Browsing by Author "Flinck, Anna-Sofia"

The aim of this study was to find out whether grit and physical activity have connections to academic achievement and whether gender is relevant in these contexts. Previous studies have shown that grit and physical activity are associated with better school performance. However, the relationships between the two have not yet been studied very extensively. Studying and exercising both require grit to succeed. The core of grit is persistent practice and maintaining goals (Duckworth et. al., 2007). It is possible to practice such skills through exercise. The aim is to examine whether grit or physical activity can increase academic achievement in adolescents as individual factors or by acting together. The data was part of the Mind the gap -project funded by the Academy of Finland. The data was collected in the 7th grade (n = 1310) in 2014 and in the 3rd grade of high school (n = 751) in 2019. Respondents filled questionnaires that included a GRIT-S- scale to determine grit and a separate question about physical activity. In addition, ninth grade grades and high school diploma grades obtained from the official register of the City of Helsinki and the Matriculation Examination Board, were used to measure academic achievement. The relationships between physical activity, grit, and academic achievement were examined by linear regression analysis. In addition, interaction terms were included in the regression analysis to examine the interactions between different factors. The results of the study showed that physical activity and grit together did not explain academic achievement. However, these factors were associated with academic achievement when examined separately. There were differences in results between ninth graders and high school students. Grit was a factor that influenced academic achievement in both high school students and ninth graders. Physical activity did not explain academic achievement as much as expected. Physical activity explained academic achievement poorly in ninth graders and in high school women. As for the case of high school men, physical activity was associated with lower grades. In conclusion developing grit could lead to better academic achievement.