Elucidating Non-Cognitive Skills of Disengaged Students: Pathway for Targeted Intervention to an Extension Project
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55927/ijsmr.v3i10.673Keywords:
Non-Cognitive Skills, Disengaged Students, Secondary School, Targeted InterventionAbstract
Both cognitive and non-cognitive skills play a key role in student success. Still, schools and teachers tend to focus more on cognitive skills. This can lead to students losing interest in school and being disengaged in the learning process, highlighting the need for a balanced approach. In light of these realities, the study employed a descriptive-survey design in quantitative research to examine the non-cognitive skills of disengaged students in a public secondary school in the Philippines, focusing on academic motivation, collaboration, conscientiousness, curiosity, emotional competence, help-seeking, optimism, perseverance, self-efficacy, and self-regulation. It also identified the number of students who needed extra support based on their non-cognitive skills. The data were gathered from 134 disengaged students who were purposively selected to respond to a survey questionnaire, and the results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings show that although disengaged students often demonstrate the necessary non-cognitive skills, many still require further development and sustained growth in higher levels of non-cognitive skills. Suggestions for the targeted intervention informing an extension project include a peer and mentoring support program, training sessions on non-cognitive skills development, and modelling of non-cognitive skill-based instruction for needy learners.
References
ACT Inc. (2014). Cognitive and noncognitive skills. https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/WK-Brief-KeyFacts-CognitiveandNoncognitiveSkills.pdf
Anderson, D., Martens, H., Baldwin, A., Bruick, T., & Simon, J. (2020). Additive predictive power of non-cognitive factors on the academic performance of special admission students. Journal of The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, 32(1), 59-77, March.
Aryani, F., Wirawan, H., Saman, A., Samad, S., & Jufri, M. (2021). From high school to workplace: investigating the effects of soft skills on career engagement through the role of psychological capital in different age groups. Education & Training, 63(9), 1326-1345. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-03-2021-0087
Brint, S. & Cantwell, A. M. (2014). Conceptualizing, measuring, and analyzing the characteristics of academically disengaged students: Results from UCUES 2010. Journal of College Student Development, 55(8), 808-823, November. http://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2014.0080
Cevikbas, M. & Kaiser, G. (2022). Student engagement in a flipped secondary mathematics classroom. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 20(7), 1455-1480, October. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-021-10213-x
DeAngelis, C. A. (2021). Divergences between effects on test scores and effects on non-cognitive skills. Educational Review, 73(4), 503-514.
Egalite, A. J., Mills, J. N., & Greene, J. P. (2016). The softer side of learning: Measuring students' non-cognitive skills. Improving Schools, 19(1), 27-40, March. https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480215616313
García, E. (2014, December 2). The need to address noncognitive skills in the education policy agenda. Economic Policy Institute. https://www.epi.org/publication/the-need-to-address-noncognitive-skills-in-the-education-policy-agenda/
Gheith, E. & Aljaberi, N. M. (2017). The effectiveness of an interactive training program in developing a set of non-cognitive skills in students at University of Petra. International Education Studies, 10(6), 60-71. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v10n6p60
Holquist, S. E., Cetz, J., O'Neil, S. D., Smiley, D., Taylor, L. M., & Crowder, M. K. (2020). The "silent epidemic" finds its voice: Demystifying how students view engagement in their learning. research report. McREL International. https://eric.ed.gov/?q=disengaged+behavior+of+students&pg=2&id=ED609966
Indeed Editorial Team. (2021, January 5). Non-cognitive skills: What they are and why they’re important. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/non-cognitive-skills
Kattan, R. B. (2017). Non-cognitive skills: What are they and why should we care? https://h7.cl/1jRXm
Khine, M. S., Fraser, B. J., & Afari, E. (2020). Structural relationships between learning environments and students' non-cognitive outcomes: Secondary analysis of PISA data. Learning Environments Research, 23(3), 395-412, October. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-020-09313-2
McCombes, S. (2019, May 15). Descriptive research | Definition, types, methods & examples. Article revised on June 22, 2023. Scribbr. https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/descriptive-research/
Nam, S., Frishkoff, G., & Collins-Thompson, K. (2018). Predicting students' disengaged behaviors in an online meaning-generation task. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, 11(3), 362-375, July-September. http://doi.org/10.1109/TLT.2017.2720738
Nikolopoulou, K. (2022, August 11). What is purposive sampling? | Definition & examples. Revised on June 22, 2023. Scribbr. https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/purposive-sampling/
O'Neill, T. (2019). An examination of the influence of theater arts education on the non-cognitive skills and abilities of community college students: A qualitative study of human development. ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, National American University. https://eric.ed.gov/?q=non-cognitive+skills+of+disengaged+students&pg=2&id=ED607897
Ranganathan, P. & Caduff, C. (2023). Designing and validating a research questionnaire - Part 1. Perspectives in Clinical Research, 14(3), 152-155, July-September. https://doi.org/10.4103/picr.picr_140_23
Saripah, I. & Widiastuti, H. T. (2019). Profile of off-task behavior in primary school students. Elementary School Forum (Mimbar Sekolah Dasar), 6(2), 174-184, August. https://doi.org/10.17509/mimbar-sd.v6i2.17571
Schnitzler, K., Holzberger, D., & Seidel, T. (2021). All better than being disengaged: Student engagement patterns and their relations to academic self-concept and achievement. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 36(3), 627-652, September. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-020-00500-6
Schuelka, M. J., Sherab, K., & Nidup, T. Y. (2019). Gross national happiness, British values, and non-cognitive skills: The role and perspective of teachers in Bhutan and England. Educational Review, 71(6), 748-766. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2018.1474175
Victoria State University. (2021). Identify students at risk of disengaging. https://h7.cl/1jRXM
West, M. R., Kraft, M. A., Finn, A. S., Martin, R. E., Duckworth, A. L., Gabrieli, C. F. O., & Gabrieli, J. D. E. (2016). Promise and paradox: Measuring students' non-cognitive skills and the impact of schooling. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 38(1), 148-170, March. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373715597298
Yamada, S. & Otchia, C. S. (2022). Differential effects of schooling and cognitive and non-cognitive skills on labour market outcomes: The case of the garment industry in Ethiopia. International Journal of Training and Development, 26(1), 145-162, March. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijtd.12252
















