Participation of Russian Youth in Adult Education and Learning: The Role of Perseverance (GRIT) and Educational Status

Despite the expanding opportunities in adult education and learning (ALE) for young people, not all individuals take advantage of them. The paper aims to analyze the relationship between the educational status of young people and their parents, their perseverance (GRIT), with their participation in informal and informal ALE. We analyze whether perseverance enhances participation in ALE among young people with educational advantages. The study tends to contribute to the wider discussion on the reproduction of social structure through human capital accumulation. We analyze the data provided by the longitudinal study “Trajectories in education and profession (TROP)” using regression analysis. We found a positive relationship between an individual's level of education and perseverance (measured at the age of 14) and participation in job-relevant ALE in adulthood (23-25 years old), and a positive relationship between mothers’ higher education and participation in ALE, not relevant to the job. The hypotheses about the significant role of perseverance in further accumulation of educational advantages is partially confirmed: perseverance enhances the positive effect of higher mother’s education, in participation in work-related informal learning. The results can be used in the development of activities aimed at increasing the involvement of young people in ALE.