What do students need in order to succeed in learning? Noncognitive factors

Submitted by David Rosen on Sun, 04/05/2015 - 20:16
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Program Management colleagues,

A University of Chicago review of hundreds of studies examining the role of "noncognitive" factors in college success found five general categories related to academic success:

  • academic behaviors
  • academic perseverance
  • social skills
  • learning strategies, and
  • academic mindsets.

The study identified four academic mindsets that improve perseverance and, by extension, academic performance:

  • a sense of belonging in the academic community
  • a belief that effort improves ability and competence
  • a belief that it is possible to succeed and
  • a belief that the required work has value

You can read the study at https://ccsr.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/publications/VUE%20Noncognitive%20Factors.pdf

Are "noncognitive" skills new to you? Perhaps you have heard of Angela Duckworth's studies of the importance of "grit"  (academic perseverance). Have you been observing the need for "noncognitive" skills or "performance character" skills in adult learners that you work with?

David J. Rosen

Program Management CoP Moderator

djrosen123@gmail.com

 

 

Comments

David,

Thanks for highlighting this research.  In my experience teaching high school and adult education, I've found that high schoolers still need a lot of explicit instruction around developing non-cognitive skills.  They need practice to build proficiency with these skills.  Many of the adult learners I've worked with have already learned these as life skills, through a combination of work and life experiences.  In many cases, these skills are what drew them back into their education. However, applying these skills to cognitive and academic tasks isn't always second nature.  For these learners, making a connection between their non-cognitive, life skills and applying them to their academic goals is a valuable conversation.  Rather than the behavior modeling that K-12 teachers need to use with students, adult learners serve as their own models.  What they benefit from is help in transferring their life experience to their academic one.  That's not the case with all learners, just the ones where I've seen these skills applied most effectively.

Mike

Great observation, Mike, about some adult learners needing to apply these skills they have learned in their lives to the their academic studies.

What do others think about the value of "non-cognitive skills" for adult learners? How about for out-of-school youth, 16-18 older youth?

David J. Rosen

Program Management CoP Moderator

djrosen123@gmail.com