Browsing by Author "Ruutu, Sini"

The purpose of this thesis was to increase understanding about the concept of grit and how to teach it. Grit is a colloquial concept, which nonetheless has been defined scientifically in the field of psychological research. Thus, the first research problem was to define what grit as a concept means. The concept was examined in relation to research on grit and similar concepts as grit. Especially in the United States teaching non-cognitive skills, including grit, in schools as well as developing these skills in students has become increasingly more popular. Similar demands have also been expressed in Finland. Due to this, the second research problem was what research has been conducted on teaching grit within school context. Research on grit in Finnish is scarce, so the purpose of this thesis was to summarize current research findings on the subject and explore grounds for teaching grit also in relation to Finnish comprehensive school. This thesis was conducted as a descriptive literature review. The data collection was conducted according to strict search criteria and focused on current scientific books and peer-reviewed articles and dissertations regarding the concept of grit and teaching it. Due to lack of research in Finnish, the data selected was mostly in English. The research problems were answered according to the data. Based on this review there is an established definition for the concept of grit according to which grit consists of passion and perseverance for long-term goals. Grit can be regarded as an individual, malleable personality trait or as a trait that overlaps with other psychological constructs. Research on teaching grit was scarce or yet unpublished. Interventions aiming to develop grit in students have had both positive and negative results, which gives reason for additional research. Indirect ways for cultivating grit in the short-term appear to be deliberate practice, strategies developing self-control and interactive teaching methods. Grit is related to qualities that should be targeted in school teaching according to the Finnish national core curriculum. As such grit could have applications also within the Finnish comprehensive school.