Grit and Student-Athlete Performance: A Case Study.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between grit and student-athlete academic and sport performance. An exploratory study was conducted using a case study methodology, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative research. The Grit Short Scale (Duckworth, 2007) was employed on student-athletes at an NCAA Division II university in the American Southwest Rocky Mountain Region. Results included a positive correlation between student-athlete grit level and informant grit report, indicating that student-athlete consistently rated their grit higher than their coach rated their grit. Also, in this case study, grit does not account for more predictive value of college academic performance than traditional factors of academic success of college student-athletes. Lastly, through triangulation, two major themes emerged around how head coaches view grit and sport performance: 1) grit increases individual development and sport performance, and 2) team culture is enhanced by increased individual grit