Students' Grit and Their Post-compulsory Educational Choices and Trajectories: Evidence from Switzerland

Janine Albiez (), Maurizio Strazzeri () and Stefan Wolter
Additional contact information
Janine Albiez: Swiss Coordination Centre for Research in Education
Maurizio Strazzeri: Bern University of Applied Sciences

No 16945, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: We examine the association between the personality trait grit and post-compulsory educational choices and trajectories using a large survey linked to administrative student register data. Exploiting cross sectional variation in students' self-reported grit in the last year of compulsory school, we find that an increase in students' grit is associated with a higher likelihood to start a vocational education instead of a general education. This association is robust to the inclusion of cognitive skill measures and a comprehensive set of other students' background characteristics. Moreover, using novel data on skill requirements of around 240 vocational training occupations, we find that grittier vocational education students sort into math-intensive training occupations. Similarly, students in general education with more grit select themselves more often into the math-intensive track. Finally, we do not find evidence that students with a higher grit have lower dropout rates in post-compulsory education.

Keywords: non-cognitive skills; personality traits; grit; educational choices (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D01 I20 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 21 pages
Date: 2024-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu and nep-ure
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Related works:
Working Paper: Students’ Grit and Their Post-Compulsory Educational Choices and Trajectories: Evidence from Switzerland (2024)
Working Paper: Students' grit and their post-compulsory educational choices and trajectories: Evidence from Switzerland (2024)
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