Grit. Emotional intelligence. Growth mindset. Flow.
It’s safe to say noncognitive factors in student achievement are in the spotlight for education research and policy, but a lot of confusion remains about what these terms mean, how they overlap, and how they affect students at different stages of development.
A new report from the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research, “Foundations for Young Adult Success: A Developmental Framework,” attempts to lay a roadmap for integrating what we learn from youth development, psychology, sociology, education, and the cognitive sciences with experiences of teachers and students.
For example, as my colleague Evie Blad notes over at Rules for Engagement:
... some children may have fewer out-of-school relationships with supportive adults or fewer opportunities to explore the world and apply their values and mindsets. Recognizing this, interventions designed to boost and buttress factors like self-control, the development of personal values, and mindsets should be designed around building meaningful relationships and giving children a variety of experiences through which they can regularly act and reflect, the guide says.”
For more on the consortium’s report, check out Evie’s story.
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