Temporal Stability of Grit and School Performance in Adolescents: A Longitudinal Perspective

Abstract

Grit is a construct that is related to perseverance and passion for achieving set goals. Its relationship to school performance has been widely researched although the results are not conclusive. The aim of this study was to examine the temporal stability of grit and its relationship to adolescents’ school performance. A sample of 5,371 students were evaluated at two time points, four years apart. At first evaluation, mean age was 9.9 years old (SD = 0.41), at the second it was 13.87 (SD = 0.82). A longitudinal design was used, and the data were analysed using analysis of variance, factor analysis, and structural equations models. Adolescents’ academic grit and school achievement fall between ages of 10 and 14. Adolescents with higher levels of grit had higher academic achievement. The two constructs are correlated, which is why interventions aimed at improving academic grit could be important in improving school performance.