Mindset about Talent Moderates the Effect of Grit on Academic Performance: Evidence from West Point Cadets

Grit, defined as perseverance and passion for pursuing long-term goals, is an important predictor of academic achievement. Whether mindset about talent moderates the relationship between grit and academic achievement has not been tested. Institutional data collected prior to starting at West Point was analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression to assess the predictive power of grit, physical fitness test scores, entrance exam scores, mindset about talent, and the interaction between grit and mindset about talent on first semester and cumulative academic performance for 1140 cadets from the Class of 2019. Hierarchical regression results showed that grit, physical fitness, and entrance exam scores significantly predicted first semester grades, as did the grit by mindset about talent interaction. Regression results predicting cumulative academic performance showed grit and entrance exam scores to be significant predictors, along with the grit by mindset interaction. Although entrance exam scores were the best predictor of both outcomes, simple slope analyses showed that the strongest association between grit and academic performance was observed for cadets with fixed mindsets about talent. Having a fixed mindset about talent moderated the relationship between grit and academic performance at two points in time for West Point cadets.

Elizabeth L. Wetzler, Andrew G. Farina, Dennis R. Kelly, Jeremiah J. Powers, Michael D. Matthews