How Valid is Grit in the Postsecondary Context? A Construct and Concurrent Validity Analysis

Kevin Fosnacht (), Keeley Copridge and Shimon A. Sarraf
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Kevin Fosnacht: Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research
Keeley Copridge: Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research
Shimon A. Sarraf: Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research

Research in Higher Education, 2019, vol. 60, issue 6, No 3, 803-822

Abstract: Abstract College admissions leaders increasingly desire to incorporate non-cognitive factors like grit into admissions decisions. Consequently, we examined the validity of the short grit scale (Grit-S) using data collected on undergraduates attending 38 colleges. Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), we found that Grit-S does not possess adequate model fit; however, a modified version of the scale does possess this property. Using multi-group CFA, we also found that Grit-S is relatively invariant across multiple demographic groups. Next, we examined the concurrent validity of grit with students’ engagement, perceived gains, time spent studying, and grades. These results confirmed previous research that most of the predictive power of grit is contained in its perseverance of effort, not consistency of interest, dimension.

Keywords: Grit; Non-cognitive traits; Validity; Higher education; Admissions; Measurement invariance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11162-018-9524-0

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