The different development trajectory of noncognitive abilities of urban and rural children: evidence from China family panel studies

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the temporal development of noncognitive abilities of children and the development trajectory of rural and urban children's noncognitive abilities in China.Design/methodology/approachLexis diagram is used as the research framework to depict the development trajectory of rural and urban children's noncognitive abilities in China. By employing the nationally representative longitudinal survey data, China Family Panel Studies (2010–2016), the difference of rural and urban children's noncognitive abilities is disentangled into temporal, age and cohort effects.FindingsThere is a significant temporal rural–urban difference in children's noncognitive abilities, but the rural–urban gap would expand, narrow or show more complex development trends under different measurements. The results of age and cohort comparison are similar to those of temporal comparison, that is, there are divergent trajectories of rural–urban gap due to the different measurements and different ages and/or cohorts. Specifically, urban children perform better in self-esteem, but rural children always have a higher social responsibility, such a contrast between urban children's weak social responsibility under the advantageous condition and rural children's strong social responsibility in the relatively disadvantageous environment.Originality/valueChildren's noncognitive ability is not innate but is a gradually acquired characteristic through training and cultivation. The rural–urban difference of children's noncognitive abilities implies educational issues concerning educational principles in the urban environment and the educational resources' allocation in the rural society in China. Besides, as the unidimensional measurement of children's noncognitive ability is insufficient, the systematic measurement composed of multidimensional indicators utilizing cohort data or longitudinal data would be needed.

Information-Theoretic Perspective on Human Ability

This chapter proposes an information-theoretic perspective on the role of human ability in decision making. I define personality as a response system of a person that maps a situation to a behavior. The person-specific response system is characterized by various constraints. Based on the principle of maximum entropy, I treat these constraints as information since they reduce the entropy of the system. Physical laws and the human genome provide rudimentary constraints on the response system. Human ability constitutes an important set of advanced constraints. Therefore, human ability is entropy-reducing information. In particular, I define the information capacity of a person as the amount of entropy reduced by person-specific ability, which includes the ability to acquire information, to process information, and to discern incorrect information. I provide a heuristic discussion that relates information capacity with broad domains of noncognitive ability. I also highlight the connection between information capacity and three traits of noncognitive ability: Openness, Conscientiousness, and Agreeableness.

Toward a Work Motivation Conceptualization of Grit in Organizations

Despite its widespread media acclaim and recognition as a strategic imperative, the role of grit in organizational research remains unclear. This ambiguity resulted from inconsistent empirical findings, thus triggering a pessimistic outlook for the construct across disciplines. To address these issues, we suggest that such confusion and lack of construct and predictive validity stem from not only methodological issues but also a lack of theoretical sophistication. In this article, we address methodological issues, focusing mainly on construct and criterion-related validity, by showing how traditional definitional components of grit are absent in existing measures. Next, we address theoretical issues impeding progress by developing a new work motivation conceptualization of the construct. To do so, we focus primarily on noncognitive ability, purpose-driven long-term goal setting, and task strategy (i.e., short-term goal) adaptation. Finally, we develop an organizing framework examining how, and under what conditions, work-related goal setting manifests, highlighting grit’s distinction from other historically related constructs. Coupled with the assumption that individuals hold higher order organizational goals toward which they are passionate, our organizing framework includes feedback mechanisms accounting for grit’s developmental properties over time. Finally, we acknowledge significant areas for future research and potential practical implications.

Considering Valuation of Noncognitive Skills in Benefit-Cost Analysis of Programs for Children

The prospect of improving “noncognitive” skills through intervention increases the need to understand how to represent them in evaluations. Economic assessment of such efforts rarely incorporates these factors, especially when a benefit-cost approach is employed. Programs targeting such skills are more likely to be assessed through approaches that do not monetize noncognitive ability (e.g., using cost-effectiveness analysis). This could lead to ineffective policy formulations in situations where policy is swayed toward programs that can show monetized effects. Benefit-cost analyses (BCAs) that are employed for programs that target noncognitive competencies currently may underestimate the true economic impact if such skills are left out of the equation. The limitations in valuing these skills impede thorough economic assessment for important and effective programs that target noncognitive competencies. This is especially the case for programs for younger children where readily monetized outcomes are few. The targeted outcomes in programs for children are often noncognitive skills, skills that are perceived as vital to healthy human development and valued by parents, teachers, and educators.In this paper, we review the state of valuation of key noncognitive skills that are often targeted in social policy intervention directed toward children in youth. We examine the state of valuation of noncognitive skills through a summary of the frameworks in research for characterizing noncognitive ability and by considering the measurement approaches for noncognitive skills in terms of origin (interpersonal versus intrapersonal) and measurement type (observed versus assessed). We review examples of recent BCAs that have employed shadow prices for certain noncognitive skills. Finally, we consider what research is necessary to facilitate valuation in BCA in the future. Shadow price methodology should be carried out in a rigorous manner that recognizes uncertainty in cost projections. Improved methodologies in this area will increase the potential for more comprehensive BCA in evaluations of programs for children and youth.

Long-Term Effects of Class Size *

This article evaluates the long-term effects of class size in primary school. We use rich data from Sweden and exploit variation in class size created by a maximum class size rule. Smaller classes in the last three years of primary school (age 10 to 13) are beneficial for cognitive and noncognitive ability at age 13, and improve achievement at age 16. Most important, we find that smaller classes have positive effects on completed education, wages, and earnings at age 27 to 42. The estimated wage effect is large enough to pass a cost-benefit test.