Adaptability and Grit: Foundations for Their Joint Contribution to Students' Academic and Nonacademic Outcomes

Adaptability (adjustment to new and uncertain situations) and grit (perseverance and passion for long-term goals) both sustain students, but their joint contribution has never been explored, and recent studies propose they could compose a single factor. In this study we aim to test whether (i) they actually belong to a single overarching factor as recently posited by the Triarchic Model of Grit and (ii) they have specific effects on different outcomes. We show that, in a sample of 602 students (11-18 years old), perseverance of effort, consistency of interests (the two facets of grit), and adaptability are distinct factors, that uniquely contribute to the outcomes considered (academic self-efficacy, achievement emotions, learning goals, self-regulated learning, achievement, and life satisfaction). Perseverance resulted as the strongest predictor, followed by adaptability and consistency. Conscientiousness was positively related to all three. We conclude that adaptability and grit are two separate but correlated factors that can promote a host of positive outcomes.