Spirituality: relationship between grit, equanimity, spiritual qualities and first-generation college students (original) (raw)
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The concept of grit is of interest in the field of education, particularly as it pertains to persistence to a 4-year college degree. This study offers an IRT analysis of the Grit Scale when used among first-generation college students (FGCSs) as well as recent first-generation college graduates and non-FGCS recent graduates. The Grit Scale was included in surveys administered as part of an array of other research projects within The Finish Line Project—a US Department of Education First in the World grant-funded project that seeks to improve FGCS access to, persistence in, and completion of postsecondary education through rigorous research into various programs and supports for FGCSs. The reliability and validity of the Grit Scale have not yet been analyzed for use with FGCS or overall with students at large, research universities. By comparing enrolled students and recent graduates, the psychometric analysis in this study offers insight into the measurement of student grit for use in program development and policy-making to improve student retention. Item response theory (IRT) analyses, analysis of differential item functioning (DIF), reliability analyses, convergent and discriminant validity analyses, and known groups validity analyses were used to examine the Grit Scale. The latent construct of grit is reported to be comprised of two elements— perseverance of effort and consistency of interest in the original research into grit (Duckworth et al. 2007). Grit has been shown to be an effective predictor of success and retention in a variety of contexts such as the national spelling bee, military, B. Midkiff () • C. Demetriou • A.T. Panter
All That Glitters Is Not Grit: Three Studies of Grit in University Students
The present research looked at the importance of the concept of grit in University students based on a mixed-method approach. Study 1 comprised 440 University students. All were given the Grit Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, the short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, the Office of National Statistics Well-being items and the Self-Control Scale. Levels of grit were significantly higher in female students, older students and postgraduates. Grit correlated highest with self-control. Study 2 looked at 340 University students. In addition to measuring self-control, mental well-being and grit, measures of resilience and mindsets were also added. A construct validity test of the Grit Scale showed that high grit scorers had significantly higher levels of self-control and mental well-being, were more resilient and were more likely to have a more growth oriented mindset. Grit varies with age and is most closely associated with the concept of self-control. The third study was a qualitative investigation with 10 successful graduates. Semi-structured interviews were coded using thematic analysis. Three broad themes emerged. The first, Passion and Perseverance, included themes of having short and long terms goals, resilience, dedication, and endurance. The second, Self-Control, included time management, self-awareness, prioritizing tasks and knowing strengths and weaknesses. The third theme identified was Positive Mindsets. This included having a positive attitude toward learning, the importance of feedback and constructive criticism and that success is not materialistic. The qualitative research has helped "unpack" concepts from the grit research and may enable University tutors to guide students better. Though these studies were only conducted in one English University, they have been stepping stones in our quest to discover what are the most important factors in determining student academic success? The development and piloting of our new Uni-Stride Scale, is the next step in this process.
Relationship between Grit and Flourishing among NCC and NON-NCC Students
Life"s success is not solely dependent on intelligence, talent, skill or ability. Every individual strives towards becoming an epitome of success in his/her respective field. However, the crucial element in this journey is the perseverant effort that an individual puts in. This study is conducted to find out the relationship between Grit and Flourishing in under graduation students. Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals (Duckworth, 2013). Happiness, flow, meaning, love, gratitude, accomplishment, growth, better relationships constitutes human flourishing (Seligman, 2011). Non-Probability Purposive Sampling and Snowball Sampling techniques were employed to select 240 undergraduate students in the 1st and 3rd years aged between 16-21 years from the city of Hyderabad, India. The Short Grit Scale: Grit-S (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly; 2007) and the Flourishing Scale (Diener et al., 2010) were administered. Data analysis revealed a significant difference in the levels of grit and flourishing between 1st and 3rd year NCC students. The results also revealed a significant correlation between Grit and Flourishing. Thus, including NCC training in the under-graduation curriculum is facilitative of overall flourishing in students.
International Journal of Psychology and Educational Studies
The concept of grit has becomea widely investigated topic in mental health and education in recent years. This study aims to develop a tool for measuring grit in high school and university students and to examine the measurement invariance of the developed scale on two different groups. A total of 586 high school students (411 female, 70%; 175 male, 30%) and 639 (437 female, 63%; 202 male, 37%) university students participated in the study. Grit Scale, Short Grit Scale, and Beck Hopelessness Scale were used as data collection tools in the study. The exploratory factor analysis results indicated that 14-item Grit Scale with three sub-dimensions explained 61.88% of the variance. The dimensions in the scale were named Perseverance, Commitment to Goals, and Consistency of Interest. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the three-dimensional structure of the Grit Scale fit the data well, with measurement invariance between the high school and university student groups. Cronbach’s alph...
Creating a New Scale for the Measurement of Academic Grittiness
2017
Defined as persistence and passion for the achievement of long-term goals, grit is considered vital in determining success within academic contexts. Whilst scales do presently exist to measure grit as a holistic construct, no scale currently exists to measure academic-specific grit. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to develop a new scale for the measurement of academic grit. The newly developed scale, titled the Grit Inventory (GI), was assessed for psychometric soundness utilizing a sample of 109 undergraduate psychology students from The University of Queensland, Australia. Results showed the GI to have sound validity and good internal consistency. Nine of the scale’s twelve items had acceptable item discrimination indices. It was proposed that the GI be used in conjunction with ability tests to determine university admissions, granted that future research could demonstrate predictive validity for the scale. Keywords: grit, grittiness, persistence, academic, academic g...
Exploring the Relationship between Grit and Flourishing: Are There Gender Differences?
International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 2022
Grit and flourishing are important constructs that focus on self-potential of individuals, yet there are mixed findings about gender differences in grit and flourishing. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the relationship between grit and flourishing among university students. In addition, this study also aimed to examine gender differences in grit and flourishing. This study employed a survey design by administering a questionnaire to 143 undergraduate students. The Short Grit Scale was used to measure grit and The Flourishing Scale was used to measure flourishing. Pearson correlation analysis and regression were used in this study. The findings of the study found that there was a significant relationship between grit and flourishing. Meanwhile, the results of regression analysis showed that 21% of the variance was contributed by grit to flourishing. Results also showed no significant difference of grit and flourishing based on gender. Findings of this study imply the importance of grit and flourishing in helping to increase the potential of individuals. Further research can explore the role of grit and flourishing in empowering self-efficacy and well-being among individuals.
Psychology Students' Mental Well-being and Grit: A Quantitative Correlational Study
2021
Mental well-being and grit can be considered a part of one's state of mind. Grit is defined as the perseverance and passion of an individual toward their long-term goals, whereas mental well-being is a part of mental health that is used as a way of describing its current state. The association between mental well-being and grit, their connection, relation, and mutuality, is the primary objective throughout the study. With this, the researchers took a sample of 50 first-year college students from the Psychology department of a private university. The researchers have also utilized a quantitative correlational research design to assess the relationship between the two given variables. The researchers used Duckworth's Grit Scale and the WEMWBS tests in measuring each of the variables and collecting the data. The data gathered showed that the psychology students possessed a good and stable mental well-being given the results: n=50, μ = 3.40, σ = 0.80. The researchers also found that psychology students were gritty based on their scores which signify n=50, μ = 3.46, σ = 0.62. Using Spearman's Rank Correlation Test for variable x (Mental well-being) and variable y (Grit), the researchers also found the following findings of r = +0.45, n =50, p < 0.05, two-tailed. The results showed that there is a significant relationship between grit and mental well-being, which is a moderate positive correlation. Hence, the participants in the study were found to be gritty and have good and stable mental well-being. In that case, such findings indicate that goal-driven behavior like grit is a major factor in mental well-being. At the same time, the researchers also concluded an individual's mental health, namely the stability and sanity of their mental well-being could be associated with grit, which leads one to success and the achievement of aspirations.
Spirituality among a College Student Cohort: A Quantitative Assessment
American Journal of Health Education, 2004
This study was designed to quantify indices of spirituality, the directing health dimension, which affects health and life satisfaction. Because college marks a time when life patterns are established, a college population was chosen. A cohort of 524 Northeastern U.S. college students completed the 48-item Life Attitude Profile-Revised in the fall semester 2002. Overall, results revealed that these students demonstrated a moderate degree of spirituality, with women indicating a higher measure of spirituality than men. Also, women in this study were found to have clearer goals and a keener sense about why they are "here." Men, on the other hand, were less satisfied with life, suggesting that they were searching for their identities. These findings imply that health educators may need to help students, particularly men, search for and enhance their degree of spirituality so that they may be healthier and establish positive life patterns for adulthood. A "spiritual norming" campaign may be helpful for these students.