Grit as the Key to Success
Research Conducted On Grit
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- Grittier students outperform less grittier peers and earn higher GPA's (intelligence in this study was inversely related to grit)
- Those high in grit were more likely to do well in the National Spelling Bee
- Higher self-disciplined students earned higher GPA's, came to school more often, watched less television, started homework earlier, and were more likely to gain entrance to a competitive high school program regardless of intellectual abilities
- Novice teachers with more grit were more likely to still be a teacher after 5 years and be more effective teachers
- Adults with more education are higher in grit than those with less education
- Individuals higher in grit are less likely to have career changes
- Grittier children work harder and longer and as a result perform better in school
- Grittier sales employees were more likely to keep their jobs
- Grittier students are more likely to graduate from high school
- Grittier men were more likely to stay married
Grit in Novice Teachers
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Most of us know the statistics that after five years of teaching 40-50% of teachers leave the profession.
Could there be a way to predict this attrition by identifying personality traits of successful teachers that allow them to meet the demands of teaching?
Not surprisingly, grit was a sizable predictor when research was conducted during the hiring process of novice teachers.
Grittier teachers outperformed less grittier colleauges and were less likely to leave their classrooms mid year. Teacher effectiveness in this case was measured by how much students learned. Grit was measured based on college activities and work experience found on a teacher's resume. They also looked at college GPA, interview ratings of leadership, and demographic variables, none of which had an effect on effectiveness or retention. Grit is a trait that allows us to commit to a profession. Duckworth et. al suggests that administration should use a psychological approach when hiring new teachers specifically looking at the trait of grit.
Could there be a way to predict this attrition by identifying personality traits of successful teachers that allow them to meet the demands of teaching?
Not surprisingly, grit was a sizable predictor when research was conducted during the hiring process of novice teachers.
Grittier teachers outperformed less grittier colleauges and were less likely to leave their classrooms mid year. Teacher effectiveness in this case was measured by how much students learned. Grit was measured based on college activities and work experience found on a teacher's resume. They also looked at college GPA, interview ratings of leadership, and demographic variables, none of which had an effect on effectiveness or retention. Grit is a trait that allows us to commit to a profession. Duckworth et. al suggests that administration should use a psychological approach when hiring new teachers specifically looking at the trait of grit.
How Do We Teach Grit?
Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII)
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Now that we know how important grit is in many aspects of our lives, comes the obvious questions: How do we teach grit to our students? How can we be grittier in our own lives? A majority of this comes from teaching our students self-regulatory strategies and goal setting strategies.
Gollwitzer, Oettingen, Kirby, Duckworth and Mayer suggest that in order for an individual to commit to a goal it must be feasible with high expectations of success. Mental contrasting with implementation intentions then turns this achievable goal into a binding goal. MCII is a strategy that we can teach students to contrast the desired future with the present reality and it's barriers in order to create a better outcome for success. As these obstacles arise, a mental association between the future and reality signals the need to overcome them without conscious intent.
In contrast to this is fantasy realization theory. This theory requires an individual to think positively about the future. It requires people to look at the end goal and focus positive energy on that. This does in fact create a positive initial feeling and motivates immediate action, however is less effective in the long run.
Let's look at an example: The end goal for two students is to receive a high grade on a test. The first student who uses MCII would focus on studying, consider what barriers might get in the way of studying, and creates a plan to follow to get around these barriers. The second student who applies fantasy realization theory would study, but focus on getting a high grade on the test and thinking positively about what that might feel like. A study was done similar to this example and the results showed that students who were taught to apply MCII to their academic wishes improved their report card grades, attendance, and grade point average. This is important and is something we can teach in our classrooms to our students. We can even teach MCII in a group setting with a standardized task so as long as the task is constructed in a way that all students can overcome the upcoming obstacles.
Gollwitzer, Oettingen, Kirby, Duckworth and Mayer suggest that in order for an individual to commit to a goal it must be feasible with high expectations of success. Mental contrasting with implementation intentions then turns this achievable goal into a binding goal. MCII is a strategy that we can teach students to contrast the desired future with the present reality and it's barriers in order to create a better outcome for success. As these obstacles arise, a mental association between the future and reality signals the need to overcome them without conscious intent.
In contrast to this is fantasy realization theory. This theory requires an individual to think positively about the future. It requires people to look at the end goal and focus positive energy on that. This does in fact create a positive initial feeling and motivates immediate action, however is less effective in the long run.
Let's look at an example: The end goal for two students is to receive a high grade on a test. The first student who uses MCII would focus on studying, consider what barriers might get in the way of studying, and creates a plan to follow to get around these barriers. The second student who applies fantasy realization theory would study, but focus on getting a high grade on the test and thinking positively about what that might feel like. A study was done similar to this example and the results showed that students who were taught to apply MCII to their academic wishes improved their report card grades, attendance, and grade point average. This is important and is something we can teach in our classrooms to our students. We can even teach MCII in a group setting with a standardized task so as long as the task is constructed in a way that all students can overcome the upcoming obstacles.
Growth Mindset
Another psychological theory that can help us build grit is called growth mindset. This is a theory developed by Carol Dweck of Standford University.
CLICK HERE to find out more about growth mindset and how we can apply this to our teaching practice
CLICK HERE to find out more about growth mindset and how we can apply this to our teaching practice