An individual’s potential to succeed has for years been superficially measured by a score on a standardized test, known globally as an Intelligence Quotient Test. The result of this test is a number, an “I.Q.”; a higher I.Q. translates into greater intelligence, and therefore, potential for the success. In Senior Editor, Deborah Perkins-Gough’s article for Educational Leadership Magazine, “The Significance of Grit: A Conversation with Angela Lee Duckworth”, she chronicles her interview with Ms. Duckworth, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania about “grit”, a paradoxically variant yardstick being recognized as possibly an even more concrete criteria than I.Q. for predetermining an individual’s potential for success. By definition, grit refers to the noncognitve characteristic possessed by an individual to hold steadfast to his or her long-term passions and goals via hard work and determination despite occasional setbacks and/or temporary failures along the way. Duckworth sums up grit as a type of resilience – “…the idea of a
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The criteria for being admitted to West Point as a Candidate includes an assessment of physical aptitude, as well as a review of SAT scores. In addition, an applicant’s class rank is considered and a history with evidence of demonstrated leadership abilities is required. However, even with such stringent screenings in place, roughly “1 in 20 cadets drops out during the summer of training before their first academic year”, making West Point a particularly attractive research genre for Duckworth’s study on grit. Following the administration of a short grit questionnaire, the candidates were observed throughout the summer training. Grit, as it turned out, proved to be a much more accurate predictor of success than the Whole Candidate Score. These results were not atypical as the team’s research
The criteria for being admitted to West Point as a Candidate includes an assessment of physical aptitude, as well as a review of SAT scores. In addition, an applicant’s class rank is considered and a history with evidence of demonstrated leadership abilities is required. However, even with such stringent screenings in place, roughly “1 in 20 cadets drops out during the summer of training before their first academic year”, making West Point a particularly attractive research genre for Duckworth’s study on grit. Following the administration of a short grit questionnaire, the candidates were observed throughout the summer training. Grit, as it turned out, proved to be a much more accurate predictor of success than the Whole Candidate Score. These results were not atypical as the team’s research