First in Their Families at University: Can Non-cognitive Skills Compensate for Social Origin?

Arbeitspapier

We study the role of non-cognitive skills in academic performance of students who are the first in their family to attend university. We collected survey data on an incoming student cohort from a leading Australian university and linked the survey with students' administrative entry and performance records. First-in-family students have lower grade point averages by about a quarter of a standard deviation than the average student. This performance penalty is larger for young men. The penalty is strongest in the first semester but disappears over time. Some non-cognitive skills (Conscientiousness, Extraversion) predict academic performance almost as strongly as standardised university admissions test scores. High levels of Conscientiousness over-compensate for the performance penalty experienced by first-in-family students, while very low levels exacerbate it. However, adjusting for extreme responses in self-assessed Conscientiousness with anchoring vignettes eliminates the performance advantage of disadvantaged, but highly conscientious students. Overall, our findings accentuate the importance of non-cognitive skills as key indicators of university readiness, and their potential for closing the socioeconomic gap in academic performance.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 13721

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Economic Education and Teaching of Economics: Undergraduate ; Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
• Subject: non-cognitive skills ; university performance ; socioeconomic gradient in education ; first-in-family ; linked survey and administrative data ; anchoring vignettes

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Edwards, Rebecca ; Gibson, Rachael ; Harmon, Colm P. ; Schurer, Stefanie
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2020

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/227248
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET