Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
Do people with stronger abilities have a greater probability of progressing to higher levels of education? We address this question by examining the influence of childhood cognitive and non-cognitive abilities on three sequential educational decisions made following completion of compulsory education. Using data from the 1970 British Cohort Study, we specify a structural model which combines a sequential decision model with a cognitive development model, and apply confirmatory factor analysis in a measurement model for latent abilities. Estimation follows a structural equation modelling approach. We find that both cognitive and non-cognitive abilities have positive selection effects on encouraging people to progress to the next stage of education irrespective of the level completed. For females preschool cognitive ability plays a more important role in determining educational decisions than it does for men.