Silver Bullets Don’t Exist - The False Allure of Gritin Dropout Recovery Research - Quantitative Correlation Study

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by OmBimo

High school dropouts who return to school face escalating challenges that raise the likelihood of a second dropout. Leaders in dropout recovery programs often lack tools to forecast which students will persist and which will leave again. This quantitative correlation study examines the relationship between grit and re-engagement among non-traditional high school students. Results show no relationship between Grit-S scores and re-engagement likelihood, prompting a critical reflection on deficit thinking and the labeling effects of using grit as a predictive scale.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Literature Review

Methodology

Findings

Discussion

Reflection

Silver Bullets Don’t Exist—The False Allure of Gritin Dropout Recovery Research Deborah O’Brien & Elaine M. Radmer, Gonzaga University Abstract High school dropouts who return to school encounter many challenges. These obstacles increase the probability that a second dropout event will occur. This leaves leaders in Dropout Recovery programs with little ability to predict which students will stay in school and which are likely to leave again. However, what if a promising new scale could help predict which students would stick with it? In this quantitative correlation study, I examined the relationship between grit and re-engagement in high school dropout recovery. Results of the study indicated there was no relationship between the Grit-S scores of this non-traditional student population and the likelihood of re-engaging in their education. Although there is limited research on the relationship between grit and non-traditional student success, a thorough examination of past grit research does point towards positive relationships between grit and success in studies when the population has a history of academic success, for instance, military cadets and college undergrads. However, this study brought to light a more startling realization concerning assumptions about dropouts and grit. After examining the non-significant findings, I realized an attempt to harness a scale, such as grit, to predict a second dropout event perpetuates the use of labels. This directly contributes to the problem of deficit thinking associated with dropouts. An attempt to identify failure through a scale that is meant to judge staying power resulted in the realization that grit provides another pathway to deficit thinking. Keywords: high school dropouts, grit, deficit thinking, dropout recovery Introduction My work in high school dropout recovery is rooted in asset-based approaches. The program Iwork for welcomes students, however they show up academically, socially, and emotionally. Each student who enrolls has a specific learning plan that caters to their age, number of credits left to graduate, and need for a flexible learning environment. The differentiator from other programs is that culture is emphasized over structure. This culture is based on providing students with layers of support across every element of the program. Students engage with an academic coach who monitors their pace and progress through each course. Each student also has a student advocate whose role is to monitor the student's social and emotional health. The student advocate helps the student access resources by eliminating barriers that might create a second dropout event. Although the online curriculum is built to provide flexible asynchronous learning environments, teachers provide feedback and individualized remediation on all assessments and activities. Due to this team approach, trusting relationships between students and the school build quickly (Barratet al., 2012; Brahler, 2016; Glenn, 2021; Lewis & Basford, 2020) . The culture of the program means we refrain from labeling students. Instead, we assess student progress daily by communicating pacing expectations, providing academic feedback, and supporting students’ social and emotional well-being. Students who re-engage within the first month of the program tend to find quick success and are more likely to continue on. Still, leaders of the program are continually grappling with the question, how can we increase the number of students who re-engage in that first month back in school? I was working as the principal in this program, supporting students and teachers, when a theory named grit caught my eye. I started to wonder if the scale developed by Duckworth et al. (2009) might be utilized to identify which returning students are more likely tore-engage in their education. Looking back, this curiosity led me to conceptualize a research design that really was at odds with my asset-based beliefs and practices

FAQs

What problem does the study address in dropout recovery programs?

The study addresses leaders’ difficulty in predicting which returning students will re-engage versus leave again, given the challenges that increase the risk of a second dropout.

What relationship did the study find between grit and re-engagement?

The study found no relationship between Grit-S scores and the likelihood that non-traditional students would re-engage in their education.

Why does the study criticize using grit scales in this context?

After reviewing non-significant results, the author argues that using a grit scale to predict dropout events can perpetuate labeling and deficit thinking about students.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by OmBimo