1) personality traits (in their performative version, the character skills) mature earlier and uphold, even if not definitively, earlier in life; the BIG 5 model is the perfect synthesis, some say, of the «differential» complexity of individuals;

2) the so-called «psychological capital» (resources linked to optimism, resilience, hope, self-efficacy, what in other contexts we might define as capabilities), matures later and stabilizes only partially during the experience of life; the HERO model (from the acronym of the English words Hope, Efficacy, Resilience and Optimism is one of the most representative in the field of applied psychology;

3) motivational autonomy or the orientation towards learning versus performance is the non-cognitive component that stabilizes later and is always malleable.

These three components can be considered as the core of non cognitive skills: the five personality traits cover social skills (extroversion and agreeableness), emotional (neuroticism), and individual empowerment (conscientiousness and openness); the four psychological resources allow to modulate life experience in a positive perspective and focus on the future; autonomous motivation allows to find and organize energy to face everyday life, at school and outside of school.

The three components, as we know from research-based evidence, have a certain level of malleability: high for the motivation, intermediate for the psychological capital, more moderate for the personality. This malleability leads us to think of a multidimensional non-cognitive competence: the three general factors are three different containers, and they are found on different levels of daily human functioning. They are organized hierarchically, in the sense that an optimal development and stabilization of the former influences the development and stabilization of the others.

In the logic of developing non cognitive skills at school, therefore, it is necessary to consider this sequentiality: it is useless to invest in educational activities to enhance the motivation to learn of students if there have not been previous developmental steps (and therefore educational steps) on the personality development or the psychological capital. It is impossible to expect, to give an example, intrinsic motivation from students who have low levels of openness, and at the same time low optimism and self-efficacy.

The dynamics between these three general factors are described, moreover, in terms in what we call the «slingshot effect»: today we know that personality traits correlate positively with ¶{p. 303}psychological capital, but correlate less with the motivational structure; on the other hand, we know that psychological capital correlates positively with the motivational dimension. The sling effect is that non cognitive process that allows a conscientious and mentally open student to develop motivational autonomy, through a «push» given by the psychological capital. Without this push, individual traits known to be close to effective school performance (such as conscientiousness and open-mindedness) could be less useful for the realization of learning activities.

Non cognitive competence can be further enriched and made more contemporary with at least two other focuses: sustainability competencies and civic and social competences, which would outline the fourth component of non cognitive competence (and in this case, the model would become four-party), namely the social capital, which would act as a further moderator in the relationship between the three components. To date, we know that high levels of sustainability are associated with personality traits such as conscientiousness. However, we also know that social capital (and therefore the concept of civism and citizenship) can have effects that are entirely linked to the cultural contexts to which students belong (for example, we could find high levels of social participation not linked to traits close to educational success, such as conscientiousness and open-mindedness).

Mauro Ceroni, Neuroscienze e «non cognitive skills»

Le neuroscienze avanzano la pretesa di essere l’unico modo oggettivo e certo di indagare le funzioni cerebrali e dunque le capacità umane. È sicuramente vero che tutte le funzioni superiori dell’uomo si attuano solo attraverso l’attivazione di circuiti cerebrali. La letteratura offre una sola pubblicazione in cui si è cercato di applicare la risonanza magnetica funzionale, in particolare l’analisi della connettività cerebrale nello stato di riposo, allo studio di 2 NCS, in particolare la grinta e la credenza nella crescita dell’assetto mentale. Le due abilità studiate mostrano assetti di connettività nello stato di riposo distinti fra di loro e i valori dei questionari per la determinazione delle due abilità correlano con le connettività delle due aree scelte, lo striato ventrale e quello dorsale. Siamo veramente ai primi passi dell’applicazione di metodologie oggettive di analisi cerebrale alle NCS e dunque ad un livello di ricerca e studio senza possibili attuali ricadute ¶{p. 304}applicative. Ma è importante sottolineare che nessuna tecnica di indagine cerebrale potrà mai cogliere esaurientemente il soggetto e ciò che lo riguarda strettamente come le NCS.

Neuroscience claims to be the only objective and certain way to investigate brain functions and therefore human capabilities. It is certainly true that all the higher functions of man are implemented only through the activation of brain circuits. The literature offers only one publication in which an attempt was made to apply functional magnetic resonance, in particular the analysis of brain connectivity in the resting state, to the study of 2 NCS, in particular grit and belief in the growth of mental attitude. The 2 abilities studied show different connectivity patterns in the resting state and the values ​​of the questionnaires for the determination of the 2 abilities correlate with the connectivity of the two chosen areas, the ventral and dorsal striatum. We are really at the first steps of applying objective brain analysis methodologies to NCS and therefore at a level of research and study without possible current application implications. But it is important to underline that no brain investigation technique will ever comprehensively grasp the subject and what strictly concerns him as NCS.

Tommaso Agasisti, Luisa Ribolzi e Giorgio Vittadini, La formazione del capitale umano

Fin dalle origini della scienza economica si parla di capitale umano (CU), vale a dire del contributo che una persona apporta alla produzione in forza delle sue abilità e innate e acquisite. In epoca più recente si è convenuto che tale CU è legato alla quantità e qualità delle conoscenze apprese nel percorso scolastico e formativo.

Negli ultimi anni è emerso che tale CU non dipende solo dalle conoscenze acquisite ma anche dalle non cognitive skills, tratti e comportamenti di un individuo che influenzano la sua capacità di relazionarsi con gli altri e la realtà tutta. Tali non cognitive skills sono malleabili e migliorabili nel percorso educativo; il loro incremento porta non solo a un positivo effetto sulle performance scolastiche e lavorative ma anche a una maggiore solidità e stabilità della persona nel suo complesso. Si può quindi concludere che possono essere intese come le caratteristiche osservabili della sottostante inscindibile personalità di un essere umano.¶{p. 305}

Since the origins of economic science scientists have been defining Human Capital (HC), the human being’s contribution to production by virtue of his innate and acquired abilities. In more recent times many authors linked HC to the quantity and quality of knowledge acquired in school and training.

In recent years it has emerged that HC does not depend only on knowledge but also on non-cognitive skills, individual’s traits and behaviors influencing his ability to relate to others and to reality as a whole. These non cognitive skills are malleable and can be improved in the educational path; their increase leads not only to a positive effect on school and work performance but also to a greater solidity and stability. Therefore we can conclude that non cognitive skills can be seen as the observable characteristics of the underlying inseparable personality of a human being.

Damiano Previtali, Le «non cognitive skills» nella scuola

La diffusione delle informazioni, la frammentazione della conoscenza, il disorientamento a cui gli studenti sono quotidianamente sottoposti non porta, come alcuni sostengono, alla morte della scuola, bensì al suo rafforzamento. Infatti gli studenti e le famiglie chiedono proprio alla scuola di dotare di senso il percorso formativo. Per affrontare questa richiesta il contributo risponde ad alcune domande: quali sono le finalità che la scuola oggi deve raggiungere? Quali sono le metodologie di insegnamento/apprendimento? Quali strumenti abbiamo per verificare che le finalità siano state perseguite e raggiunte?

Le non cognitive skills introducono nella scuola risposte significative a questi quesiti fondamentali in quanto portano l’attenzione sulla formazione armonica e integrale della persona, aprono alla dimensione educativa nei processi di insegnamento-apprendimento, provocano le metodologie didattiche, determinano scelte identitarie da parte delle scuole.

In parallelo la politica scolastica e il conseguente ordinamento scolastico hanno messo a sistema, in poco tempo, molti passaggi che ruotano intorno alle competenze: la certificazione delle competenze; i percorsi per le competenze trasversali e l’orientamento; la valutazione delle competenze in educazione civica; il curricolo dello studente con le competenze in ambito formale, non formale e informale. Un accumulo di potenziali innovazioni che, senza una logica di riferimento, rischiano di creare ulteriore disorientamento. ¶{p. 306}

The spreading of information, the fragmentation of knowledge, the confusion that students have to face every day, do not cause, as many argue, the death of the school, but its strengthening. Therefore, students and families ask to the school itself to provide meaning to the educational path. In this regards, the present contribution answers to some questions: what are the goals that schools have to reach nowadays? What are the methodologies of teaching/learning? What instruments do we have to verify that our aims are pursued and reached?

The non cognitive skills introduce in schools relevant answers to these essential questions because they draw attention to the harmonious and comprehensive education of the individual; they take the educational dimension in teaching-learning processes, they stimulate teaching methods, they determine identity choices by schools.

At the same time, the school policies and the associated school system have defined shortly several elements that revolve around competences: the competences’ certification; the curriculum for transversal competences and orientation; the evaluation of competences in civic education, the student’s curriculum with formal, non-formal and informal competences. This is an accumulation of potential innovations that, with no logical framework, is likely to create further confusion.

Ludovico Albert, Competenze socioemotive e lavoro