Review of Related Literature
Introduction
Grit is the passion and perseverance for long-term goals and has become an important
thought in educational psychology according to Duckworth [Link] (2007). It is one of the
critical factors that affects a student’s improvements and their competence, emotional
stability, and their overall well-being. We commonly believe that academic success can only
be measured through a person’s intellectual ability. Recent research suggest that non-
cognitive traits like grit can also take a huge part in student’s academic performance. This
review of related literature determine both the positive and negative impact of grit on
student’s academic performance.
Positive Impact of Grit on Students
Grit can be a significant factor in attaining academic success particularly in challenging
situations wherein a student is facing difficulties in their studies like when a teacher sets high
standard and expectations from students and if there is a comparison of students to their
peers. Research by Duckworth and colleagues (2007) emphasizes that grit can lead to a better
academic performance especially in a challenging environment. They found out that students
with a lot of grit are more likely to keep going through difficult task and often better than
peers who might be intelligent but are not determined in doing such tasks. This trait helps
students stay focused for long period of time which is very important for activities that needs
a lot of time and effort, like performance tasks.
Research also shows that grit helps students bounce back from failure ( Eskreis-Winkler et
al., 2014 ) . Students with grit are less likely to give up after facing challenges , seeing
failures as chances to grow and improve. Gritty students often develop a strong work ethics,
discipline, and self-control, which are great for personal Growth and future career success
(Crede, Tynan, & Harms, 2017)
Negative Impact
Conclusion
References
Crede, M., Tynan, M. C. & Harms, P. D. (2007). Much ado about grit: A meta-analytic
synthesis of the grit literature. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 113(3), 492-
511. [Link]
Crede, M. (2018). What shall we do about grit? A critical review of what we know and what
we don’t know. Educational Researcher, 47(9), 606-611.
[Link]
Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C. Matthews M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance
and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and social Psychology, 92(6), 1087-
1101. [Link]
Eskreis-Winkler, L., Shulman, E. P., Beal, S. A.& Duckworth, A. L. (2014). Thr grit effect:
Predicting retention in the military, the workplace, school, and marriage. Frontiers in
Psychology, 5, 36. [Link]
Lucas, G. M., Gratch, J., Cheng, L., & Marsella, S. (2015). When the going gets tough: Grit
predicts costly perseverance. Journal of Research in Personality, 59, 15-22.
[Link]
Vazsonyi, A. T., Jiskrova, G. K., Ksinan, A. J., & Blatny, M ,(2019). Longitudinal
trajectories of grit: Effect on academic achievement and changes in psychological well-being.
Journal of Research on Personality, 78, 1-10. [Link]
