Cracking the Black Box of Non‐Cognitive Skills of Upper‐Secondary Vocational School Students: Empirical Evidence From Four Provinces in China

ABSTRACT Non‐cognitive skills are important for students' growth and future work and life. Using the 2018 PISA (B‐S‐Z‐J China) data, this study measured the non‐cognitive skills of upper‐secondary vocational school students relative to general high school students and studied the impact of family factors and school factors on the non‐cognitive skills of upper‐secondary vocational education students. The empirical results show that upper‐secondary vocational school students are not weaker than general high school students regarding conscientiousness, emotional stability or resilience. Parental emotional support, teachers' enthusiasm for teaching and school cooperation atmosphere have a positive impact on the non‐cognitive skills of upper‐secondary vocational education students. Building relational and emotional connections associated with people and soft resource inputs to enhance the non‐cognitive skills of upper‐secondary vocational education students should be the focus.