Exploring Grit: “Grit Linguistics” and Research on Domain-General Grit and L2 Grit

Abstract

Grit is described as a unitary construct comprised of two elements, perseverance of effort (PE, or ongoing hard work) and consistency of interest (CI, referred to as “passion”). PE and CI together equate to success or achievement, according to the creator of the construct, Angela Duckworth (2016). Grit, which has supporters and detractors, says success is more dependent on PE and CI than on natural talent (Duckworth, 2016). This article presents “grit linguistics,” including the linguistic background of overall grit, PE, and CI and the appropriation of words from other fields into the grit vocabulary. This is followed by research on domain-general grit (grit across domains or areas) and domain-specific grit (L2 grit, i.e., grit for learning a second or foreign language). In addition, the article offers suggestions for future conceptions and assessment of grit.

Examining the Interplay Between Growth and Fixed Mindsets, L2 Grit, and L2 Motivational Self-System of L2 Learners

“…In addition, although grit as a psychological and personal trait seems to impact ideal L2 selves to a large extent and ought-to L2 self/own to some extent, most recent research has questioned the predictive power of grit in terms of academic achievement (Alamer, 2021b; Khajavy, MacIntyre, & Hariri, 2021; Oxford & Khajavy, 2021; Shirvan & Alamer, 2022; Wang, Derakhshan et al, 2021). Instead, the concept of Autonomous Single-Language Interest (ASLI) was put forward by Alamer (2022) as a more developed form of COI.…”

“…Several reasons motivated the present study. First, individual differences (IDs) such as emotions along with elements of student psychology, including L2 grit and L2MSS, have been shown to be vital in the L2 learning process (Dewaele & Li, 2020; Larsen-Freeman, 2018; Oxford & Khajavy, 2021; Pawlak, 2020; Tu, 2021). The significance of positive psychology for L2 learning has been underlined by leading researchers who emphasized the complex network of emotions at work during L2 learning rather than handling each variable as a stand-alone factor.…”

Increasing Chinese EFL Learners’ Grit: The Role of Teacher Respect and Support

“…Owing to the value of grit in educational environments ( Bazelais et al, 2016 ; Bennett et al, 2020 ), a large number of inquiries have been conducted on this personal trait [e.g., Teimouri et al (2020) ; Wei et al (2020) , and Oxford and Khajavy (2021) , to cite a few]. Likewise, the scholastic consequences of this variable have been widely explored [e.g., Chang (2014) , Wang (2017) , Yamashita (2018) , Bliss and Jacobson (2020) , and Li and Dewaele (2021) , to cite a few].…”

Validation of L2 grit among Chinese EFL high school students and its enduring effect on achievements: A bifactor model approach

“…Third, other related variables such as Big Five conscientiousness can be included in future studies to provide discriminant validity of the construct. Fifth, the L2 grit scale used in the present study has some methodological limitations, which have been discussed and addressed by prior studies (e.g., Oxford and Khajavy, 2021;Shirvan and Alamer, 2022).…”