Grit, Socioeconomic Status and Academic Performance

The effect of grit and socioeconomic status to the academic performance of Filipino public high school students

In partial fulfillment of the requirements in Foundations of Human Development Submitted to Ms. Carrell Ocampo Submitted b Maria Couline !loria

Statement of Purpose

"esearch on grit has been a phenomenon in the recent ears. #s an emerging topic of stud$ there are still a lot more to loo% into and consider. Though are a number of studies on grit and academic performance$ there have been a limited number of studies that tac%le grit and its connection to socioeconomic status. &oo%ing into grit$ socioeconomic status and its effect on academic performance$ 'ould contribute to the limited studies on grit$ stretching its limits on the influence of socioeconomic status. The  purpose of this revie' is to provide an overvie' of 'hat grit is$ 'hat the current premises of the stud of grit are$ and 'hat are the other points of stud to be considered.

Inclusion Criteria

&iterature on grit is limited( thus$ foreign articles 'ere used for the revie'. The articles used are dated from )**+,)*-( ma/orit of them published articles and one$ an abstract from 0rinceton 1niversit. There are no specific g rounds in considering these articles other than its inclusion of the variables of the top ic2grit$ socioeconomic status and academic performance. There are seven relevant articles that are co ndensed from the several found in relation to grit$ socioeconomic status$ and academic performance.

Summary of Evidence

Grit  Over the ears$ it has been discovered that success is more than one3s intelligence quotient2an individual3s grit plas a big factor in dictating success. In the emerging

studies revolving around grit$ it is seen in different 'as. 4in%ler$ Shulman$ 5eal$ and Duc%'orth 6)*-+7 define grit as 8passion and perseverance for long,term goals9 6p.-7. 4ith enough determination and thirst to achieve$ one is seen to succeed. #ngela Duc%'orth$ one of the %no'n researchers on the topic$ narro's do'n grit b defining it as having a goal and stic%ing to it 6&ehrer$)**:7. This means that a gritt person is one that has a certain goal and does anthing to pursue and maintain it. Duc%'orth also claims that grit equates to 'or%ing vigorousl on trials but still maintaining effort and interest through the ears$ coming through at the end despite hardships. On the other hand$ 0eterson and Seugman 6)**+7$ as stated in #%in and #rslan 6)*-+7 vie's grit as a 8voluntar continuation of a goal directed action in spite of obstacle$ difficulties$ and discouragement.9 Similar to Duc%'orth$ grit is vie'ed as a situation 'herein one3s goals are achieved no matter 'hat the circumstance$ serving as the defining motivation of a n individual. !rit has also been paired up 'ith other attitudes in other studies in order to see the concept3s full potential. In a stud b Ivcevic and 5rac%ett 6)*-+7$ grit 'as paired up 'ith conscientiousness. The stud defined conscientiousness as a trait that describes impulse control and self,regulation behavior 6as stated in ;ohn$ 7. Thus$ conscientiousness and grit are together described as the usual behavior of people. Grit and Socioeconomic Status There is not much on the direct relation of grit to socioeconomic status but there are a fe' that tac%le on this matter. One e?ample is a stud done in 0rinceton 1niversit  b Oro@co 6)*-+7. The stud had -A> students of 0rinceton 1niversit as sub/ects$ having the hpothesis that the sub/ects 'ho are of lo'er SBS have higher grit compared to those

'ho are of higher SBS. True enough$ those 'ho belong to the lo'er SBS turned out to have higher grit levels.

Grit and Academic Performance "esearches on grit revolve around the potentialit of grit 'hen it comes to  predicting success among individuals across ages. In an article b researcher #ngela Duc%'orth$ some of her studies have been presented. On her first stud$ she has concluded that grittier adults turn out to complete more ears of education and ma%e fe'er career changes. This e?hibits these people3s determination in pursuing a goal the have alread set. The minimal career changes sho' the consistenc of these people in maintaining 'hat the have started. In another one of her studies$ Duc%'orth found out that grittier college students acquired a higher !0# despite their lo' S#T scores. 5ut then$ aside from this$ the research also brought up the connection bet'een talent and grit. One 'ho is grittier but is not as talented as their less,grittier counterparts came out more successful. The third stud presented b Duc%'orth 'as of n ovice teachers. The stud has sho'n that the grittier teachers raised their students3 standardi@ed test scores. It sho'ed that grit not onl affects the individual but also th e other people that pla a %e role in an individual3s goals 6n.a.7. #%in = #rslan 6)*-+7 focused on the relationship bet'een achievement goal orientations and grit in students. 5ased on the stud$ students 'ith lo' grit levels 'ere less li%el to sustain their efforts and 'ould not 'ant to ta%e p art in learning activities. The researchers in the stud have concluded that grit and achievement goal orientations

are significantl related. The students 'ho 'ere more involved in activities had higher grit levels than those 'ho 'ere adopting a learning,avoidance approach. 4in%ler$ Shulman$ 5eal$ and Duc%'orth3s 6)*-+7 stud on the grit effect loo%ed into the idea of predicting retention of 1S arm soldiers in a special operations forces course$ sales emploees$ students in high school$ and men in marriage. In the stud$ it 'as evident that the grittier individuals 'ere the ones 'ho remained in their respective commitments. The soldiers 'ith higher grit levels 'ere less li%el to volunteer to drop out of the course. The sales representatives 'ho 'ere grittier than the others remained in their /ob for a long time. On the other hand$ /unior students 'ho had high grit levels 'ere most li%el to graduate in their senior class. 5ut then$ notabl in this stud$ academic conscientiousness$ school motivation$ situational factors$ standardi@ed achievement test scores$ and demographics affected the effect of grit on retention. In marriage$ it 'as found that grittier men 'ere more li%el to be married$ rather than separated or divorced. In these four studies$ it could be seen that grit has been a determiner of success in these different groups of individuals. # stud on grit and its academic success involved another dominant factor2race. It revolved around the role of grit to the academic success of blac% male college students in 'hite institutions. It 'as seen that grit plaed a role in increasing the blac% college students3 grades. In the stud$ grit 'as seen to have incremental predictive validit  beond the boundaries of high school academic success. The stud has affirmed the results of past studies b Duc%'orth et al. 6)**:7 that grit positivel affects academic success 6Strahorn$ )*-+7.

Contrasting Studies Ho'ever$ there are studies claiming that grit is not a %e plaer in success. Ivcevic and 5rac%ett3s stud comparing conscientiousness$ grit$ and emotion regulation abilit 6B"#7 loo%ed into the validit of the three aforementioned predictors of school outcome 6)*-+7. The prediction of school success 'as then seen to be of t'o sets of self,  predictors2a tpical performance self,regulation trait 6conscientiousness7 and a ma?imal  performance emotion problem,solving abilit 6B"#7. Ho'ever$ grit has not been full supported b the data collected in the stud.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Collectivel$ grit is identified as 8the passion and perseverance for long,term goals9 6Duc%'orth$ )*-+7. This means that 'hen one is eager in pursuing a certain goal no matter 'hat hardship or adversit ma come$ that person is li%el to acquire his or her desired goal. Studies have sho'n that grit has a direct connection to academic  performance. In studies such as that of #%in and #rslan 6)*-+7$ it has been proven that an individual3s higher level of grit maintain their eagerness to pursue their goal compared to their counterparts 'ith lo'er grit levels. This sho's that the presence of grit in a person has a great effect on ho' that person perceives attaining a certain goal. #s a ne' topic of stud in the field of pscholog$ ma/orit of the studies in grit sho' onl the connection of grit and academic or non,academic performance but not much of ho' a person3s socio,economic status affects the presence of grit. The stud of Strahorn 6)*-+7 loo%ed into his sub/ects3 SBS and also considering their race. His stud

sho'ed that those from the lo'er SBS had higher grit levels. This$ then$ 'ould open up to more possible studies that 'ould be related to socioeconomic status and grit. Future studies could ma%e use of 1rie 5ronfenbrenner 3s 5ioecological Sstems Theor model. Considering grit and an individual3s SBS$ studies could loo% into ho' the micro$ meso$ e?o$ and macro sstem could affect levels of grit$ 'hich could then lead to the investigation of academic performance and a 'hole lot more. #s an e?ample$ 'e could ta%e Strahorn3s 6)*-+7 stud and appl 5ronfenbrenner3s sstems. The students 'ho belong to the lo'er SBS are said to have higher levels of grit. "esearchers could loo% into the similarities that these students have in their micro$ meso$ e?o$ and macro sstems. 0robabl$ their grit levels are brought b the fact that the are directl e?posed to the hardships surrounding them and their famil. Or on the other hand$ mabe being  blinded b the fact that in comparison to others$ the don3t have much could bring about the factor of increased grit. This data$ then$ cou ld be compared to their higher SBS counterparts. #lso$ the academic performance of these students could be compared to see ho' these students carr out grit in school. Having a frame'or% that 'ould guide further studies on grit 'ould not onl  provide another opportunit to loo% into grit$ but also$ it 'ould provide an avenue to  provide depth to grit.

References

#%in$ #.$ = #rslan$ S. 6)*-+7. The "elationships bet'een #chievement !oal Orientations and !rit. Bducation and Science TedMem$ :6-A7$ )A,)A+. Culin$ E.$ Tsu%aama$ B.$ = Duc%'orth$ #. 6n.d.7. 1npac%ing grit Motivational correlates of perseverance and passion for long,term goals. The ;ournal of 0 ositive 0scholog$ -,A. Duc%'orth$ #.$ 0eterson$ C.$ Matthe's$ M.$ = Eell$ D. 6n.d.7. !rit 0erseverance #nd 0assion For &ong,term !oals. ;ournal of 0ersonalit and Social 0scholog$ -*>A,   --*-. Bs%reis,4in%ler$ &.$ Schulman$ B.$ = Duc%'orth$ #. 6)*-+7. The grit effect 0redicting retention in the militar$ the 'or%place$ school and marriage. Frontiers in 0scholog$ $ -,-. "etrieved #pril -$ )*-. Ivcevic$ G.$ = 5rac%ett$ M. 6)*-+7. 0redicting school success Comparing Conscientiousness$ !rit$ and Bmotion "egulation #bilit. ;ournal of "esearch in 0ersonalit$ )$ ):,. &ehrer$ ;. 6)**:$ #ugust )7. The truth about grit. "etrieved #pril -*$ )*-$ from http/enni.uchicago.edupress&ehrer)**:5oston!lobegrit.pdf Maddi$ S.$ Matthe's$ M.$ Eell$ D.$ Jillarreal$ 5.$ = 4hite$ M. 6n.d.7. The "ole of Hardiness and !rit in 0redicting 0erformance and "etention of 1SM# Cadets. Militar 0scholog$ -:,)>. Oro@co, B. (2014). DataSpace at Princeton University: Jumping the Achievement Gap: Grit and Socioeconomic Status in Princeton Students. Retrieved April 16, 2015, from http://dataspace.princeton.edu/jspui/handle/88435/dsp01kk91fk710 "oberts$ K. 6)**:7. !rit The s%ills for success and ho' the are gro'n. !reat 5ritain The Koung Foundation.