Children’s motivation and attitudes towards learning play a key role in academic success, study finds

A new study has revealed that non-cognitive skills — such as motivation, curiosity, academic interest, and self-belief — play a key role in translating children’s genetic dispositions into academic achievement. ( Adobe free stock image)

A major new study led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London has revealed that non-cognitive skills — such as motivation, curiosity, academic interest, and self-belief — play a key role in translating children’s genetic dispositions into academic achievement. 

Published in Nature Communications, the research provides new insight into how genetics and environment interact during childhood and adolescence to shape learning outcomes. 

The study followed more than 5,000 children across England and Wales aged 7 to 16, combining genetic analyses with developmental and psychological data, to better understand why children differ in educational achievement. 

The findings suggest that education systems should place greater emphasis on fostering non-cognitive skills alongside traditional academic learning, as these characteristics may help children fulfil their educational potential. 

Researchers found that non-cognitive skills could explain a substantial proportion of the genetic prediction of academic achievement throughout compulsory education, with their influence increasing as children grew older. 

The strongest effects were linked to education-focused characteristics such as academic curiosity, motivation, self-concept, and attitudes towards learning. 

Dr Quan Zhou, postdoctoral researcher at Queen Mary University of London and lead author of the study, said: 

“Rather than assuming that genetic dispositions predict school achievement directly, we tested whether they operated indirectly through motivation, attitudes towards learning and emotional and behavioural regulation. We found that non-cognitive skills more closely linked to education, such as academic interest, curiosity and self-perceived ability, played a greater role than emotional and behavioural regulation.” 

The researchers used polygenic scoring — a method that aggregates thousands of DNA variants associated with education-related outcomes — to examine how genetic differences relate to academic achievement over development. 

The study found that non-cognitive skills mediated between less than 5% and up to 64% of the genetic prediction of academic achievement, depending on age and measure. The effects were strongest for student-centred characteristics such as academic interest, curiosity, and self-perceived ability. 

Importantly, the researchers also examined differences between siblings to better understand the role of environmental experiences within families. 

Even when comparing siblings raised in the same home environment, non-cognitive skills continued to explain part of the link between genetic dispositions and academic achievement. 

Professor Margherita Malanchini, Reader at Queen Mary University of London and senior author of the study, said: 

“Our findings are in line with transactional models of human development that proposes that, partly in line with their genetic dispositions, children actively seek out different environmental experiences on the basis of their non-cognitive characteristics and in turn, these will lead to different learning outcomes.”  

The findings add to growing evidence that non-cognitive skills may represent an important target for educational interventions. 

Researchers say the work highlights the importance of supporting children’s motivation, confidence, curiosity, and engagement with learning throughout their education. It suggests that there is a room for improving the education system, which is often heavily focused on cognitive performance, while the non-cognitive side of learning receives less attention.  

The findings suggest that fostering non-cognitive skills could help create more inclusive educational environments and improve learning outcomes for children with different backgrounds and abilities. 

The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from University College London, King’s College London, the University of Edinburgh, Royal Holloway University of London, and the Max Planck Institute. 

“Non-cognitive skills mediate education-related polygenic score associations with academic achievement across development” published in Nature Communications on 9 June, 2026 can be accessed here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-72838-2.