THE RELATIONS AMONG ACADEMIC GRIT, GROWTH MINDSET, SCHOOL ENGAGEMENT, AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

The purpose of this study was to examine the relations among three psychosocial factors (i.e., Academic Grit, School Engagement, and Growth Mindset) and Academic Achievement among a cross-sectional sample of middle school students (N = 141). Participants were administered the Academic Grit Scale, Multi-Dimensional School Engagement Scale, and Implicit Theories of Intelligence Scale via an online survey, and i-Ready Reading and Math benchmarks and student’s GPA assessed academic achievement. Factor analysis was used to confirm the measurement of these constructs, which resulted in a post-hoc measurement model combining indicators of Academic Grit with two indicators of School Engagement. Structural equation modeling was used to examine psychosocial factors as predictors of academic achievement, as well as a competing model depicting academic achievement as a predictor of the psychosocial factors. Together, the psychosocial factors were found to explain 21% of the variance in Academic Achievement, although none of these factors contributed significantly to achievement as indicated by the direct paths. In contrast, Academic Achievement explained little to no variance in psychosocial factors when modeled as a predictor. Ultimately, the results demonstrated the distinctiveness of psychosocial factors and their potential contribution to academic achievement, but also suggest the need for additional research