Beyond standardized measures: a mixed-methods pilot study of integrated non-cognitive skills training in German upper secondary students.

INTRODUCTION

Non-cognitive skills such as growth mindset, grit, self-discipline, self-efficacy, and resilience have been identified as modifiable psychological resources supporting academic functioning, yet few interventions address multiple non-cognitive skills simultaneously and evidence for integrated programs remains limited. This pilot study examined the feasibility and preliminary effects of a 1-day training addressing all five constructs among German upper secondary school students across Kirkpatrick's four evaluation levels.

METHODS

Using a quasi-experimental mixed-methods design, n EG = 41 eleventh-graders participated in a 1-day, six-lesson training; n CG = 46 served as controls. Quantitative measures included five self-report scales, a knowledge test, grade records, and 3-month transfer ratings (n FU = 17). Immediately after the training, all n EG = 41 participants were invited to volunteer for an interview; 10 volunteers were randomly selected and interviewed 1 month later. All had completed the pretest and posttest assessments.

RESULTS

Participants rated the training positively and showed high knowledge scores at posttest; ratings of perceived application and usefulness were substantially lower at follow-up than at posttest, although the two administrations differed in framing; and neither the targeted constructs nor academic grades changed significantly, consistent with limited statistical power. Qualitative findings extended these results: participants reported deeper conceptual learning, revised attributional beliefs, and selectively maintained self-regulatory strategies.

DISCUSSION: Overall, integrated non-cognitive skills training proved feasible within the regular school schedule, but qualitative and quantitative data yielded partially different conclusions, with interviews revealing continued strategy use and conceptual learning that standardized measures did not capture. The pronounced decline in perceived transfer highlights the need for booster sessions or curricular integration to sustain effects, and the observed effect sizes provide a foundation for planning adequately powered confirmatory trials.