Doctor of Physical Therapy Student Grit as a Predictor of Academic Success: A Pilot Study

Purpose Grit and resilience are considered non-cognitive traits associated with motivation, attitude and temperament rather than intellect and have been increasingly recognized as important skills to identify and develop in medical professionals. The purpose of this study was to investigate grit scores as well as the relationship of grit and other factors to academic success in Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Students. Method Forty-four 2nd year DPT students from the US, were surveyed utilizing the 12-Item Grit Scale prior to the start of semester 4, composed of an 8-week didactic module followed by an 8-week clinical internship. Cognitive traits including Pre-admission Grade Point Average, Graduate Readiness Exam scores, age, as well as descriptive statistics were extracted from admission data. Cumulative GPA and semester GPA from the 8-week didactic portion of the semester were gathered post semester completion. Results The mean grit score for 2nd year DPT students was 3.74 (SD ± .48). Moderate correlation between grit score and cumulative GPA, r = .501, P = .001 was found. A multiple regression analysis found grit score and age as predictors of cumulative GPA, explaining 41.4% of the variance. Discussion Among 2nd year DPT students at a teaching and learning institution in the southeast United States, grit and age appear to be associated with DPT program cumulative GPA scores. Non-cognitive factors such as grit and age may assist in predicting academic success among entry-level DPT students. Grit has not been examined previously as a non-cognitive trait contributing to academic success among entry-level DPT students but may serve as a helpful addition for admission profile to assist in predicting academic success.