Much Ado about Grit: A Meta-Analytic Synthesis of the Grit Literature

2016

Grit has been presented as a higher-order personality trait that is highly predictive of both success and performance and distinct from other traits such as conscientiousness. This paper provides a meta-analytic review of the grit literature with a particular focus on the structure of grit and the relation between grit and performance, retention, conscientiousness, cognitive ability, and demographic variables. Our results based on 584 effect sizes from 88 independent samples representing 66,807 individuals indicate that the higher-order structure of grit is not confirmed, that grit is only moderately correlated with performance and retention, and that grit is very strongly correlated with conscientiousness. We also find that the perseverance of effort facet has significantly stronger criterion validities than the consistency of interest facet and that perseverance of effort explains variance in academic performance even after controlling for conscientiousness. In aggregate our resul...

Psicología Educativa, 2020

People show different patterns of behavior depending on whether they succeed or fail pursuing their long-term goals. Whereas some people are steadfast in their pursuit of such goals, sometimes over years or decades, other people abandon pursuit in the face of significant challenges to the attainment of such goals (Arco-Tirado et al., 2018). Recent research findings have spurred the evidence of the so-called non-cognitive abilities as predictors of individual performance and productivity in different life domains (Duckworth & Yeager, 2015; García, 2014). A pleiad of terms like qualities, traits, noncognitive competencies, soft skills, or life skills are interchangeably used as predictors of psychological, social, economic, and physical wellbeing (

Journal of Research in Personality, 2020

When grit was first introduced, it gained popularity before basic psychometric questions were fully explored. One critical issue is how distinct grit is from the Big Five personality trait conscientiousness. Most studies have examined correlations between grit and conscientiousness, rather than conducting item-level factor analysis. This study examined the extent to which grit and conscientiousness are empirically distinct, and which predict students' grades. A diverse sample of adolescents completed measures of grit and conscientiousness. MIRT-based confirmatory factor analyses showed that grit and conscientiousness' factor structures strongly overlap. Structural equation modeling showed that conscientiousness and the perseverance of effort component of grit predicted students' grades more strongly than consistency of interest. These findings indicate that grit and conscientiousness are not unique constructs.

Educational Researcher, 2018

Grit is a construct that is widely studied by educational researchers and that has generally been enthusiastically received by educational practitioners. This essay highlights that many of the core claims about grit have either been unexamined or are directly contradicted by the accumulated empirical evidence. Specifically, there appears to be no reason to accept the combination of perseverance and passion for long-term goals into a single grit construct, nor is there any support for the claim that grit is a particularly good predictor of success and performance in an educational setting or that grit is likely to be responsive to interventions. I describe avenues for future research on grit that may help to clarify if grit can contribute to our understanding of success and performance. These avenues include examinations of possible configural relationships between passion and perseverance, whether grit or grit facets represent necessary but not sufficient conditions for performance,...

2019

The theory of grit (currently defined as the combination of passion and perseverance over the long term) is one of the more recent developments in personality psychology that has generated a lot of buzz and interest, both from the general public as well as the academia. To date, there are a plethora of studies advancing grit as a significant predictor of various positive outcomes including subjective well-being (SWB). While most of the grit studies are of high performance in context, this study argues that grit can also be developed and used even in high-stress human conditions (HSC) such as adversity, suffering, or trauma. Hence, this study seeks to propose a new theory of grit called “Grit 2.0” that encompasses both high performance and HSC contexts and aims to develop a more holistic theory of grit that posits a multi-factor model that incorporates principles of trait theory, paradox theory, and positive psychology. The study focuses on adult participants primarily in the United States and uses both convenience and targeted sampling methods as well as several validated scales to determine the relationship between HSC and SWB and how the current theory of grit and the proposed Grit 2.0 play a mediating role between these two variables. The study also discusses the practical and theoretical implications of its results, the limitations of the study as well as suggestions for future research. Keywords: grit, passion, perseverance, paradox theory, trait theory, subjective well being

Psychology

Grit is a non-cognitive factor that has received increased attention lately, since research indicates that it plays a significant role in successful outcomes in many fields, and more specifically in education. Grit is rooted in two facets, perseverance of effort and consistency of interest, captured by the Grit Scale. The current systematic review aimed at investigating the association of grit with positive educational outcomes, by exploring both antecedents and outcomes of grit. We identified 29 studies assessing grit in an educational context, published between 2012 and 2017. The primary findings demonstrated that grit shows weak to moderate correlations with educational variables. Its two facets play different roles, with perseverance being a stronger positive predictor of academic performance. Finally, positive variables, such as hope, positive affect and family relationships can foster grit. However, a deeper understanding of the grit construct is essential to distinguish it from facets of the conscientiousness dimension of personality. The usefulness of findings for policy makers and education professionals is discussed, as well as the importance of reinforcing grit in the educational community in order to nurture character in students and enhance their potential.

2020

Hiring employees suitable for specific jobs is a challenge facing organizations, as the cost of a poor hire is approximately 30% of that employee's first-year earnings, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Employers look to individual differences, such as cognitive ability and personality, to help match applicants with appropriate jobs, as they are supported by research evidence. However, some variance in job performance is explained by differing combinations of these variables, among others. Research in education and psychology have recently highlighted grit as a potentially strong predictor of success in non-work contexts. Grit was introduced by Angela Duckworth, who defined grit as a trait encompassing "passion and perseverance for long-term goals." Grit is a trait often manifested in the face of adversity and can help individuals overcome challenges and achieve success by persevering despite difficulty. Critics of Duckworth and her colleagues' research point to a lack of conceptual clarity against existing personality factors such as conscientiousness. The present study explores the overlap between the current grit model and existing models of personality. Prior to the main study, a group of subject-matter experts (SMEs) independently mapped the grit subscales from the shorter grit scale (Grit-S) onto the Five-Factor Model of personality at the facet level. Items from the IPIP NEO-PI personality facets (300-item version) rated by SMEs to closely align with grit were iv included in the main study, along with the GritS scale. Alternative measurement models for the grit construct (including subscales and higher-order factors) were assessed using items from the GritS as well as the IPIP. Results of confirmatory factor analyses guide the models of grit in subsequent analyses of the grit-performance relationship. Although there have been several published studies on the measurement of grit and how they construct relates to success, further research is needed to determine if the grit measures are sufficiently robust when used to predict individual and work-related performance. The purpose of this study was to fill in the gaps for measurement and understanding of grit's relationship with job success. Specifically, the present study investigated the relationship between grit and performance to determine whether a nonlinear model is a better fit than the linear model currently described in the literature. The hypothesized relationships were tested using hierarchical multiple regression with a quadratic term to prove whether a curvilinear relationship exists. The results of this study indicated that there is, in fact, a first-order, two-factor grit model with first-order factors being passion and perseverance. Interestingly, mapping of personality facets to grit did not yield models with an acceptable fit. Using the first-order model with a satisfactory fit, a significant linear relationship was found between performance and passion and perseverance. There was not a meaningful non-linear relationship between passion and perseverance and performance, however. Although results were not what was expected, they advance the research on the measurement of the grit construct and its relationship with job performance and, ultimately, its usefulness in selection contexts. Research implications, limitations, and recommendations are presented in the discussion.

The main purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between grit, academic motivation, and academic achievement. The second aim of the research is to investigate the mediator role of grit on the relationship between academic motivation and academic achievement. Participants were 334 university students who completed the The Short Grit Scale, the Academic Motivation Scale and the Personal Information Form. The obtained data were analyzed with Pearson Moments Correlation Analysis and Hierarchical Regression Analysis (HRA). In correlation analysis, there are positive relationsihips between grit, academic motivation, and academic achievement. According to Hierarchical Regression Analysis results, academic achievement was predicted positively by grit and academic motivation; grit is partially mediated the relationship between academic motivation, and academic achievement.

2019

This article aims to review the empirical investigations on the construct of grit in various socio-cultural settings and its implications, and how does it contribute or correlate with other psychosocial factors. Since most of the grit literatures focused more on the academic setting, no studies from this particular setting are included in this review. A total of 17 studies were identified for this article with exclusion criterions of academic settings and qualitative studies. We focus on the effect of grit on the work performance of various target populations such as medical doctors, military officers, and sportsmen. In addition, we have also reviewed the impact of grit on individual’s’ psychological wellbeing such as depression, suicidal ideation, substance abuse, successful wellbeing, and basic needs satisfaction. Important issues concerning grit and its implications are identified. Suggestions on the directions of future research are also highlighted to fill in the gaps and l...

Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences , 2019

The study tested the relationships between personality, grit and grade point averages (GPAs) among university students. The sample was 406 undergraduate students (299 females and 107 males) from three universities in Istanbul. The instruments used in the study were GritS and the Big-Five Inventory. The data were analysed through a path analysis. The results of the path analysis for the first model exploring the relationship between personality and GPA through the mediating role of grit showed that the model did not seem sufficiently applicable for the data. In the second model, grit and neuroticism were determined as independent variables predicting GPA, whereby it seemed that conscientiousness mediated this relationship. The results for the second model showed that the neuroticism has significantly negative relationship with grit; grit has significantly positive relation to conscientiousness and conscientiousness has a significantly positive relationship with GPA.