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

Draft
attributed them to common experiences in the transition from high school to college, not to
their own personal failure (Wilson & Linville, 1985). A second intervention had minority
students make speeches that would ostensibly be delivered to future freshmen to instill the
notion that challenges may be attributable not to personal failure but a common experience
that minorities often feel like they do not belong in the academic community (Walton &
Cohen, 2007). A third intervention showed that students’ persistence was greater in the face
of critical feedback when it was delivered with a message that the student was being held to
high standards (Cohen, Steele, & Ross, 1999).
• Affirmation of personal values. These interventions address for ethnic minority students the
stress they may encounter from stereotype threat, a threat to self-esteem that entails a felt
pressure and anxiety that his or her poor performance may confirm a negative stereotype
about their ethnic group (see callout box in Chapter 1). The interventions focus on bolstering
the mindsets, “I can succeed at this,” and “I belong in this academic community.” In one
study, middle school ethnic minority students were provided the opportunity to write a
“values essay,” in which they spent 15 minutes writing about a value that was important to
them, such as a hobby or relationships with friends. Compared to control students, these
students had increased grade point averages. The authors suggest that this intervention
functions by mitigating the distracting anxiety of stereotype threat through affirmation of the
self as an individual with strong values (Cohen, Garcia, Apfel, & Master, 2006).
• Relating course material to students’ lives. One research-based intervention was designed
to address the mindset, “This work is in line with my interests, values, or goals.” In this
study, high school students were asked to write essays connecting what they were learning in
science class to their own lives. This intervention increased interest in science and course
grades for students who initially reported that they did not expect to do well in science
(Hullemen & Harackiewicz, 2009).
• The “Super Intervention.” Snipes and colleagues (2012) note that in work funded by the
Raikes Foundation, Cohen, Dweck, and Walton are currently working on what they call a
“Super Intervention” that integrates a set of these interventions at the same time. The logic is
that different interventions may be more effective for different students, so it is important to
provide multiple opportunities. Initial research began on this approach in Fall 2012.
Learning strategies and tactics. Snipes and colleagues (2012), and Yeager and Walton (2011)
also reviewed several interventions that provide students with strategies for how to deal with
challenges and setbacks, and to improve metacognition and/or self-regulation.
• Investment in clarifying goals and anticipating potential obstacles and solutions. Since
grit, tenacity, and perseverance are by definition about achieving goals in the face of
challenges and setbacks, one approach is to make sure students are clear about what their
goals are, why they are important to them, and what they will do when they face challenges.
Three examples follow.
56