Daniel Willingham--Science & Education
Hypothesis non fingo
  • Home
  • About
  • Books
  • Articles
  • Op-eds
  • Videos
  • Learning Styles FAQ
  • Daniel Willingham: Science and Education Blog

New report on self-regulation and social competence

12/8/2015

 

I (like everyone else) am always eager for documents that clearly summarize a large, complex literature. One such literature of urgent interest is the role of self-regulation in academic success. A new working paper from Transforming Education (full disclosure: I’m on their advisory board) does a great job of highlighting the important findings regarding non-cognitive skills, a not-very-precise term originating in economics that refers mostly to self-control and social competence.

The report is targeted at policymakers, but should be of interest to teachers and administrators as well.

The paper is organized around nine “headlines;” these are conclusions that the authors suggest are justified by the research literature. These headlines concern the relationship of non-cognitive skills to academics , careers, and general well-being.

1. Non-cognitive skills predict high school and college completion. 
2. Students with strong non-cognitive skills have greater academic achievement within K-12 schooling and college.
3. Fostering non-cognitive skills as early as preschool has both immediate and long-term impact.
4. Employers value non-cognitive skills and seek employees who have them.
5. Higher non-cognitive skills predict a greater likelihood of being employed.
6. Stronger non-cognitive skills in childhood predict higher adult earning and greater financial stability.
7 Adults with stronger non-cognitive skills are less likely to commit a crime and be incarcerated.
8. Strong non-cognitive skills decrease the likelihood of being a single or unplanned teenage parent.
9. The positive health effects associated with stronger non-cognitive skills include reduced mortality and lower rates of obesity, smoking, substance abuser, and mental health disorders.  

You not only get a brief, readable elaboration of each point, you also get the backing citations.
 
My only quibble is that, were I the author of this report, I would have been a bit more cautious in drawing a causal conclusion about the evidence of success in fostering non-cognitive skills in preschool (conclusion #3 above). It is of course possible that self-control is largely heritable and is changed little by the environment, so it’s important to know that the positive outcomes associated with non-cognitive skills can be promoted by practices in schools. The authors cite a 2014 report by Clancy Blair and Cybele Raver showing success, which is encouraging, but it is, according to Blair & Raver, the first experimental demonstration of.
 
That said, I encourage you download it, read it, and refer to it. It neatly sums up a complex and vital research literature. 

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    RSS Feed


    Purpose

    The goal of this blog is to provide pointers to scientific findings that are applicable to education that I think ought to receive more attention.

    Archives

    July 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    December 2015
    July 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012

    Categories

    All
    21st Century Skills
    Academic Achievement
    Academic Achievement
    Achievement Gap
    Adhd
    Aera
    Animal Subjects
    Attention
    Book Review
    Charter Schools
    Child Development
    Classroom Time
    College
    Consciousness
    Curriculum
    Data Trustworthiness
    Education Schools
    Emotion
    Equality
    Exercise
    Expertise
    Forfun
    Gaming
    Gender
    Grades
    Higher Ed
    Homework
    Instructional Materials
    Intelligence
    International Comparisons
    Interventions
    Low Achievement
    Math
    Memory
    Meta Analysis
    Meta-analysis
    Metacognition
    Morality
    Motor Skill
    Multitasking
    Music
    Neuroscience
    Obituaries
    Parents
    Perception
    Phonological Awareness
    Plagiarism
    Politics
    Poverty
    Preschool
    Principals
    Prior Knowledge
    Problem-solving
    Reading
    Research
    Science
    Self-concept
    Self Control
    Self-control
    Sleep
    Socioeconomic Status
    Spatial Skills
    Standardized Tests
    Stereotypes
    Stress
    Teacher Evaluation
    Teaching
    Technology
    Value-added
    Vocabulary
    Working Memory