Noncognitive Skills and Student Success

Noncognitive skills are a rather popular topic in higher education today. Factors such as “grit,” “character,” and “growth mindset” are an increasing part of many student success efforts. This chapter will discuss several issues related to noncognitive factors, seeking to bridge the gap from research to practice. First, we will review various ways in which the noncognitive space has been defined. Second, we will review research supporting the relevance of noncognitive variables in higher education, including their espoused importance, empirical relationships with student outcomes, and finally, evidence that such factors can serve a somewhat compensatory role for many students. Third, we will provide an overview of methods of assessing noncognitive tools, particularly within a context of student retention and success. Finally, we will review common practices to implementing noncognitive factors in student success strategies, including holistic placement, enhanced student advising, and other interventions focused directly on the development of noncognitive skills.

Exploring the Value of Emotional Intelligence: A Means to Improve Academic Performance

The academic model of success in higher education often neglects the role of noncognitive variables, including Emotional Intelligence (EI). As higher education educators turn their attention to learning, scholars are focusing on the role of EI and other noncognitive variables in enhancing learning. Although learning takes place both inside and outside the classroom, this specific study addresses learning as it relates to academic performance. To explore the role of noncognitive factors in predicting academic performance, this study utilizes an initial sample of 864 first-year students at a large research university. The research addresses the value of EI in predicting academic performance as measured by cumulative grade point average (GPA). The role student affairs professionals play in the noncognitive development of students, specifically EI, could enhance student performance inside and outside the classroom. Implications for educators, including student affairs professionals, are addressed.