Cohort Trends in the Relationship between Non-Cognitive Skills and Educational Attainment

Vida Maralani, Yale University
Seongsoo Choi, Yale University

We examine whether the relationship between social background, non-cognitive skills, and educational attainment has changed across cohorts of American adolescents. We aim to answer the following questions: (1) Has the distribution of non-cognitive skills by family background changed across birth cohorts? (2) Do trends in the relationship between family origins and non-cognitive skills differ from trends in the relationship between family origins and cognitive skills? (3) Has the role of non-cognitive skills in mediating the relationship between family background and educational outcomes such as college entry and college completion changed across birth cohorts? and (4) Do these cohort patterns differ by gender and or race? To answer these questions, we combine data from four national surveys of American youth that include detailed measures of personal and family characteristics, measures of cognitive and non-cognitive skills, and educational outcomes. These data describe four cohorts of youth, ages 14-16, from 1960, 1980, 1990, and 2002.