The Value of Grit and a Growth Mindset

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All the potential in the world will not help your child succeed if their mind is weak. While talent and natural ability can give your child a headstart, it takes a strong, focused, and resilient mind to help them get through the challenges and obstacles in their way and see them to the end. To help children build that mental focus and resilience, we can start with building Grit and developing a Growth Mindset.

Grit and Growth Mindsets are two important qualities that form a powerful foundation for long-term success, well-being, and resilience. Although we have discussed this before on the forum, I would like to highlight the value of these qualities again because I believe these soft skills often get overlooked in favour of developing more academic skills. Helping our children to develop Grit and a Growth Mindset is a life-long journey. It must be constantly reinforced with practical applications therefore it can never be too early to start.

What is a Growth Mindset?

A growth mindset is the belief that our abilities, intelligence, and talents can be developed over time through effort, learning, and persistence. This concept was coined by psychologist Carol Dweck, who contrasted it with a fixed mindset – the belief that abilities are innate and unchangeable. Children who have a growth mindset see challenges and failures as opportunities to grow, rather than evidence of limitations. They believe that hard work, strategies, and help from others can improve their skills. This mindset encourages resilience, curiosity, and a love of learning.

If you would like to understand more about the Growth Mindset, this is a great video to watch:

What does a Growth Mindset look like?

Here are some examples of how children with a Growth Mindset might think when they encounter a difficult challenge or a task they are struggling with:

• “I can’t do this yet, but I will learn.”
• “Mistakes help me improve.”
• “Effort leads to success.”

Why is it important to help children develop a Growth Mindset?

Through decades of research, Carol Dweck has found that children with a Growth Mindset tend to perform better academically; they handle setbacks more effectively, and take on challenges rather than avoiding them. Neuroplasticity research supports Carol Dweck’s work on Growth Mindsets by providing the biological basis showing that the brain can grow and change with practice. Imaging studies further reveal that students with a growth mindset demonstrate greater activation in areas related to error correction and learning.

Practical, real world examples of the Growth Mindset in action can be seen in studies like:

• Blackwell, Trzesniewski, & Dweck (2007) – 7th-grade math students were studied over two years. They found that when students were taught about a growth mindset, they showed greater motivation, improved grades, and increased willingness to face academic challenges.
• Claro, Paunesku, & Dweck (2016) – In a study of 168,000 Chilean students, they found that students with a growth mindset scored significantly higher on national achievement tests (even after controlling for socioeconomic status). This study demonstrated that growth mindset benefits are global and independent of background.
• Yeager et al. (2019), Nature – A large-scale U.S. study of over 12,000 high school students found that a brief online growth mindset intervention demonstrated that even short interventions can have meaningful effects at scale.

What is Grit?

Grit means working hard for a long time, even when it’s hard or not fun — because you care about your goal.

Grit has been defined by psychologist Angela Duckworth as the combination of passion and perseverance toward long-term goals. It signifies the ability to stay committed to a goal despite facing challenges, setbacks, and failures. Grit is not only about sustained effort but also maintaining a strong sense of purpose and direction in the pursuit of those goals. 

There are two key parts to grit:

1. Perseverance – sticking with challenges and continued effort despite failure or obstacles.
2. Passion – consistent interest in long-term goals (not giving up or changing directions too easily).

It is also important to distinguish that grit has nothing to do with talent or luck. It is what keeps children practicing, learning, and improving over time.

The following video provides a good overview on the core aspects of Grit:

Why is it important to have Grit?

Children with grit are more likely to finish difficult tasks (like music lessons, sports, or math problems); develop self-discipline and goal-setting habits; recover from failure and disappointment; and succeed in school, hobbies, and later careers.

Real world examples of Grit:

• Athletes who train for years to compete at elite levels.
• Musicians who practice the same pieces over and over to develop performance mastery.
• Students who struggle early but work consistently to surpass “naturally talented” peers.

Research on Grit

In the foundational study “Grit: Perseverance and Passion for Long-Term Goals” – Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Angela Duckworth and her colleagues developed the Grit Scale and studied its predictive power. They found that Grit was better than IQ at predicting success in challenging environments:

• West Point cadets with higher grit scores were more likely to complete rigorous training.

• Spelling bee champions with higher grit practiced more and were more successful.

They concluded that Grit was as important, if not more than, as talent and intelligence in predicting achievement.

In the study by Eskreis-Winkler et al. (2014) – Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Grit predicted retention and graduation rates in adults at work, inner-city students, and military cadets. Students with more grit were more likely to persist through tough academic environments.

Some researchers have cautioned against Grit, as seen in a Meta-analysis by Credé et al. (2017) – Journal of Personality and Social Psychology which analysed over 80 studies on grit. They found that perseverance of effort (one part of grit) is more strongly linked to academic performance than passion alone. They also state that while Grit correlates with achievement, motivation, and well-being, the effect is moderate and not the only predictor of success.

There is a belief that while Grit is an important factor to success, it is not a magic solution. Context matters – such as, supportive environments, good teaching, and opportunities. Additionally, there is an ongoing discussion about how grit overlaps with other traits like self-control, conscientiousness, and resilience.

How do Grit and a Growth Mindset Support Success?

They help children learn that effort leads to improvement

• A Growth Mindset teaches children that ability is not fixed — they can get better at anything through practice and learning.
• Grit reinforces the idea that sticking with hard things over time leads to real achievement.

A child who struggles with math but keeps trying because they believe they can improve will likely outperform a more “naturally talented” child who gives up easily.

They help children bounce back from failure

• Failure is inevitable – what is important is how children respond.
• A Growth Mindset helps children see failure as part of learning.
• Grit helps children persist through setbacks rather than giving up.
• “This is hard, but I’ll get it with practice” vs. “I’m just not good at this.”

They encourage children to take on challenges willingly

Children with grit and a growth mindset are more likely to try difficult tasks, set ambitious goals, and step outside their comfort zone. This attitude opens doors to more opportunities and greater achievements.

They are linked to stronger academic and life skills

Better grades, stronger work habits, greater motivation, and more independent learning are critical for long-term success beyond school – whether it is in sports, music, relationships, or their careers.

They become resilient, lifelong learners

In this fast-changing world, our children need to adapt, learn new things, and face uncertainty. A Growth Mindset encourages their curiosity and lifelong learning, while Grit ensures they keep learning even when the going is hard or slow.