Students with "grit" are more likely to achieve academic success according to Harvard study

The researchers define grit as a set of qualities such as "determination, courage and persistence" and suggest students who possess these characteristics can outshine students with a high IQ. But reject study tactics which may effect a students health or wellbeing such as sacrificing sleep or adopting poor eating habits.

Dr Christina Hinton, a neuroscientist and faculty member at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, said: “Our results suggest that grit does not require pushing yourself at all costs, but rather cultivating healthy emotional regulation skills and effective learning strategies.”

Carl Hendrick, head of research at Wellington College, said: “We've become very good at measuring performance in terms of exam results but very bad at measuring more difficult things like learning, self-perception and mindsets. This project is an attempt to measure the more unmeasured aspects of student progress."

The results are just initial findings from the research, with the full study expected to be released by Harvard Graduate School of Education in the late summer/early autumn.

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