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 by
Maria Couline Gloria

Statement of Purpose
Research on grit has been a phenomenon in the recent years. As an emerging topic
of study, there are still a lot more to look into and consider. Though are a number of
studies on grit and academic performance, there have been a limited number of studies
that tackle grit and its connection to socioeconomic status. Looking into grit,
socioeconomic status and its effect on academic performance, would contribute to the
limited studies on grit, stretching its limits on the influence of socioeconomic status. The
purpose of this review is to provide an overview of what grit is, what the current premises
of the study of grit are, and what are the other points of study to be considered.

Inclusion Criteria
Literature on grit is limited; thus, foreign articles were used for the review. The
articles used are dated from 2004-2015; majority of them published articles and one, an
abstract from Princeton University. There are no specific grounds in considering these
articles other than its inclusion of the variables of the topicgrit, socioeconomic status
and academic performance.
There are seven relevant articles that are condensed from the several found in
relation to grit, socioeconomic status, and academic performance.

Summary of Evidence
Grit
Over the years, it has been discovered that success is more than ones intelligence
quotientan individuals grit plays a big factor in dictating success. In the emerging

studies revolving around grit, it is seen in different ways. Winkler, Shulman, Beal, and
Duckworth (2014) define grit as passion and perseverance for long-term goals (p.1).
With enough determination and thirst to achieve, one is seen to succeed. Angela
Duckworth, one of the known researchers on the topic, narrows down grit by defining it
as having a goal and sticking to it (Lehrer,2009). This means that a gritty person is one
that has a certain goal and does anything to pursue and maintain it. Duckworth also
claims that grit equates to working vigorously on trials but still maintaining effort and
interest through the years, coming through at the end despite hardships. On the other
hand, Peterson and Seugman (2004), as stated in Akin and Arslan (2014) views grit as a
voluntary continuation of a goal directed action in spite of obstacle, difficulties, and
discouragement. Similar to Duckworth, grit is viewed as a situation wherein ones goals
are achieved no matter what the circumstance, serving as the defining motivation of an
individual.
Grit has also been paired up with other attitudes in other studies in order to see the
concepts full potential. In a study by Ivcevic and Brackett (2014), grit was paired up
with conscientiousness. The study defined conscientiousness as a trait that describes
impulse control and self-regulation behavior (as stated in John, Nauman, & Soto, 2008).
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 few that tackle on this matter. One example is a study done in Princeton University
by Orozco (2014). The study had 178 students of Princeton University as subjects, having
the hypothesis that the subjects who are of lower SES have higher grit compared to those

who are of higher SES. True enough, those who belong to the lower SES turned out to
have higher grit levels.

Grit and Academic Performance

Researches on grit revolve around the potentiality of grit when it comes to
predicting success among individuals across ages. In an article by researcher Angela
Duckworth, some of her studies have been presented. On her first study, she has
concluded that grittier adults turn out to complete more years of education and make
fewer career changes. This exhibits these peoples determination in pursuing a goal they
have already set. The minimal career changes show the consistency of these people in
maintaining what they have started. In another one of her studies, Duckworth found out
that grittier college students acquired a higher GPA despite their low SAT scores. But
then, aside from this, the research also brought up the connection between talent and grit.
One who is grittier but is not as talented as their less-grittier counterparts came out more
successful. The third study presented by Duckworth was of novice teachers. The study
has shown that the grittier teachers raised their students standardized test scores. It
showed that grit not only affects the individual but also the other people that play a key
role in an individuals goals (n.a.).
Akin & Arslan (2014) focused on the relationship between achievement goal
orientations and grit in students. Based on the study, students with low grit levels were
less likely to sustain their efforts and would not want to take part in learning activities.
The researchers in the study have concluded that grit and achievement goal orientations

are significantly related. The students who were more involved in activities had higher
grit levels than those who were adopting a learning-avoidance approach.
Winkler, Shulman, Beal, and Duckworths (2014) study on the grit effect looked
into the idea of predicting retention of US army soldiers in a special operations forces
course, sales employees, students in high school, and men in marriage. In the study, it
was evident that the grittier individuals were the ones who remained in their respective
commitments. The soldiers with higher grit levels were less likely to volunteer to drop
out of the course. The sales representatives who were grittier than the others remained in
their job for a long time. On the other hand, junior students who had high grit levels were
most likely to graduate in their senior class. But then, notably in this study, academic
conscientiousness, school motivation, situational factors, standardized achievement test
scores, and demographics affected the effect of grit on retention. In marriage, it was
found that grittier men were more likely 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.
A study on grit and its academic success involved another dominant factorrace.
It revolved around the role of grit to the academic success of black male college students
in white institutions. It was seen that grit played a role in increasing the black college
students grades. In the study, grit was seen to have incremental predictive validity
beyond the boundaries of high school academic success. The study has affirmed the
results of past studies by Duckworth et al. (2009) that grit positively affects academic
success (Strayhorn, 2014).

Contrasting Studies
However, there are studies claiming that grit is not a key player in success.
Ivcevic and Bracketts study comparing conscientiousness, grit, and emotion regulation
ability (ERA) looked into the validity of the three aforementioned predictors of school
outcome (2014). The prediction of school success was then seen to be of two sets of selfpredictorsa typical performance self-regulation trait (conscientiousness) and a maximal
performance emotion problem-solving ability (ERA). However, grit has not been fully
supported by the data collected in the study.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Collectively, grit is identified as the passion and perseverance for long-term
goals (Duckworth, 2014). This means that when one is eager in pursuing a certain goal
no matter what hardship or adversity may come, that person is likely to acquire his or her
desired goal. Studies have shown that grit has a direct connection to academic
performance. In studies such as that of Akin and Arslan (2014), it has been proven that an
individuals higher level of grit maintain their eagerness to pursue their goal compared to
their counterparts with lower grit levels. This shows that the presence of grit in a person
has a great effect on how that person perceives attaining a certain goal.
As a new topic of study in the field of psychology, majority of the studies in grit
show only the connection of grit and academic or non-academic performance but not
much of how a persons socio-economic status affects the presence of grit. The study of
Strayhorn (2014) looked into his subjects SES and also considering their race. His study

showed that those from the lower SES had higher grit levels. This, then, would open up
to more possible studies that would be related to socioeconomic status and grit.
Future studies could make use of Urie Bronfenbrenners Bioecological Systems
Theory model. Considering grit and an individuals SES, studies could look into how the
micro, meso, exo, and macro system could affect levels of grit, which could then lead to
the investigation of academic performance and a whole lot more. As an example, we
could take Strayhorns (2014) study and apply Bronfenbrenners systems. The students
who belong to the lower SES are said to have higher levels of grit. Researchers could
look into the similarities that these students have in their micro, meso, exo, and macro
systems. Probably, their grit levels are brought by the fact that they are directly exposed
to the hardships surrounding them and their family. Or on the other hand, maybe being
blinded by the fact that in comparison to others, they dont have much could bring about
the factor of increased grit. This data, then, could be compared to their higher SES
counterparts. Also, the academic performance of these students could be compared to see
how these students carry out grit in school.
Having a framework that would guide further studies on grit would not only
provide another opportunity to look into grit, but also, it would provide an avenue to
provide depth to grit.

References
Akin, A., & Arslan, S. (2014). The Relationships between Achievement Goal
Orientations and Grit. Education and Science TedMem, 39(175), 267-274.
Culin, K., Tsukayama, E., & Duckworth, A. (n.d.). Unpacking grit: Motivational
correlates of perseverance and passion for long-term goals. The Journal of Positive
Psychology, 1-7.
Duckworth, A., Peterson, C., Matthews, M., & Kelly, D. (n.d.). Grit: Perseverance And
Passion For Long-term Goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 10871101.
Eskreis-Winkler, L., Schulman, E., & Duckworth, A. (2014). The grit effect: Predicting
retention in the military, the workplace, school and marriage. Frontiers in
Psychology, 5, 1-13. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
Ivcevic, Z., & Brackett, M. (2014). Predicting school success: Comparing
Conscientiousness, Grit, and Emotion Regulation Ability. Journal of Research in
Personality, 52, 29-36.
Lehrer, J. (2009, August 2). The truth about grit. Retrieved April 10, 2015, from
http://jenni.uchicago.edu/press/Lehrer_2009_BostonGlobe_grit.pdf
Maddi, S., Matthews, M., Kelly, D., Villarreal, B., & White, M. (n.d.). The Role of
Hardiness and Grit in Predicting Performance and Retention of USMA Cadets.
Military Psychology, 19-28.
Orozco,B.(2014).DataSpaceatPrincetonUniversity:JumpingtheAchievementGap:
GritandSocioeconomicStatusinPrincetonStudents.RetrievedApril16,2015,
fromhttp://dataspace.princeton.edu/jspui/handle/88435/dsp01kk91fk710
Roberts, Y. (2009). Grit: The skills for success and how they are grown. Great Britain:
The Young Foundation.