TY  - JOUR
T1  - GRIT, RETENTION AND STUDENT SUCCESS IN  A SOUTH AFRICAN DISTANCE EDUCATION INSTITUTION:  A POSTGRADUATE TRIAD?
AU  - Young, Kelly
AU  - Fynn, Angelo
PY  - 2024
DA  - April
DO  - 10.17718/tojde.1314600
JF  - Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education
JO  - TOJDE
PB  - Anadolu University
WT  - DergiPark
SN  - 1302-6488
SP  - 144
EP  - 156
VL  - 25
IS  - 2
LA  - en
AB  - Psychological grit has gained substantial interest among traditional higher education practitioners, with many seeking the link between grit, academic performance and retention. The literature pertaining to distance education cohorts is scant, however, especially within the South African context, which holds unique challenges for accessing and completing a tertiary qualification. This study made use of a non-experimental design and used Grit-S and demographic data combined with records of student performance and progression to ascertain grit’s role in determining retention and degree completion at a mega distance education institution in South Africa. The sample comprised 775 honours students who registered for their qualification for the first time in 2017. Results from the final structural model highlighted the significant influence of perseverance and first-to-second year retention on student success (operationalised at qualification completion). A subsequent binary logistic regression revealed odds ratios of 1.98 (CI: 1.45 – 2.69) and 12.15 (CI: 7.40 - 19.95), respectively. The final model explained 24% of the variance in qualification completion rates, with the biggest contributor being first-to-second year retention (β = .45; p < .01). These results and subsequent implications are discussed.
KW  - Psychological grit
KW  - student success
KW  - retention
KW  - postgraduate
KW  - distance education
KW  - South Africa
CR  - Akos, P., & Kretchmar, J. (2017). Investigating Grit at a Non-Cognitive Predictor of College Success. The Review of Higher Education, 40(2), 163–186. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2017.0000
CR  - Arco-tirado, J. L., Fernandez-martíi, F. D., & Hoyle, R. H. (2018). Development and Validation of a Spanish Version of the Grit-S Scale. Frontiers in Psychology, 9(96), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00096
CR  - Bagriacik Yilmaz, A., & Karatas, S. (2022). Why do open and distance education students drop out? Views from various stakeholders. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-022-00333-x
CR  - Beyhan, O. (2016). University Students Grit Level and Grit Achievement Relation. Social Sciences and Education Research Review, 2(3), 13–23.
CR  - Bowman, N. A., Hill, P. L., Denson, N., & Bronkema, R. (2015). Keep on Truckin’ or Stay the Course? Exploring Grit Dimensions as Differential Predictors of Educational Achievement, Satisfaction, and Intentions. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 6(6), 639–645. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550615574300
UR  - https://doi.org/10.17718/tojde.1314600
L1  - https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/3209912
ER  -