What Is the REAL Key to Academic Success?

The year was 1990 – you may remember it well – big hair, shoulder pads, and new wave music. I was a junior in college, intent on changing the world by making a difference in the lives of children in the inner city. To earn my teacher’s certification, I needed to do a practicum followed by a year of student teaching. I was assigned to a public elementary school in Jamaica Plan, Massachusetts just outside of Boston. I walked into the school with a bounce in my step, a smile on my face, and excitement in my heart as I was on a mission to help kids achieve academic success. I left that day with tears rolling down my cheeks.

The second grade class I was assigned to was filled with children who wanted to learn but had such skill deficits and behavioral issues that the only thing the homeroom teacher could do to keep them in check was to yell. There was not an ounce of positivity in that classroom. The night before, there was a drive by shooting in one of the local neighborhoods. A handful of the kids had been up throughout the night listening to the sirens and watching the police outside chase down suspects of their barred windows. These kids had more on their minds than education.

As the months went by, my dreams of “fixing” education slowly diminished. Although I knew a difference could be made, I also realized that there would be no sweeping change. But what I became incredibly interested in was the concept of resilience. I wondered why some of my students with truly awful home lives worked hard in school while most of their other peers gave up easily. I couldn’t figure out why, in the face of adversity, some of my students rose above the rest. It wasn’t a matter of intelligence, because so often, these students didn’t appear to be any brighter and their testing didn’t show them to be superior. So what was it that compelled them to keep on going even when the deck was stacked against them?

The Key to Academic Success

Turns out, they likely had this intangible characteristic called “grit” which is the ability to persevere in the presence of obstacles. These kids worked hard in school even when the cards were stacked against them. I observed this to be true in my early years of teaching as well as in my time teaching in the Fairfax County public school system.

Angela Duckworth, assistant professor of psychology at University of Pennsylvania conducted some fascinating research on grit. She’s found that it might be just as important, or in fact more important, than intelligence, when it comes to high academic achievement. In fact, in one study of Ivy League students, she found that smarter students had less grit than their peers. Duckworth says that these students “compensate by working harder and with more determination” and therefore outperform their higher IQ peers. The grittier students had higher grade point averages.

As parents, we all want our kids to have grit. We all know that it is hard work that propels kids and adults to go on to do great things. So, how do we know if our children have grit in the first place? Below you will find Duckworth’s Grit Scale (Duckworth, A.L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M.D., & Kelly, D.R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 9, 1087-1101).

Take the quiz. See how you do. Ask your kids to take it, too. Is your family gritty?

12 Item Grit Scale

Directions for taking the Grit Scale: Please respond to the following 12 items. Be honest – there are no right or wrong answers!

1. I have overcome setbacks to conquer an important challenge.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

2. New ideas and projects sometimes distract me from previous ones.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

3. My interests change from year to year.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

4. Setbacks don’t discourage me.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

5. I have been obsessed with a certain idea or project for a short time but later lost interest.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

6. I am a hard worker.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

7. I often set a goal but later choose to pursue a different one.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

8. I have difficulty maintaining my focus on projects that take more than a few months to complete.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

9. I finish whatever I begin.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

10. I have achieved a goal that took years of work.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

11. I become interested in new pursuits every few months.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

12. I am diligent.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

Scoring:

For questions 1, 4, 6, 9, 10 and 12 assign the following points:
5 = Very much like me
4 = Mostly like me
3 = Somewhat like me
2 = Not much like me
1 = Not like me at all

For questions 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 11 assign the following points:
1 = Very much like me
2 = Mostly like me
3 = Somewhat like me
4 = Not much like me
5 = Not like me at all

Add up all the points and divide by 12. The maximum score on this scale is 5 (extremely gritty), and the lowest scale on this scale is 1 (not at all gritty).

In a future post, I’ll take a look at ways we can all improve our grittiness. Stay tuned!

–For more on Angela Duckworth’s research visit www.angeladuckworth.com