Psychological variables related to grit among adolescents in South Korea: A longitudinal study from age 4 to 14

Abstract

While many researchers have been studying the effects of grit, relatively few studies have examined the identifying signs of grit. To bridge this gap in the literature, in the present study, precedents of grit were examined in longitudinal settings. A total of 106 Korean adolescents participated in this study. At age four, parental education level, unrealistically optimistic beliefs, and the delay of gratification were measured. When children turned 14 years old, grit was measured. Using stepwise regression analysis, we found that only the ability to delay gratification predicted grit in adolescence. While two factors of grit were analyzed independently, the delay of gratification only predicted perseverance of effort, not consistency of interest. The implications and directions for future research were discussed.