Grit, Self-Efficacy, Motivation and the Readiness to Change Index Toward Exercise in the Adult Population

The relationship between self-efficacy, motivation, and dietary behaviors within parent-adolescent dyads: Application of actor-partner interdependence models with mediation

The purpose of the study was to examine interdependent relationships between cognitive factors (self-efficacy and motivation) and dietary behaviors (fruit and vegetable (F/V) and junk food and sugar sweetened beverages (JF/SSB) intake) within parent-adolescent dyads. This secondary data analysis was conducted for parent-adolescent dyads using a cross-sectional Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health, and Eating (FLASHE) study. The sample consisted of 1645 parent-adolescent dyads. Parents and adolescents answered questions regarding self-efficacy, motivation, and dietary behaviors. Actor-partner interdependence models with mediation (APIMeM) were run within parent-adolescent dyads. Adolescent's F/V and JF/SSB intake were positively associated with that of their parents. The relationship between F/V self-efficacy or F/V motivation and F/V intake showed the actor-partner pattern within the parent-adolescent dyads. The actor-only pattern was mainly reported for the relationship between JF/SSB self-efficacy or JF/SSB motivation and JF/SSB intake. In the F/V intake APIMeM, motivation mostly plays a mediating role in the relationship between self-efficacy and F/V intake within the parent-adolescent dyads. In the JF/SSB intake APIMeM, all the actor-actor mediations and only one partner-actor mediation of motivation were significantly confirmed in the relationship between self-efficacy and JF/SSB intake. This study highlighted the importance of parental involvement in promoting healthy dietary behaviors in adolescents. Personalized nutrition programs targeting both adolescents and their parents as a single unit of intervention should be provided.

The role of grit in inclusive education: a study of motivation and achievement among preservice physical education teachers

Introduction

Grit, a combination of enduring effort and persistent interest, is key to long-term goals. The training of preservice physical education (PE) teachers is vital for child development, emphasizing the need to assess their resilience and commitment. However, research is limited regarding how grit influences motivation and achievement goals in PE. The purpose of this study was to explore how the grit dimensions of preservice PE teachers impact their motivation and achievement goals, which may subsequently shape their future career intentions of becoming PE teachers.

Methods

A total of 279 preservice physical education (PE) teachers (69.5% males; 26.9% PE graduate program) from five South Korean universities participated in the study. They completed validated questionnaires measuring grit, motivation, achievement goal orientations, and career intentions. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to examine variable relationships and test the hypothesis model.

Results

Correlation analysis indicated a spectrum of relationships between facets of grit (perseverance of effort and consistency of interests), motivational parameters, and career intention, with both positive and negative correlations ranging from weak to moderate (r ranging from 0.119 to 0.425, p < 0.05-0.01). SEM confirmed the model's goodness-of-fit (χ2/df = 1.928, RMSEA = 0.058, IFI = 0.92, TLI = 0.91, CFI = 0.92). Path analysis showed that both perseverance of effort and consistency of interests significantly influenced motivational mechanisms (β ranging from -0.34 to 0.57, p < 0.05-0.01), both directly and indirectly, which then notably impacted career intentions (β = 0.10, p < 0.05). Notably, both grit dimensions significantly impacted mastery approach goals (β ranging from 0.49 to 0.56, p < 0.01). Mastery approach goals, in turn, had a substantial impact on intrinsic motivation (β = 0.27, p < 0.01), which subsequently significantly influenced career intentions (β = 0.32, p < 0.01).

Conclusion

The study illuminated the complex relationships between grit dimensions, motivation, achievement goals, and career intentions of future PE teachers. SEM validation confirmed grit's direct and indirect influence on goal orientations and motivation, underscoring the importance of incorporating grit-building strategies alongside mastery approach goals in preservice PE programs to enhance resilience, dedication, and long-term career commitment.

Social support in obsessive-compulsive disorder: The relationships between social support and readiness to change

Social support is widely beneficial for individuals suffering from mental health disorders. Preliminary work suggests that it is influential in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but no studies have investigated the importance of social support as it relates to readiness to change (RTC, a relevant variable in treatment-seeking populations. The present study aimed to investigate this relationship as well as broadly characterize support-seeking experiences in those with OCD. Results indicated that, on average, participants with OCD have positive experiences of sharing their symptoms, that others tend to react well to such sharing, and sharing tends to positively affect one's relationship to their diagnosis. We further found that subjective experience of sharing symptoms and internalized stigma moderately predicts RTC. This study suggests nonprofessional social support may be a practical and impactful adjunct to OCD treatment by influencing motivation to change, though future work is needed to validate this pilot study.

Grit and Academic Self-Efficacy as Serial Mediation in the Relationship Between Growth Mindset and Academic Delay of Gratification: A Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose

With a growth mindset, individuals focus on the process of growth, actively seek challenges, recognise and accept failures, and apply more effort and monitor themselves to overcome difficulties. Doing so translates into excellent academic performance. However, it has not yet been fully clarified how growth mindset affects academic delay of gratification (ADG) and the mechanisms underlying their interactions. In this study, grit and academic self-efficacy were tested as mediating mechanisms between growth mindset and the ADG using a serial mediation effect model based on self-determination theory (SDT).

Methods

A cross-sectional design was conducted with 759 Chinese junior high school students using the following tools: Growth Mindset Scale, Short Grit Scale, Academic Self-efficacy Scale, and Academic Delay of Gratification Scale. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling.

Results

The results showed that: (1) by gender and grade control, growth mindset indicated a positive significance in the prediction of ADG; (2) grit and academic self-efficacy played a mediating role in the influence of a growth mindset on the ADG. Grit and academic self-efficacy also have a serial mediation effect between growth mindset and ADG.

Conclusion

The results showed that a growth mindset does not only directly affect the ADG but also indirectly affects it through grit and academic self-efficacy. Based on SDT, this study further revealed the potential mechanism of a growth mindset affecting the ADG. Furthermore, it provides practical guidance for the cultivation of ADG for junior high school students.

Examining what Mental Toughness, Ego Resiliency, Self-efficacy, and Grit measure: An exploratory structural equation modelling bifactor approach

Despite conceptual similarities among the established non-cognitive constructs of Mental Toughness, Ego Resiliency, Self-efficacy, and Grit, preceding research typically considered these as adversary rather than complementary and potentially additive. Subsequently, comparatively few studies have examined these together. This paper, via two independent studies, examined commonality within Mental Toughness, Ego Resiliency, Self-efficacy, and Grit. This identified key elements that contribute to a broad, non-cognitive, resource-based construct. Study 1 (N = 2137) assessed shared variance among the non-cognitive constructs relative to a general factor. Study 2 (N = 1148) evaluated the replicability of the results from Study 1 and examined measurement invariance. Respondents completed established self-report measures indexing the study variables. Exploratory structural equation modelling bifactor analyses consistently revealed that Mental Toughness, the Ego-Resiliency Optimal Regulation subscale, and Self-efficacy loaded highly on a general factor, which the authors labelled as Non-Cognitive Adaptive Resourcefulness (NCAR). Invariance analyses supported the stability of this model across study context. This paper advanced conceptual understanding of the core shared features of independent non-cognitive constructs. The authors discuss the potential of NCAR and advocate the need for further research.