Philosophical Challenges for Measures of Grit and Other Noncognitive Dispositions

• In Event: Roundtable Session 16
  In Roundtable Session: Noncognitive Dispositions: A Philosophical Analysis

Abstract

Non-cognitive dispositions have recently become properties of interest in both the education and psychology literature. In this paper, I draw the distinction between property-first and measurement-first approaches to understanding the meaning of theoretical terms like “grit” and “perseverance” as well as the relationship between these terms and the measurement procedures that allow us to quantify these particular properties. I argue that, depending on which approach one takes, one is confronted with different norms for the measuring procedures used, meaning that the difference in philosophical approaches may have strategic, practical import. I argue that the measurement-first approach provides the most pressing critique and is thus the one most researchers in this area ought to adopt moving forward.

Author

• Daniel Peterson, Berry College