Physical Fitness, Grit, School Attendance, and Academic Performance among Adolescents

Abstract

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of grit as a construct representing perseverance to overcoming barriers and the total number of school absences to academic performance (AP) while controlling for sociodemographics, fitness (i.e., PACER), and Body Mass Index (BMI). Methods Adolescents (N = 397, SD = 1.85; 80.9% females; 77.1% Hispanic) from an urban, minority-majority city in the Southern United States completed the FitnessGram® assessment of physical fitness (e.g., aerobic capacity and Body Mass Index (BMI)) and the valid and reliable short grit survey. The schools provided sociodemographics, attendance, and AP data for the adolescents. Results Adolescents with higher grit scores (rs = 0.21, P < 0.001) and less total absences (rs = −0.35, P < 0.001) performed better on AP. Hierarchical multiple regression indicated that grit and absences were associated with AP (β = 0.13, P < 0.01 and β = −0.35, P < 0.001, resp.). Conclusions Grit and a total number of absences are significant contributors to academic success, particularly among Hispanic adolescents. Further, grit and school attendance may serve as a better measure of protective factors over proximal health measures of cardiovascular health and BMI.

Non-cognitive Skills and the Parent&ndash;child Relationship: A Cross-sectional Study

“…This study supported the results of previous research indicating that students with higher grit and self-control scores were more likely to demonstrate better academic performance [7][8][9][10][11].…”

Examining the relationship between grit and academic achievement within K‐12 and higher education: A systematic review

“…Among 54 studies that examined the effect of overall grit on students’ academic achievement, more than half (35 studies) reported significant positive results (Akos & Kretchmar, ; Cosgrove et al, ; Duckworth & Quinn, ; Duckworth et al, ; Dumfart & Neubauer, ; Farroll, ; Hill, ; Huang & Zhu, ; B. C. Lee, ; Lee & Sohn, ; Li et al, ; Lin & Chang, ; Mason, ; Muenks et al, ; Sheehan, ; Strayhorn, ; Tovar‐García, ; Wang et al, ; Williams, ), whereas one study reported a significant negative result (Climer, ). Six studies reported mixed results (Al‐Mutawah & Fateel, ; Cross, ; Kelly et al, ; O'Neal et al, ; Pate et al, ; Rojas, ) and eight studies reported nonsignificant results (Batres, ; Bazelais, Lemay, & Doleck, ; Engel, ; Flanagan & Einarson, ; Palisoc et al, ; Saunders‐Scott et al, ; Smith, ; Zurlo, ).…”

“…Grit's predictive role has been corroborated in educational, psychological and social constructs, such as mental health (Kleiman, Adams, Kashdan, & Riskind, ), student learning motivation (Myers, Wang, Black, Bugescu, & Hoeft, ), and success in school and the workplace (Eskreis‐Winkler, Shulman, Beal, & Duckworth, ). Within academic settings, empirical studies have repeatedly shown that grit plays a significant role in individual academic success (Akos & Kretchmar, ; Cosgrove, Chen, & Castelli, ; Duckworth & Quinn, ; Hodge, Wright, & Bennett, ), some failed to detect an association between grit and academic achievement (Al‐Mutawah & Fateel, ; Cross, ; Rojas, ). As the data do not converge, these findings may result in a vague relationship between grit and academic achievement, which warrants further investigation.…”

“…Within academic settings, empirical studies have repeatedly shown that grit plays a significant role in individual academic success (Akos & Kretchmar, 2017;Cosgrove, Chen, & Castelli, 2018;Hodge, Wright, & Bennett, 2018), some failed to detect an association between grit and academic achievement (Al-Mutawah & Fateel, 2018;Cross, 2014;Rojas, 2015). As the data do not converge, these findings may result in a vague relationship between grit and academic achievement, which warrants further investigation.…”

Physical Fitness with Regular Lifestyle Is Positively Related to Academic Performance among Chinese Medical and Dental Students

“…BioMed Research International Physical fitness was a commonly admitted key factor to people's physical and mental health, and it was found to be strongly relevant to the academic performance of children and adolescents [31][32][33][34]. Also, researchers did a few studies on the impact of physical fitness on college students.…”