Adding a Social Perspective to "Grit": Investigating How Disadvantaged Students Navigate Obstacles and Gain Agency

• In Event: 41.084 - Roundtable Session 16
  In Roundtable Session: 41.084-1 - Constructing and Deconstructing Capital: Analyses of Students' Experiences in Schools

Abstract

Recent research in psychology has introduced “grit” as an important characteristic observed in successful students. Applications of grit may further individualism as the key determinant for academic success, overlooking structural factors associated with learning. This paper applies a sociological framework, offering “agency” as a concept to complement to grit, to more broadly understand social mobility. Through in-depth interviews with students from highly disadvantaged backgrounds, this paper suggests that an interplay between individual and social factors allows students to navigate personal and structural barriers towards academic and professional success. Findings highlight the acquisition of support networks and help-seeking behavior. Themes reinforce social capital and cultural capital as critical factors in facilitating the upward mobility of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Author

• Anindya Kundu, New York University