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

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What Are Grit, Tenacity, and Perseverance? A Hypothesized Model
A synthesis of findings from the literature review and interviews reveals some key principles for
a hypothesized model of grit, tenacity, and perseverance (see Chapter 2 for details).
• Grit, tenacity, and perseverance are multifaceted concepts encompassing goals,
challenges, and ways of managing these. We integrate the big ideas from several related
definitions in the literature to a broad, multifaceted definition of grit for the purpose of this
report: “Perseverance to accomplish long-term or higher-order goals in the face of challenges
and setbacks, engaging the student’s psychological resources, such as their academic
mindsets, effortful control, and strategies and tactics.”
• Sociocultural context plays an important role. It can be a significant determinant of what
students value and want to accomplish, the types of challenges they face, and the resources
they can access. It is well documented that students from high-poverty backgrounds are
particularly likely to face great stress and limited social support for academic achievement—
factors which can undermine perseverance toward a wide range of goals. Researchers and
educators also highlight concerns about the challenges faced by students from other segments
of the socioeconomic spectrum. For example, researchers and educators are exposing how
grit can be detrimental when it is driven by a fear-based focus on testing and college entry.
This can undermine conceptual learning, creativity, long-term retention, mental health, and
ability to deal with “real-world” challenges.
• Learning environments can be designed to promote grit, tenacity, and perseverance.
Our research pointed to two potentially important factors. First, students need opportunities
to take on “optimally challenging” goals that, to the student, are worthy of pursuit.
Optimally challenging goals are those that are within the student’s range of proximal
development—not too difficult and not too easy. Students will find goals worthy of pursuit
when the goals resonate with their personal values and interests. Second, students need a
rigorous and supportive environment to accomplish these goals and/or develop critical
psychological resources. As students engage in pursuing their goals, there is a wide range of
challenges they may encounter, such as conceptual complexity, distractions and boredom,
lack of resources, and adverse circumstances. Students will be more likely to persevere when
the learning environment has a fair and respectful climate, conveys high expectations,
emphasizes effort over ability, and provides necessary tangible resources—materials, human,
and time.
• Students can develop psychological resources that promote grit, tenacity, and
perseverance. Our research pointed to three facets—all of which have been shown to be
malleable and teachable in certain contexts:
− Academic mindsets. These constitute how students frame themselves as learners, their
learning environment, and their relationships to the learning environment. They include
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