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As academic performance standards for all students have remained high throughrigorous requirements and accountability measures set forth by lawmakers througheducational reforms, researchers and educators have focused on practices that offerinterventions for students who are at-risk of academic failure (Worley, 2007).Increasingly, attention placed on academic standards is being balanced with attention tostudents’ character and interventions that develop character, mindsets, or non-cognitiveattributes as a means of increasing student success (Duckworth & Seligman, 2005;Seligman, 2011; Farrington, et al., 2012). The purpose of this quantitative study was todetermine whether there was a relationship between 6th-8th grade students’ grit scores andtheir academic achievement, as measured by the change in the TerraNova score from fallto spring and by students’ grade point averages (GPA). The second purpose of the studywas to determine whether the relationship between students’ grit scores and theiracademic achievements was affected by student gender, race, and first language. Thesample was comprised of 6th-8th grade students residing in Kansas City, Missouri, whoattended Urban Community Charter School for the entire 2013-2014 school year. Theresults revealed that students’ grit scores did not appear to be related to students’ growthon the TerraNova or a students’ GPA. Results also did not indicate that eitherrelationship was affected by student gender. As data was disaggregated into four subsamples, African-American, White, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian, the correlation for Whitestudents was positive and indicated a strong relationship between grit scores andacademic achievement. Among the results, it was also found that the correlation betweenWhite students’ grit scores and GPA was negative and indicated a strong inverse relationship. Little or no relationship was found between students’ grit scores andmeasures of achievement for African-American and Hispanic/Latino students. Thefindings of this study have implications for the students, teachers, and administrators atUrban Community Charter School and the results should inform discussions around thefoundational beliefs on academic achievement and success by economicallydisadvantaged and racially diverse students. Additionally, the findings of this studystrengthen the need for staff to be aware of and understand current research andeducational trends related to the malleability and development of not only students’ gritbut also other non-cognitive skills |
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