True Grit: The Development of Studentss Engagement in School, Community, and Democracy

Recent work has shown that individuals’ participatory habits are locked-in by early adulthood. Yet, we know little about the early origins of these patterns. In this paper, we explore the childhood and early adolescent roots of civic attitudes and behaviors. Specifically, we examine whether a bundle of general motivational attributes captured by grit — the ability to persevere in the pursuit of goals — are relevant for early civic engagement....