Brief Summary
Angela Duckworth argues that grit, defined as passion and perseverance for long-term goals, is a crucial factor for success in various fields, including education, military, and business. She emphasizes that grit is more important than IQ or talent, and it can be cultivated through a "growth mindset" which encourages the belief that learning is not fixed and can be improved through effort. Duckworth highlights the need for further research to understand how to effectively build grit in children.
- Grit is a key predictor of success in various fields, surpassing IQ and talent.
- Growth mindset is a promising approach to cultivate grit in children.
- More research is needed to understand how to effectively build grit.
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
Angela Duckworth, a psychologist, shares her research on the importance of grit in achieving success. She recounts her experience as a seventh-grade math teacher where she observed that IQ wasn't the sole determinant of student performance. This led her to pursue a career in psychology, focusing on understanding the factors contributing to success in challenging environments. Through studies conducted at West Point Military Academy, the National Spelling Bee, and various other settings, she discovered that grit consistently emerged as a significant predictor of success, surpassing factors like social intelligence, physical health, and even IQ. Duckworth defines grit as passion and perseverance for long-term goals, emphasizing the importance of sustained effort over time. She highlights the need to cultivate grit in children, particularly those at risk of dropping out of school.
The Importance of Grit in Education
Duckworth delves into the significance of grit in education, specifically focusing on her research in Chicago public schools. She conducted a study involving thousands of high school juniors, administering grit questionnaires and tracking their graduation rates. The results revealed a strong correlation between grit and graduation rates, even after controlling for factors like family income, standardized test scores, and school safety. This finding underscores the importance of grit in educational success, particularly for students facing challenges.
Building Grit: The Growth Mindset
Duckworth acknowledges the lack of scientific understanding regarding how to build grit in children. She emphasizes that talent alone does not guarantee grit, as her research shows that many talented individuals fail to follow through on their commitments. She presents the "growth mindset" as a promising approach to cultivate grit, an idea developed by Carol Dweck at Stanford University. The growth mindset emphasizes the belief that learning is not fixed and can be improved through effort. Studies have shown that children who understand the brain's ability to change and grow in response to challenges are more likely to persevere through failures, as they don't view failure as a permanent condition. While acknowledging the potential of growth mindset, Duckworth stresses the need for further research and experimentation to develop effective strategies for building grit in children. She concludes by emphasizing the importance of a scientific approach to understanding and cultivating grit, advocating for rigorous testing and a willingness to learn from failures.
