Understanding the role of grit in competitive sport
Date
2023-08-31
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
0000-0003-2563-7625
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Doctoral
Abstract
The ability to persist past challenges and sustain one’s pursuit of long-term goals is essential for athlete success. One motivational disposition that may enable athletes to overcome setbacks is grit. Grit, defined as perseverance and passion over the long term, has been linked to sport success. However, the role of grit in sport requires further exploration. This mixed-methods research program aimed to investigate the role of grit in competitive sport through three interrelated studies. Study 1 involved a scoping review of grit in sport, identifying 90 publications exploring relationships between grit and factors such as athlete characteristics, sport performance, motivation, mindfulness, self-compassion, and deliberate practice. Coaches' input helped identify future research considerations. Study 2 examined whether grit predicted important athlete outcomes beyond other determinants of success. Data from 214 collegiate student-athletes revealed that the grit subscales added unique explanatory power when predicting subjective sport performance perceptions and aspects of well-being. This study highlighted the complexity of predicting success in sport, but ultimately provided support for predictive utility of grit in sport. The purpose of Study 3 was to construct a grounded theory of competitive athletes' grit in sport. Interviews with 28 participants indicated that grit was a malleable dispositional tendency shaped by accumulated sport experiences. Support from others fostered adaptive cognitions, which lead to the pursuit of long-term goals in sport. Grit was associated with sport-specific goal achievement, thriving, and languishing. The study contributed to a greater understanding of the processes underlying competitive athletes' sport-specific grit, and provided implications for practice and recommendations for future research. Overall, this program of research found evidence to support the continued study of grit as a relevant and meaningful construct within the competitive sport domain and emphasizes the need for further exploration, including improvements to the measurement of grit and the creation of interventions to enhance grit levels.
Description
Keywords
grit, perseverance of effort, consistency of interests, adaptability to situations, sport psychology, athletes
Citation
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Department
Kinesiology
Program
Kinesiology