Personality and Family Context in Explaining Grit of Taiwanese High School Students

Grit, one of the newly developed non-cognitive traits, encompasses the characteristics of perseverance and consistency of interest. Grit is associated with good academic performance, resilience, and well-being. To understand the nature of Grit in detail, this study probed the relationship between Grit and the widely-applied and well-established Big-Five personality. Family context plays a significant role in nurturing all aspects of personality traits. Accordingly, we examined two family-context variables, namely family influence and democratic parenting style, which may be predictive of Grit, particularly in an Asian context. A total of 1504 students from one private comprehensive high school participated. Multiple linear regression was conducted to determine how the various independent variables affect Grit characteristics. The results indicate that grittier high school learners tend to display higher self-report academic performance and academic satisfaction. Multiple regression demonstrated that the four Big-Five personality traits: Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, Intellect/Imagination, are significantly predictive of Grit, with the exception of Extraversion. While family influence is predictive of Grit, democratic parenting style does not predict Grit. Based on the results, several possible explanations and suggestions are proposed.