationship Between Marital Satisfaction and Cognitive Health by Gender and Across the Cognitive Function Distribution.

Marital satisfaction has been established as an essential factor for promoting health and well-being in older adults. However, it is unclear whether marital satisfaction is also associated with cognitive health in this population. This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal association between marital satisfaction and cognitive function, while also exploring variations in this relationship by gender and across the cognitive function distribution. This study used 6 waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA) and employed gender-stratified unconditional quantile regression (UQR) models with fixed effects (FE) to estimate the association between marital satisfaction and cognitive function across different quantiles of the cognitive function distribution. FE models controlled for unobserved individual-level confounders such as genetics, cognitive and noncognitive skills, and early childhood social and cultural background. The results of this study revealed that marital satisfaction was positively associated with cognitive function (b = 0.305), and this association was stronger in older men than in older women (b = 0.392 for older men vs b = 0.181 for older women). The UQR-FE models suggested that stronger association between marital satisfaction and cognitive function was observed among older men with lower cognitive function (b = 0.817 for 10th percentile vs b = 0.118 for 90th percentile). Among older women, no clear patterns of heterogeneity were found across the cognitive function distribution. The findings of this study highlight a significant degree of heterogeneity in the relationship between marital satisfaction and cognitive function among older men, with stronger associations observed in the lower percentiles of the cognitive function distribution. Interventions aimed at improving marital quality could be an effective strategy for promoting cognitive health in older adults, with an approach tailored to the individual's characteristics.

Impacts of village preschools on student enrollment and longer-term outcomes: New evidence from the poorest regions in China

This paper examines the impacts of both the availability and the quality of village preschools on student enrollment and longer-term outcomes in the context of the rapid development of early childhood education in the poorest areas of China. After the implementation of one of the world’s largest universal preschool programs for a decade, the number of preschools in China has more than doubled while annual enrollments have increased by 60%. Using nationally representative survey data tracking children from 2010 to 2018, we identify the causal impacts of village preschools using a difference-in-differences instrumental variable approach. Building new preschools substantially increased students’ access to early childhood education in low-income villages. We also find suggestive evidence of positive impacts on their cognitive skills four years after preschool enrollment, but not their non-cognitive skills. To identify the impacts of preschool quality, we re-examined the “One-Village-One-Preschool” experiment in one of China’s poorest counties. High-quality preschools substantially improved students’ academic outcomes, particularly among disadvantaged students. Our findings contribute new evidence on how early childhood education affects human capital development in low-income regions.

Constructivist analysis of cross-sectional data on varieties of skills: Contextualities and generalities of skills packages and rewards to them in Ghana and Ethiopia

Using cross-sectional data on the varieties of skills and employers’ demands for them, this paper examines determinants of wages in the garment sector in Ghana and Ethiopia. It found that the effects of cognitive and technical skills are consistent, while those of noncognitive and behavioral skills are important but in different ways depending on the culture, work environment, and employers’ expectations. Based on the empirical evidence from the survey using the author’s unique assessment data, she promotes a comparative, constructivist approach to skills analysis departing from conventional institutionalism, which considers school as the predominant site of skills development.

Entrepreneurship Education in Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Contexts in Brazil

This article discusses the impact of entrepreneurship education in socioeconomically disadvantaged contexts, emphasizing its perceived dynamic nature in reflecting personal values, social changes, and cultural differences (Lack&amp;eacute;us, 2015; Loi et al., 2022; Berglund et al., 2020; Berglund &amp;amp; Johansson, 2007). The focus is on the implementation of the Empreende Jovem Fluminense (EJF) Program for high school students in poor communities in Rio de Janeiro. The EJF had the support of school directors, the State Department of Education, and a non-governmental organization serving children and adolescents at risk. A case study using content analysis was conducted to analyze speeches from school principals, coordinators, students, teachers, parents/guardians, and NGO representatives. The study found that the main contribution of education for entrepreneurship in disadvantaged contexts was the development of non-cognitive skills that can impact academic performance and job market outcomes. The program&amp;rsquo;s location on university premises also broadened the educational perspectives of the participants. Overall, the EJF is believed to be highly beneficial for the professional development of its participants.

Alternative Confirmatory Factor Analytic Models for Examining Preservice Teachers' Non-Cognitive Skills

This study provides a comparative analysis of the inferences that can be reached about preservice teachers' emotional awareness and personality traits when several alternative factor analytic models are tested simultaneously. An empirical illustration is provided using two datasets collected for a research study aiming to profile the social-emotional behavior repertoire of preservice teachers. Four alternative factor analytic models were considered for both datasets: the unidimensional model, the correlated model, the higher- (or second-) order model, and the bifactor model. Results indicate that the higher-order factor model for emotional awareness (n = 670) and the bifactor model for personality traits (n = 670) were the preferred models that better represent the underlying factor structures. Multidimensionality and practical decisions concerning score reporting are discussed.

Perspectives of teachers at music schools toward children's extra-musical abilities promoted by music lessons.

Musical activities foster children's social ability. However, the question remains whether professional music teachers consider musical training to have an influence on extra-musical abilities or only on the acquisition of musical skills. We conducted an online survey to collect open-ended responses regarding this question from over 2,000 music teachers in one of the biggest extracurricular fee-charging music school groups in Japan. Teachers' free descriptions were classified into non-cognitive skills, and frequently occurring words were extracted through text mining. The results showed that, although the primary goal of music teachers who provide fee-charging lessons may be to teach musical skills to their students, they were aware of the effects of music lessons on children's non-cognitive development. Our study's main findings include: (1) despite free-descriptions, 92% of teachers reported that children acquired extra-musical abilities, and 98% of these responses were categorized as non-cognitive skills, (2) the most common responses within non-cognitive skills were "collaboration," "task performance," and "engaging with others", and (3) there was a significant positive correlation between teaching experience and frequency of mentioning non-cognitive skills. Views on extra-musical abilities, which experienced music teachers especially had, may improve less-experienced teachers' perspectives on teaching as well as their social roles and occupational awareness.

Not cognitive skills for master students. Reflective practice and pedagogical reflections

The forum highlighted the set of 10 skills considered most valuable for qualified professionals in the 21st century, such as soft skills, transversal skills, personal skills and the like. a broad semiological spectrum of human skills that always involve two elements: acting and relating. Non-cognitive skills are not only a way of responding more effectively to the current needs of the world of work, but can become the basis on which people's social-ethical training can be founded, so that they are able to cope with the complexity of the future, its unknowns and the uncertainties that accompany everyone's life. Analysing the existing literature, the term non-cognitive skills is identified by favouring a multidisciplinary approach and enriched by international research evidence. The contribution consists of empirical research with master's students, whose data show students' interest in learning non-cognitive skills. Pedagogical reflections suggest attention in the design of educational programmes in higher education.&amp;nbsp;

Parallel Teaching and Evaluation of Employability and Foreign Language Competencies in Technical Language Training

An increasingly important expectation of today’s labour market is the group of employability skills. That is the reason why the Institute of Business Communication and Professional Language Studies at Debrecen University found it essential to introduce the development of these highly demanded competences in the curriculum of the technical language courses. The paper describes how workplace skills and foreign language competencies can be compiled in one curriculum with particular emphasis on the application of IT skills in foreign language courses. Since a major task of universities is to prepare students for the tasks of assessment centres and other stages of the selection process, the testing of non-cognitive skills should also be integrated into the teaching material. The expected results of the program include: achieving a higher level of professional language and soft skills, increased student confidence in workplace situations and improved general communication skills.

Non-Cognitive Skills- New Perspectives on Educational Psychology Research

Çocukluk çağından başlayarak ergenlik döneminde geliştirilen bilişsel olmayan becerilerin akademik ve sosyal hayattaki başarı üzerinde önemli ve kalıcı bir etkisi olduğu görülmektedir. Bu becerilerin öğrencilerin akademik başarısı, kişisel gelişimi ve gelecek yönelimleri üzerinde olumlu bir şekilde doğrudan etkisinin olduğu belirtilmektedir. Bilişsel olmayan beceriler kavramı yurt dışı alanyazında eğitim alanında farklı konuları içeren araştırmalara sıkça konu olmuştur. Ancak ülkemizde bilişsel olmayan becerileri oluşturan kavramlar bireysel olarak araştırmalara konu olsa da “bilişsel olmayan beceriler” kavramı birkaç çalışmanın konusu dışında alanyazında kullanılmamıştır. Bu kavramın tek çatı altında toplandığı araştırmalara ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır. Yapılan bu çalışma ile alanyazına farklı bir bakış açısıyla katkı sağlanması ve eksikliğin giderilmesi hedeflenmiştir. Konu ile ilgili alanyazın taraması için Web of Science, EBSCO, Scopus gibi veri tabanları kullanılmıştır. Yapılan derleme incelemesinde bilişsel olmayan beceriler ve bu becerilerin akademik performans ile ilişkisi çok yönlü ve bütünsel bir bakış açısıyla ele alınmıştır. Akademik davranış, azim, düşünce yapısı, öğrenme stratejileri ve sosyal beceriler gibi bilişsel olmayan becerilerin akademik performansa etkileri ele alınarak önemli bilgi ve açıklamalara yer verilmiştir. Yapılan bu derleme çalışmasının, araştırmacıların bu konu hakkındaki farkındalığını artırarak gelecekte yapılacak özgün araştırmalara, derlemelere ve meta-analiz çalışmalarına ışık tutması açısından önemli olduğu düşülmektedir.

Predictors of Academic Performance among Potential Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study from Rawalpindi

Objective: To compare the potential medical students regarding cognitive intelligence, emotional intelligence, social intelligence and academic performance.&#x0D; Study Design: Cross-Sectional study&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: Army Medical College, Rawalpindi Pakistan, in October 2020.&#x0D; Methodology: The sample of the study comprised 512 male potential Medical students who completed their High School Education and came for the Entry test at Army Medical colleges with an age range of 17-21 years. All participants were assessed through the group administration of an assessment pack comprised of all tests.&#x0D; Results: Results revealed that among all 512 students, 390 were finally recommended as selected candidates, and the rest, 122 were finally not recommended. A comparison between recommended and not-recommended groups on study variables was drawn. And result revealed significant mean differences in the variables of Cognitive Intelligence (t=-3.592 and p&lt;0.001) and Emotional intelligence (t=-3.969 and p&lt;0.001) and non-significant differences in the variable of social intelligence and academic performance (t=-1.609; p&lt;0.001; t=-0.900; p&lt;0.001).&#x0D; Conclusion: Hence, academic performance is proven to be associated with emotional intelligence, IQ and personality characteristics. Better emotional regulation enables the students to develop better peer relations and invest energies in demanding academics owing to their cognitive and non-cognitive skills.

Troubled in school: does maternal involvement matter for adolescents?

We estimate the causal effect of mother’s involvement on the amount of trouble an adolescent experiences in school based on a sample of high school students in the USA. Our measure of mother’s involvement encompasses discussing school-related matters and providing help with school projects. We use multiple measures of trouble in school to construct a composite that we link to noncognitive skills. Using an instrumental variable based on a suitably chosen peer group, our main finding is that an increase in maternal involvement leads to a significant decrease in adolescents’ trouble in school. This result is robust across a large number of sensitivity tests aimed at detecting selection effects, shocks at the peer group level, and further potential violations of the exclusion restriction. Additionally, we present evidence suggesting adolescents’ college aspirations, mental health and the perception of parental warmth as potential channels through which the mother’s involvement effect operates.

More than Teacher Bias: A QuantCrit Analysis of Teachers’ Perceptions of Young Black Boys’ Noncognitive Skills

Abstract Studies of racial bias document how racial meanings shape human perceptions and interactions in a variety of social institutions, including education. However, few sociologists connect quantitative evidence of racial bias to sociological theories of racism. Consequently, quantitative analyses of teacher racial bias are frequently decontextualized. This paper uses national data on kindergarteners to examine racial/ethnic disparities in teacher perceptions of boys’ noncognitive skills. We find evidence of teacher racial-gender bias that casts young Black boys as more often exhibiting poorer noncognitive skills as compared to their non-Black peers. Interestingly, we find no difference between teachers’ ratings of Black and non-Black boys’ interpersonal skills. We analyze our findings using sociological theories of racism. By doing so, we provide a Du Boisian framework for interpreting evidence of racial bias in education. We also discuss the implications of our paper for contextualizing racial biases in other social institutions.

Month-of-birth effects on skills and skill formation

We estimate month-of-birth effects on cognitive and noncognitive skills, as well as factors relevant to skill formation. Our estimates indicate that younger students in a given grade cohort have lower cognitive and noncognitive skills. To shed light on the underlying mechanisms, we also examine children’s time use and interpersonal relationships. We find evidence of compensatory investment in cognitive skills by younger children, however, they are also more likely to have poor-quality relationships with their classmates and teachers, which may harm the long-term development of noncognitive skills. Our findings on skill formation have implications for efficiency and equity.

Integrating computational thinking into primary mathematics: A case study of fraction lessons with Scratch programming activities

We presented a design-based study within the context of a four-session Scratch programming activity among 23 fourth-grade students in Hong Kong. Inspired by the computational thinking (CT) strategies and the 5E instructional model, we investigated students’ mathematical learning of fractions in a Scratch (block-based programming) environment. Students developed CT concepts, practices, and perspectives by building a “fraction magic calculator” in groups. This study analyzed the lesson design, students’ drawings, interviews, and work expressing their mathematical understanding of fractions in Scratch applications. The learning tasks were designed to support the students’ fraction learning and utilized computational abstractions in the form of variables, functions, and iterations to formulate mathematical models in a programming context. Students’ artifacts and feedback showed they were interested in learning fractions in a programming learning context, contributing to exercising and improving their fraction concepts and CT. Ultimately, we emphasized the benefits of CT integrated into mathematics education, promoting students’ understanding of fraction concepts, a set of CT abilities (concepts, practices, perspectives), and learning motivation. Moreover, we suggested a set of non-cognitive skills (e.g., socializing, expressing) to enrich the CT perspectives in the framework and show the importance of developing coding communities to co-create digital artifacts among learners. Overall, we highlighted that mathematics teachers should apply and create learning tasks that promote computational thinking to forge mathematical ideas and thinking.

Family income, non-cognitive skills and academic performance

Family income, non-cognitive skills and academic performance

Impact of the First-Year Seminar Course on Student GPA and Retention Rate across Colleges in Qatar University

The first year is known to be challenging for students at university. If students fail to transition to college successfully, it can result in a low GPA and they may eventually drop out of university. Fortunately, higher education systems opt to add various types of support for students during this important transition. One possible support is to implement a first-year seminar course, a hybrid-course which teaches academic and non-academic skills that help students to be successful. Optimally, teaching students’ skills for college success might help them manage their academic needs and increase retention rates. Following this proposal for best practice, Qatar University added a compulsory first-year seminar course in six colleges across different programs. The course included cognitive, non-cognitive and performance skills. In this retrospective study, we assessed the impact of this course on the retention rate at the university and students’ academic performance over time. We reviewed a large sample of over 3000 students who started their college journey at Qatar University over four consecutives semesters. Students were classified into two groups to allow for comparison between those who took the first-year seminar course and those who did not take it, in terms of their retention rates and GPA. Our findings show that students who successfully completed the course had a higher retention rate, especially in the first semester. Furthermore, the GPA, for those who took the course and continued to attend the university, was higher across semesters. In conclusion, within our sample, the first-year seminar course was successful in supporting student success as evidenced by higher GPAs, and an increased retention rate.

Non-cognitive skills and immigrant-native inequalities in the labor market in Europe

Non-cognitive skills are increasingly essential in the labor market, especially given technological advances and evolving work environments. Unequal distribution of non-cognitive skills among various groups in the population may contribute to labor market inequalities. This article investigates the significance of non-cognitive skills for immigrant-native inequalities in the European labor market. Specifically, we examine the potential differences in non-cognitive skills between native and immigrant groups and how these differences may affect their income. Additionally, we explore whether equal levels of non-cognitive skills have comparable payoffs for native and immigrant groups in society. We use, comparative survey data from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies and OLS regressions with country fixed effects. Our findings show that many immigrants exhibit lower levels of non-cognitive skills than native-born workers, despite differences between origin groups. This difference in non-cognitive skills explains part of the immigrant-native inequality in the labor market for most immigrant-origin groups. Moreover, our results indicate that immigrants, especially those from Central and Eastern European countries, benefit less from exercising comparable non-cognitive skills than native-born workers. Our study highlights the importance of non-cognitive skills in addressing the labor market disadvantage faced by immigrants, and emphasizes that policymakers and educators should recognize the significance of these skills when developing policies targeting immigrants.

Non-cognitive skills and labour market performance of immigrants.

This paper investigates how non-cognitive skills relate to the relative labour market performance of immigrants. Using the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) and the Five-Factor Model of personality as a proxy for the non-cognitive skills, we show that these skills matter for the labour market integration of immigrants in the host country. We use two comparison benchmarks. Compared to an average native, immigrants' non-cognitive skills, e.g., extroversion or emotional stability, can lead to 5-15 percentage points lower lifetime employment probability disadvantage implying a better overall integration. Comparing immigrants and natives with the same type and level of non-cognitive skills suggests that returns of extroversion and openness to experience are higher among immigrants, leading to 3-5 percentage points lower lifetime employment probability disadvantage. These results are robust with respect to self-selection, non-random returns to the home country, stability of personality, and estimators. Our detailed analysis suggests that non-cognitive skills (especially extroversion) are substitutes for the standard human capital measures (e.g., formal education and training) among low educated immigrants, while there is no significant relative return of non-cognitive skills among highly educated immigrants.

Parenting Promotes Social Mobility Within and Across Generations.

This paper compares early childhood enrichment programs that promote social mobility for disadvantaged children within and across generations. Instead of conducting a standard meta-analysis, we present a harmonized primary data analysis of programs that shape current policy. Our analysis is a template for rigorous syntheses and comparisons across programs. We analyze new long-run life-cycle data collected for iconic programs when participants are middle-aged and their children are in their twenties. The iconic programs are omnibus in nature and offer many services to children and their parents. We compare them with relatively low-cost more focused home-visiting programs. Successful interventions target both children and their caregivers. They engage caregivers and improve the home lives of children. They permanently boost cognitive and non-cognitive skills. Participants in programs that enrich home environments grow up with better skills, jobs, earnings, marital stability, and health, as well as reduced participation in crime. Long-run monetized gains are substantially greater than program costs for the iconic programs. We investigate the mechanisms promoting successful family lives for participants and report intergenerational effects on their children. A study of focused home-visiting programs that target parents enables us to isolate a crucial component of successful programs: they activate and promote parenting skills of child caregivers. The home-visiting programs we analyze produce outcomes comparable to those of the iconic omnibus programs. National implementation of the programs with long-run follow up that we analyze would substantially shrink the overall US Black-White earnings gap.