The Impact of Grit on University Student’s Core Competency in Dental Hygiene Students

Abstract

Background: Recently, competency-based education has been reorganized in the dental hygiene curriculum. In education, non-cognitive factors are emphasized. Grit, the non-cognitive ability to persevere to achieve an individual's long-term goals, is emerging. This study aims to identify the degree of grit and core competencies in students and to investigate the relationship between them and the factors that affect these core competencies. Methods: This study was conducted using 350 dental hygiene students who were randomly assigned a structured questionnaire to complete. The final analysis included 321 students. The survey contents evaluated grit, core competencies, and general characteristics. The difference in the degree of grit and core competencies in conjunction with the general characteristics of the subjects was analyzed using the t-test/Mann Whitney U-test and the ANOVA/Kruskal-Wallis H test. Multiple regression analysis was then conducted to determine the factors affecting the core competencies of the subjects. Results: The difference of 'grit' according to general characteristics was statistically significant in 'major satisfaction', 'relationship', 'perceived academic achievement', 'grade point average (GPA)'. The difference in 'core competency' according to general characteristics was statistically significant in 'grade', 'department selection', 'major satisfaction', 'relationship', 'perceived academic achievement', 'GPA'. Among the sub-areas of 'grit', 'perseverance of effort' showed a high correlation with 'core competency' and was statistically significant. As a result of regression analysis, 'major satisfaction', 'perceived academic achievement' and 'grit' of dental hygiene students had a statistically significant influence on 'core competency'. Meanwhile, 'GPA' was not seen to be statistically significant in 'core competency'. Conclusion: Grit, a non-cognitive factor, had a statistically significant effect on core competency, while the effects on GPA, a cognitive factor, were not statistically significant. Among the sub-factors of grit, 'perseverance of effort' had a statistically significant effect on 'problem-solving competency' and 'academic competency', which are 'core competency' sub factors.

Grit and academic achievement: A comparative cross-cultural meta-analysis.

“…The relation between consistency of interest and achievement in collectivistic cultures was slightly higher than that in individualistic cultures, although it failed to achieve the level of significance. This contradicted the finding concerning the nonsignificant role of consistency of interest in various educational outcomes in collectivistic societies (Datu et al, 2016;Park & Cho, 2019) and our conventional view of the de-emphasis of consistency of interest in non-Western cultures. Chan and Rao (2009) debunked some stereotypes of Chinese learners in their book Revisiting the Chinese Learner, noting that Chinese students are motivated not only by social, family, and peer expectations but also by individual interests and ambitions.…”

“…In contrast, the strong emphasis on grading and performance in the sociocultural environment in the East could suppress the pursuit of individual interests but encourage more in terms of competition for higher grades (Tong et al, 2021). This was also supported by recent findings concerning the nonsignificant role of consistency of interest in various educational outcomes in collectivistic societies, for example, South Korea (Park & Cho, 2019) and the Philippines (Datu et al, 2016). In a more recent longitudinal study of Chinese learners, Liu and colleagues (2020) posited that academic learning was considered their duty and an obligation to society and their parents.…”

The Relationship between Metacognition, Learning Flow, and Problem-Solving Ability of Dental Hygiene Students

“…In the case of subjective academic performance, the results indicate that individuals who perceive their grades as poor and those with a previous semester's GPA below 4.0 tend to have higher levels of metacognition, learning flow, and problem-solving abilities (p＜0.05; Table 3). Park and Cho 29) found that non-cognitive factors such as grit and subjective grades have a more significant impact on core competencies than cognitive factors like GPA. This suggests that even if actual grades are low, perceiving oneself as having high grades can have a positive influ-ence on core competencies.…”

Cross-cultural Study of Grit among Iranian, Turkish, and Iraqi EFL Learners

“…The East's intense focus on grading and performance may restrict individual interests but drive competitiveness for better marks (Tong et al, 2021). The nonsignificant role of constancy of interest in various educational outcomes in collectivistic nations like South Korea (Park & Cho, 2019), which is supported by the Philippines (Datu et al, 2016). In a longitudinal study of Chinese learners, Liu et al (2020) found that academic learning was their responsibility to society and their parents.…”