Summary
Grit is a non-cognitive trait that is considered a predictor in success in any endeavor, including education. Grit, often defined as passion and perseverance, allows students to maintaining effort, interest and reach success despite failure, adversity, and plateaus in progress (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007).
Application
Online learning requires more from students than sheer intellectual capacity; it is important for learners to develop essential non-cognitive traits to achieve their goals. Independent and often asynchronous courses necessitate that students be self-motivated, responsible, consistent, and dedicated. The cultivation of grit allows students to stay engaged, motivated, cope with any challenges that may arise, and ultimately find success in their online education (Duckworth, 2007). When designing an online course, instructors are encouraged to give students feedback, create consistent deadlines and present challenging and purposeful activities to help students to actively build and practice grit (Rogers, 2017).
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Quality of grit
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Explanation of Quality
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| Generous – not greedy. | You can be generous to one another in the classroom/on the course – share knowledge, experience and expertise, learn from each other. Have a positive and open attitude to learning and the the views of those around you. |
| Resilient – not easily defeated. | We all have has knockbacks in our education and personal lives. We all recognize that life is not always plain sailing and we cannot always expect to achieve without working hard and continually improving our own performances. As the saying goes, “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.” |
| Inquisitive – not passive. | This is a fundamental attribute for success. You need to have an inquiring mind, to make the heap of discovery for yourself rather than rely on being spoon-fed information. Remember to ask questions and take nothing for granted! You can only learn so much from being in a classroom – there is a whole world of information. |
| Thoughtful – not impulsive. | You need to be able to consider the points you reach in your learning during our studies and make rational decisions about how to progress. Think about what you want to achieve, how you will achieve it and what you will need to do to achieve your goals. |
Resources
- The Power and Problem of Grit (podcast, NPR)
- Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance | Angela Lee Duckworth (
- Grit Scale (survey, Angela LeeDuckworth)
- What's Grit Got To Do With Learning? (article, AACE)
- Grit: Perseverance and Passion for Long-term Goals (PDF, Journal of Personality of Social Psychology)