What Is Duckworth's Idea Of Grit?

Before Angela Lee Duckworth continued her present studies at The University of Pennsylvania, she took on the job of teaching 7th graders. During her time teaching, she observed that some of her smartest kids were not performing well, and other less talented kids were. This peaked her interest as to what the largest factor was in child success. Duckworth stated that the education system needs to look at student success from a motivational perspective; this lead Duckworth to pinpointing Grit as the underlying factor that determines whether a child will or will not succeed. Although Duckworth brought up good points, she did not have an ultimate way for students in general to instill and maintain grit. Duckworth's idea of grit can be implemented …show more content…
Many college students believe they are stuck with a fixed learning ability. They make themselves believe that they will never learn a subject better or they will never be good enough to play an instrument. Duckworth stated that an idea called "Growth Mindset" was tested on children in an attempt to increase their grit and enhance their learning. The study showed that learning about the brain's natural response to challenge helped them take initiative in learning things much faster (Duckworth). This factor of wanting to learn, and the ability to manipulate how one can learn all has to do with one's passion and perseverance for a long-term goal. Having a talent like learning music rapidly, does not guarantee success. "...there are many talented individuals who simply do not follow through on their commitments. In fact, in our data, grit is usually unrelated or even inversely related to measures of talent." (Duckworth). This study may bring about more grit and more initiative in college student, and it will ultimately prepare them for academic …show more content…
Although there are disadvantages and privileges involved in society like: poverty, wealth, connections, and having no connections to a job opening. The system can technically be stacked against a student based on their origins, looks, relationships, and wealth. This does not mean the student will not ever be able to succeed. Duckworth stated that, "I started studying kids and adults in all kinds of super challenging settings, and in every study my question was, who was successful here and why?" (Duckworth). Many college students believe that where they come from or some of their predetermined attributes will have too large of an effect on them in order for them to succeed, but Duckworth found that there is more to student success then what was obvious. Duckworth said that when high schoolers were tested with her grit questionnaire, she found that grittier kids graduated and the less gritty dropped out or failed. She even looked into different factors like family income, SAT or ACT, and even how safe they felt at school. In the end, the single largest determining factor for high school graduates in the study was the grittier kids (Duckworth). As it turned out, even if a student came from a family less income or felt unsafe at school, if they had grit they would persevere in the end. Even if someone came from a well-off family that had so many connections, the student in question