Grit and creativity amidst the pandemic
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30827/eticanet.v24i1.29382Keywords:
COVID-19, perseverancia, consistencia de interés, autoeficacia creativa, pandemiaAbstract
In Spain, the lockdown imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic meant that all face-to-face education was suspended in favor of online learning. The aim of this study was to examine whether the academic challenges posed by the switch to fully online learning during lockdown had an impact on the grit and creative self-efficacy of students at different educational levels. Participants were 1380 students (58.70% female, 41.30% male) enrolled in a total of 18 different centers across three levels of education (high school, n = 853; vocational training, n = 243; university, n = 284). They ranged in age from 15 to 51 years (Mage = 18.34, SD = 4.37). Results showed a significant increase in consistency of interest among vocational training and university students following the lockdown learning experience. Contrary to expectations, however, we found no differences in perseverance of effort or creative self-efficacy at any of the three educational levels, although gender differences were observed on some of the variables. These results suggest that consistency of interest, a component of grit, was the primary adaptive strategy developed by students in response to a situation that demanded a high degree of self-regulation, motivation, and independent learning over a prolonged period. This is consistent with previous studies showing that during adversity, grit is important for maintaining the level of interest required to achieve longer-term personal goals and for overcoming challenges along the way.
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