Poster #213 - The Dynamic Nature of Perceived Grit: Exploring Within-Person Changes Over Time

• In Event: 3-159 - Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: PS 12 Section - Social, Emotional, Personality

Integrative Statement

Defined as the tendency to sustain interest in and effort toward long-term goals (Duckworth et al., 2007), grit has been identified as a powerful variable in predicting school retention and educational attainment (Duckworth, 2016). While grit is both genetically and environmentally mediated, few studies examine change over time within individuals. The purpose of this research was to examine possible changes in grit among a unique sample of college freshmen, those at a public military college experiencing exceptional challenges. It was hypothesized that exposure to the rigors of the military lifestyle (i.e. early wake-up, formation, inspections, intense physical training, etc.), along with the traditional adjustments to college, would impact individual grit over the course of the first year. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that grit would be most undermined in those freshmen who experienced more stressors and lower perceived control. Data were collected over three time points. The first wave of data collection was in July 2016, prior to matriculation. In cooperation with the Admissions Office, online surveys were disseminated through newly issued .edu email addresses. 191 students (approximately 38% of the entering class) completed the Time 1 surveys. Sixteen percent were female, in line with institute demographics. Wave 2 of data collection occurred in November, at the height of intense physical, mental, and emotional demands. The same cadets were invited to complete Wave 3 of the study at the end of their freshmen year. Grit was assessed at Waves 1 and 3 using the well-validated 8-item Short Grit Scale (Duckworth & Quinn, 2009). Recent stressors were measured at Wave 2 using the Inventory of College Students' Recent Life Experiences (Kohn et al., 1990). Based on responses, a cumulative “stressors” score was computed. Perceived control was measured at all waves with the Mastery Scale (Pearlin & Schooler, 1978). Data were analyzed using paired samples t tests and regression in SPSS 24 (IBM, 2016). Grit decreased over the course of the first year, t(79) = 5.72, p < .05. Additionally, after controlling for Wave 1 perceived control, recent life stressors and subsequent sense of perceived control significantly predicted the change in grit from Wave 1 to Wave 3, F(3,64,) = 5.53, p < .05. The full model explained 21% of the variance in grit change. Students who had the greatest number of cumulative stressors at Wave 2 evidenced larger decrements in grit over time. Also of note, Wave 1 grit did not predict cumulative GPA (as reported by the Registrar’s Office) at the end of freshmen year. However, Wave 3 grit was predictive of this GPA variable, even after controlling for high school GPA, F(3, 60) = 7.23, p < .05. Implications for the effects of life stressors on grit will be discussed, with particular attention to how environmental circumstances influence one’s perspective of grit. Interestingly, while these students have thus far proven their grit by remaining at a military college, their self-assessed grit scores decreased over time, suggesting one’s frame of reference may be an important factor in understanding grit.

Author

• Sara Whipple, Virginia Military Institute
  Presenting Author