Non-Cognitive Skill Growth of Latino Immigrants’ Children in Elementary School

Emily Greenman, Pennsylvania State University
Erin Baumgartner, Pennsylvania State University
George Farkas, University of California, Irvine

This study examines the development of noncognitive skills during elementary school among children of Latin American immigrants. Previous research has shown that Latino immigrants’ children differ from native children at school entry in terms of both cognitive and noncognitive skills, but the role of noncognitive skills in their educational outcomes has yet to be systematically examined. This study examines influences on the growth of Latino immigrant children’s noncognitive skills during elementary school. We analyze data from the ECLS-K to address the following questions: 1) What are key factors that differentiate levels of noncognitive skill among Latino immigrants’ children, such as home language use, child’s foreign vs. U.S. birth, Latino concentration in the child’s school, and specific Latino ethnicity? 2) Do early childcare experiences, parenting, and school characteristics a) predict noncognitive skill formation for Latino immigrants’ children? b) predict noncognitive skill development equally well for Latino immigrants’ and natives’ children?