The Development of Need for Cognition in Elementary to Secondary Education: A Six-Year Longitudinal Study of a Representative Sample

Students with a high Need for Cognition (NFC) enjoy cognitive challenges, prefer complex tasks, engage deeply, and invest their cognitive resources in learning. Ample evidence supports the role of NFC in education. However, relatively little is known about its development. This study examines the temporal change and stability of NFC as well as couplings of its development with motivational development in a representative sample of N = 8410 students across six years of elementary to secondary education in Luxembourg. Students were aged M = 8.53 years (SD = 0.65) at the first of four assessments (Grades 3, 5, 7, and 9), 47.1% female, 62.7% with a migration background. Data was analyzed by structural equation modeling and multivariate growth curve models with latent variables. Mean levels in NFC steadily decreased over time (d = -0.229 to d = -0.586 for the two-year intervals; mean slope of µ = -.257 over six years). There was significant variability between individuals in NFC changes over time. Rank-order stabilities over two years were small and increased slightly with grade level (r = .242 to r = .301). Students’ development of NFC was associated with their motivational development (i.e., academic self-concept and interest), also when controlling for academic achievement and sociodemographic variables.