Promoting Grit, Tenacity, and Perseverance - U.S. Department of ...

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Contents
Executive Summary ....................................................................................................... v
Research Questions and Methods ............................................................................................ vi
What Are Grit, Tenacity, and Perseverance? A Hypothesized Model ..................................... vii
Measuring Grit, Tenacity, and Perseverance .......................................................................... viii
Programs and Models for Learning Environments to Promote Grit, Tenacity, and
Perseverance .......................................................................................................................... x
Conclusions and Recommendations ....................................................................................... xii
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1
A Critical Need in Education: Why Grit, Tenacity, and Perseverance? .................................... 2
An Exciting Time of Change and Progress ............................................................................... 4
An Important Time to Take Stock and Prepare to Move Forward ............................................. 8
Research Questions and Research Design .............................................................................. 9
2. What Are Grit, Tenacity, and Perseverance? A Hypothesized Model ................ 11
Definitions of Terms ................................................................................................................ 12
A Hypothesized Model ............................................................................................................ 16
The Hypothesized Model as a Whole ..................................................................................... 28
The Dark Side of Grit: Potential Costs and Risks ................................................................... 29
Moving Forward ...................................................................................................................... 30
3. Measuring Grit, Tenacity, and Perseverance ........................................................ 31
Why Measure Grit, Tenacity, and Perseverance? .................................................................. 33
Overview of the Measurable Constructs ................................................................................. 34
Measurement Approaches: Methods, Examples, and Tradeoffs ............................................ 35
An Evidence-Centered Design Approach to Measurement .................................................... 46
Ethical Considerations for New Types of Personal Data ........................................................ 48
Moving Forward ...................................................................................................................... 48
4. Programs and Models for Learning Environments to Promote Grit, Tenacity,
and Perseverance ................................................................................................... 49
Overview of Clusters of Programs and Approaches ............................................................... 50
Program Clusters: A Closer Look ........................................................................................... 52
Moving Forward ...................................................................................................................... 73
5. Conclusions and Recommendations ..................................................................... 75
Need to Prioritize Grit, Tenacity, and Perseverance ............................................................... 75
Conclusions and Recommendations for Practice and Implementation .................................. 76
Conclusions and Recommendations for Research ................................................................. 87
Moving Forward ...................................................................................................................... 94
Appendix: Expert Informants for the Brief ................................................................ 95
References ................................................................................................................... 97
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