The Relationship among Grit, Self-Efficacy, Achievement Goal, and Academic Self-Regulation in Elementary School Children

This study examined the structural relationship among elementary students’ grit, self-efficacy, achievement goals (i.e. mastery goal, performance approach goal, performance avoidance goal), and academic self-regulation. Additionally, we investigated how grit predicted academic self-regulation via self-efficacy and achievement goals. A total of 267 5th and 6th graders’ responses were collected from elementary schools in Korea. Results showed that the hypothesized structural equation model fitted the data well based on fit indices. Grit had a positive effect on self-efficacy, mastery goal, and performance approach goal. Specifically, the relative predictability of grit on self-efficacy and mastery goal was greater than the one on performance approach goal. The effect of grit on performance avoidance goal was not statistically significant. Moreover, grit had a significant direct and indirect effect on academic self-regulation. Mastery goal was found to partially mediate the relationship between grit and academic self-regulation. This study investigated how grit influenced academic self-regulation through motivational variables and provided empirical evidences.