Psychosocial Skills and School Systems in the 21st Century: Theory, Research, and Practice

413 Pages·2016·6.194 MB·English

by  Anastasiya A Lipnevich, Franzis Preckel, Richard D. Roberts (eds.)

The Springer Series on Human Exceptionality
Anastasiya A. Lipnevich
Franzis Preckel
Richard D. Roberts
Editors
Psychosocial
Skills and School
Systems in the
21st Century
Theory, Research, and Practice
The Springer Series on Human Exceptionality
Series Editors
Donald H. Saklofske, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
University of Western Ontario
London, Canada
Moshe Zeidner, Ph.D.
Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Emotions
Department of Human Development and Counseling
Haifa University, Israel
More information about this series at h ttp://www.springer.com/series/6450

Anastasiya A. Lipnevich (cid:129) Franzis Preckel
Richard D. Roberts
Editors
Psychosocial Skills
and School Systems
in the 21st Century
Theory, Research, and Practice
Editors
Anastasiya A. Lipnevich Franzis Preckel
Educational Psychology Department of Psychology
Queens College and the Graduate Center University of Trier
The City University of New York Trier , Germany
New York , NY , USA
Richard D. Roberts
Center for Innovative Assessments
Professional Examination Service
New York , NY , USA
ISSN 1572-5642
The Springer Series on Human Exceptionality
ISBN 978-3-319-28604-4 ISBN 978-3-319-28606-8 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-28606-8
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016931335
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016
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Foreword
R emember the “Dead Poets Society”? An inspiring combination of wit, intelli-
gence, motivation, and tragedy. Neil, Todd, Knox, and Charlie. Such a memorable
amalgamation of similarities and differences, such a drama of intelligence and emo-
tions. Such different outcomes.
I t is quite remarkable that the last two decades of studies performed at the cross-
roads of psychology and education have been dominated by constructs similar to
those captured in so many stories depicted in the “Dead Poets Society,” many other
movies and books, and in the story about Amanda and Rachel (see Hulleman,
Barron, Kosovich, & Lazowski, Chap. 10). This is not to say that the traditional
notion of abilities, as captured by the g-factor and other variations on that theme,
have disappeared. Not at all. Those studies are still alive and well. Yet, given that the
conventional ability-driven line of research in psychology has had a much longer
history, the parameters of the relevant knowledge (e.g., the predictive power of tra-
ditional ability-related concepts for educational outcomes) are well known and, cor-
respondingly, do not generate much curiosity and excitement in researchers. The
fashion today is to look at “everything else” that is not captured by traditional defi -
nitions of ability. That everything else may be referred to by many different words,
among which are executive functioning, noncognitive factors, learning styles, per-
sonality, emotions, and various combinations of these constructs, but the bottom
line is that the era of conventional ability-based predictions of school achievement
is over. The King is dead, long live the King! This new King is the central fi gure of
the discourse presented in this volume edited by Anastasiya A. Lipnevich, Franzis
Preckel, and Richard D. Roberts.
T his volume is important for a number of different reasons. First, it brilliantly
captures the sheer breadth and width of this new Kingdom. By defi nition, the
Kingdom has merged peaceably a number of academic domains of psychology –
social, personality, cognitive, educational, and organizational and management.
Correspondingly, it has been published on by journals and books in all of these dif-
ferent domains as well as by interdisciplinary outlets. For example, the journal that
v
vi Foreword
I edit, Learning and Individual Differences, received more than 500 submissions in
2015, and about 75 % of them were representative of the work in the Kingdom. If
this fi gure is multiplied by the dozens and dozens of journals that publish on such
research, one can easily appreciate the scope of the fi eld.
Second, this volume nicely refl ects an array of concepts, defi nitions, and
approaches exercised in the Kingdom. It also provides examples of careful cross-
mappings of the elements of this array, as exemplifi ed in Chapter 1 by Jeremy
Burrus and Meghan Brenneman (see especially, Table 1) especially Table 1 of the
chapter. Clearly, given the huge conceptual landscape that is engaged even in this
single volume, more of such careful vocabulary work is needed to fi gure out how, if
at all, grit differs from motivational determination, on the one hand, and thought
perseverance on the other.
Third, gently, but clearly, the book brings up a very important point as it relates
to the relevant constructs: that of the quantity and quality of the assessments and
measurement devices used in the Kingdom (Matthias Ziegler and Martin Brunner,
Chapter 2). Indeed, there is a danger in working with assessment devices that appear
to be easy to construct and, thus, are introduced to the fi eld without the proper foun-
dational work.
Fourth, as refl ected by the volume, today, the crossroads between psychology
and education are overrun by intervention work. The mosaic of intervention pro-
grams that are in action out there is quite breathtaking. This volume sets the stage
for the much-needed careful analyses of effectiveness, cost-benefi t fi gures, and val-
ues that are imposed on children through these programs.
F ifth, the book raises the question of the possible policy-relevant interpretations
and most effective applications of the work. What should be done with these fi nd-
ings? Should not-ability-like (i.e., captured by means of “soft” rather than
“maximum-p erformance” assessments) indicators be used in situations of high-
stakes decision-making? What is the place of the relevant constructs in various situ-
ations charged with consequences?
All in all, the volume provides an engaging read and is a colorful quilt of ideas,
approaches, and interpretations. It has numerous take-home messages that are worth
the reader’s attention, but the main one is that the dominance of conventional abili-
ties at the crossroads of education and psychology is over. The King is dead, long
live the King!
Elena L. Grigorenko
Pref ace

The focus of this edited volume is on constructs that are commonly referred to as
psychosocial skills in the education and psychology literatures. These characteristics
have countless alternative names in economics, policy, and other closely related
fi elds, including noncognitive characteristics, socioemotional skills, soft skills, affec-
tive skills, personal skills, dispositions, twenty-fi rst-century skills, character, and
many others. The unifying theme for this plethora of synonyms and name variants is
in their differentiation from cognitive skills, intelligence, or so-called hard skills.
Since the very inception of formalized education there has been recognition of
the key importance of psychosocial skills and the pivotal role they play in the aca-
demic and life success of an individual. Confucius, Aristotle, Jean-Jaques Rousseau,
Immanuel Kant, John Dewey, Martin Luther King – to name a few – all acknowl-
edged that character development should constitute one of the focal points of the
educational process. Parents, teachers, and athletic and youth club leaders recog-
nized the inherent value of such skills and their contribution to the enhancement of
cognitive skills, but for a long time such recognition remained implicit and detached
from a formally presented instructional curriculum. Thus, until recently, the major-
ity of academic programs have been primarily focused on knowledge acquisition
and enhancement of cognitive skills related to the three Rs, or r eading, wr iting, and
the a r ithmetic. This picture, however, is changing with psychosocial skills and their
systematic development been inculcated into policy as an inherent task of educa-
tional institutions. Indeed, a strong commitment to developing psychosocial skills
can be found in the mission statements of many schools across the globe (e.g.,
Stemler & Bebell, 2012), and in national policy statements worldwide.
One of the main goals of any education system is to prepare individuals for a
successful and fulfi lling life by assisting them in the development of a range of
skills that would be necessary for fi nding a rewarding occupation in the future. A
report, entitled “Are They Really Ready to Work?,” asked employers from various
fi elds to list the most valued skills that ensure success in the workplace. Work ethic,
teamwork, oral communication, leadership, creativity, and lifelong learning topped
vii
viii Preface
the list of characteristics held as important by employers (Casner-Lotto &
Barrington, 2006). Cognitive skills were deemed as critical also but second to psy-
chosocial characteristics. Most importantly, the report revealed that psychosocial
skills were precisely the skills most often found lacking in new employees joining
the workforce (i.e., former students of the K-12 system).
S o what are the skills that matter most in the context of K-12 education? The
Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) has started its work with a mile-long list
of the skills considered necessary for success in the twenty-fi rst century. Then, in
their strive for parsimony, P21 condensed the long list of skills to four, which they
presently call the 4 Cs: critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativ-
ity. A fi fth skill, self-regulation, also frequently appears in their publications.
Another advocate for the importance of psychosocial skills, the Collaborative for
Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) arrived at fi ve “competency
clusters,” namely self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship
skills, and responsible decision-making. A number of bestsellers that tackle the
topic of the importance of psychosocial skills present their own perspective on what
constitutes the core of critical psychosocial skills. Paul Tough’s (2013) H ow
Children Succeed lists grit, curiosity, and the hidden power of character to be of
utmost value. Madeline Levine (2013) in her T each Your Children Well: Why Values
and Coping Skills Matter More Than Grades, Trophies, or “Fat Envelopes” empha-
sizes the importance of resilience, coping skills, and intrinsic motivation. Tony
Wagner (2010), in turn, in his T he Global Achievement Gap names the “seven sur-
vival skills” that include problem-solving and critical thinking, collaboration across
networks and leading by infl uence, agility and adaptability, initiative and entrepre-
neurship, effective written and oral communication, accessing and analyzing infor-
mation, and curiosity and imagination. The examples are plentiful, and there are
more taxonomies, models, and lists of key skills, developed and used by practitio-
ners, policymakers, and researchers that we have the space to cover in this preface.
I ndeed, the task of fi nding the most meaningful skills that should be the focus of
everyone’s attention is daunting. Matters are even complicated by an infl ation of
“new” skills, many of which appear upon closer inspection to be “old wine in new
bottles”. Understanding how central skills develop, what are the best ways to mea-
sure them, and how to cultivate them in students – are all questions waiting to be
answered, or at least systematized. Hence, the main purpose of this edited volume
is to present an overview of the extant literature on psychosocial skills in education
and to offer a general conceptual framework in which the wealth of constructs dis-
cussed as psychosocial skills can be integrated. The book will paint a comprehen-
sive picture of the current state of research on psychosocial skills, discussing the
scientifi c status, theory, assessment, developmental trajectories, and areas of appli-
cation of specifi c constructs that have been deemed critical to educational and life
success. The reader will become acquainted with the questions that are being asked
and the issues that researchers and practitioners face and will learn about the meth-
odologies and theoretical perspectives that are used to address them. Table 1 pres-
ents the list of psychosocial skills discussed in the current volume.
Preface ix
Table 1 Psychosocial Construct Chapter
constructs discusses in the
Conscientiousness Chapters 1 , 4 , 7
current volume
Coping Chapters 1 , 11
Creativity Chapters 1 , 4 , 6
Curiosity Chapters 1 , 5
Emotional intelligence Chapters 3 , 11 , 13
Emotional stability Chapters 1 , 4 , 11
Empathy Chapter 3
Extraversion Chapters 1
Grit Chapters 1 , 7 , 14
Intellectual Chapters 1 , 5
engagement
Intrinsic motivation Chapters 1 , 3 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 10 , 11 , 14
Leadership Chapters 1 , 3
Need for cognition Chapters 1 , 5
Openness to experience Chapters 1 , 4 , 5
Perfectionism Chapters 1 , 7
Resiliency Chapter 1 2
Self-concept Chapters 8 , 10
Self-directed learning Chapter 3
Self-effi cacy Chapters 1 , 5 , 9 , 10
Self-esteem Chapters 1 , 3 , 10 , 12
Self-regulated learning Chapters 9 , 10 , 11
Teamwork Chapters 1 , 3
Time management Chapters 1 , 7
The volume includes four main sections. Part I entitled, G eneral Background:
Theory and Guiding Principles , focuses on existing conceptual models and
p sychometric considerations, before moving to consider approaches to the assess-
ment of psychosocial skills and how these develop over time. Burrus and Brenneman
(Chap. 1 ) open this section by presenting an organizational framework for psycho-
social skills. The proposed framework draws upon a prominent taxonomy of per-
sonality, the Five Factor Model. These contributors begin by mapping existing
psychosocial skills onto the Five Factor Model, before further subdividing these
constructs into three categories of skills that appear important for K-12 students:
performance skills (“getting along with school”), i nterpersonal skills (“getting
along with others”), and s elf-management skills (“getting along with yourself”). In
so doing, Burrus and Brenneman offer a basic orientation to the reader for organiz-
ing the various skills found throughout the remainder of the book. Chapter 2 deals
with psychometric assessment and its tenants as a major cornerstone of educational
science and practice. Brunner and Ziegler discuss key test standards that are relevant
when constructing or selecting tests for psychosocial assessments in education. The
researchers present basic principles that are associated with test score reliability and
the validity of test score interpretations, as well as psychometric models and their