ERIC Number: EJ1092212
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Mar
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1365-4802
EISSN: N/A
The Softer Side of Learning: Measuring Students' Non-Cognitive Skills
Egalite, Anna J.; Mills, Jonathan N.; Greene, Jay P.
Improving Schools, v19 n1 p27-40 Mar 2016
With an abundance of datasets of standardized test score data, researchers and education policymakers run the risk of focusing exclusively on the measurement of cognitive outcomes in key academic subjects such as math and reading at the expense of important non-cognitive outcomes. We use behavioral measures of conscientiousness, perseverance, and delay of gratification as well as a self-reported measure of student grit--defined as student perseverance and passion for long-term goals--to assess the non-cognitive skills of 174 16- to 18-year-old students attending a residential public high school in Arkansas, United States. Analysis shows that 11th grade students (16- to 17-year-olds) rate themselves lower on self-reported grit but outperform their 12th grade counterparts (17- to 18-year-olds) on behavioral measures of persistence, delay of gratification, and conscientiousness. These findings point to the strengths and limitations of existing tools for measuring non-cognitive skills and the need for more measures to be developed and tested with diverse populations.
Descriptors: Thinking Skills, Cognitive Tests, Student Evaluation, Residential Schools, High School Students, Self Disclosure (Individuals), Persistence, Delay of Gratification, Self Management, Measures (Individuals), Race, Gender Differences, Religious Factors, Student Surveys, Creativity Tests, Problem Solving
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Arkansas
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Kirton Adaption Innovation Inventory
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A