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The Development of Cognitive and Noncognitive Skills in Students in the Autonomous Province of Trento

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  • Giorgio Vittadini

    (Department of Statistics and Quantitative Methods and CRISP (Interuniversity Research Centre on Public Services), Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Via Bicocca degli Arcimboldi 8, 20100 Milan, Italy)

  • Giuseppe Folloni

    (Department of Economics and Management, Università di Trento, Via Vigilio Inama 5, 38122 Trento, Italy)

  • Caterina Sturaro

    (Department of Statistics and Quantitative Methods and CRISP (Interuniversity Research Centre on Public Services), Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Via Bicocca degli Arcimboldi 8, 20100 Milan, Italy)

Abstract

The analysis of what human capital (HC) is has a long history and culminates in the acknowledgment that HC and its growth are very important for both cognitive education (cognitive skills (CSs)) and personal life (noncognitive skills (NCSs)) and that CSs and NCSs have a strong reciprocal relationship, as studies by Heckman demonstrated. The present contribution (following Heckman’s approach) analyzed the relationship between CSs and NCSs in a sample of middle school students in the Autonomous Province of Trento. The second goal of the research was to verify whether educational teaching behaviors improved students’ personalities. Aside from the use of administrative data (INVALSI data, 2015 and 2018), one survey was administered in the 2018–2019 schooling year to verify the relationship between NCSs and CSs. Moreover, we sought to determine whether education teaching behavior improved the students’ personalities (1522 students in 25 schools) and whether programs could enhance NCSs. Methodological tools for the analysis involved the generalized least squares approach to answer the first question and a difference-in-differences model for the second. The main results showed that the levels of NCSs affected the ability to learn and improve CSs; a challenging teaching approach, especially if accompanied by programs improving its quality, had positive results. Finally, the research suggested that a wider, national-based survey following students from primary to secondary school would allow for a greater understanding of the dynamics of CSs and NCSs.

Suggested Citation

  • Giorgio Vittadini & Giuseppe Folloni & Caterina Sturaro, 2022. "The Development of Cognitive and Noncognitive Skills in Students in the Autonomous Province of Trento," Economies, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-17, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jecomi:v:10:y:2022:i:7:p:169-:d:863597
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ignacio García-Pérez, J. & Hidalgo-Hidalgo, Marisa, 2017. "No student left behind? Evidence from the Programme for School Guidance in Spain," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 97-111.
    2. Gary S. Becker, 1962. "Investment in Human Capital: A Theoretical Analysis," NBER Chapters, in: Investment in Human Beings, pages 9-49, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. James J. Heckman & Jora Stixrud & Sergio Urzua, 2006. "The Effects of Cognitive and Noncognitive Abilities on Labor Market Outcomes and Social Behavior," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 24(3), pages 411-482, July.
    4. Burton A. Weisbrod, 1961. "The Valuation of Human Capital," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 69(5), pages 425-425.
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