UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Academic achievement in high school has long been viewed as one of the strongest predictors of college success. But a new study from Penn State researchers suggests that students' emotional resources — including their motivation, persistence and perceptions of school climate — may also play an important role in shaping whether they ultimately earn a college degree.
In a study published in International Studies in Sociology of Education, researchers found that students who reported higher levels of motivation and persistence in 10th grade were more likely to earn a bachelor's degree or higher a decade later, even after accounting for factors such as family background, prior academic achievement and school characteristics.
The researchers also found that students who perceived their high schools as safe and supportive were more likely to complete college.
"Our findings suggest that academic success is not only about cognitive skills," said Katerina Bodovski, professor of education policy studies and lead author of the study. "Students' emotional resources also matter, and those are resources that schools can help cultivate."
Bodovski described emotional resources as a person’s emotional capital — their ability to recognize, process and invest emotions in constructive ways toward meaningful goals. While psychologists have long studied emotions and learning, she said sociology has paid comparatively little attention to the role emotional resources play in educational opportunity and inequality.
"I see this as building a bridge," Bodovski said. "Psychology has contributed tremendously to our understanding of emotions. What sociology brings is the question of how those emotional resources fit into broader systems of educational inequality and how institutions can help develop them."
The researchers analyzed data from the Education Longitudinal Study, a nationally representative sample that followed more than 13,000 U.S. students from 10th grade through early adulthood. Because researchers tracked the same students over a 10-year period, they were able to examine how students' experiences and attitudes in high school related to their eventual educational attainment.
Among the study's findings, motivation and persistence remained associated with earning a bachelor's degree even after researchers accounted for demographic characteristics and standardized math and reading scores.
"The national dataset gave us certain measures to work with, such as motivation and persistence but these constructs represent only some aspects of emotional capital," she said. "The broader idea is that emotional capital includes various emotional resources students draw upon to navigate challenges and pursue long-term goals."
After emotional capital measures were added to the model, the statistical relationship between teacher-student relationships and college completion was no longer statistically significant. Rather than contradicting the findings, Bodovski said the result suggests that supportive teacher-student relationships may foster the emotional capital that ultimately contributes to educational attainment.
"There is likely a reciprocal relationship," she said. "Supportive relationships with teachers can strengthen students' emotional capital, and students with stronger emotional resources may also be better equipped to build meaningful relationships with teachers."
Rather than viewing social-emotional learning as an addition to already demanding school schedules, Bodovski said schools should integrate emotional development into their core curriculum while also fostering a supportive school culture. Likewise, she said, universities should incorporate these principles into the preparation of future teachers and school leaders.
"Learning is emotional as well as cognitive," Bodovski said. "If we want students to thrive academically, we also need to create environments where they feel emotionally supported and where those skills can continue to grow. I hope this research encourages educators to approach students with curiosity, recognizing that they bring strengths that aren't always captured by traditional academic measures."
Looking ahead, Bodovski said she plans to continue exploring how schools, teachers and educational leaders can intentionally foster emotional capital through supportive learning environments and educator preparation.
"Our goal isn't to replace academic learning," she said. "It's to recognize that helping students understand themselves, regulate emotions and build meaningful relationships can strengthen the very outcomes schools are working toward."
Bodovski's co-authors on the paper are Yeonwoo Lee, who earned her doctorate from the Penn State College of Education in August 2025, and Dajung Sohn, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Education Policy Studies who is expected to graduate next month.