The stability, change, and predictive value of L2 grit: A longitudinal study

Recent research shows that second language (L2) grit, a language-domain-specific personality trait, is not only associated with achievement in language learning, but may also be subject to change in response to learning conditions. As most of these findings are based on cross-sectional data, the objective of this longitudinal study is to examine L2 grit's stability, capacity for change, and power to predict future proficiency levels. Eighty-nine English majors at a Japanese university participated in a semester-long/15-week study, with 50 of them undertaking a study abroad (SA) program at a US university, while the remaining 39 students continued their learning at their home university. All participants completed both questionnaire surveys and standardized L2 proficiency tests at the beginning and end of the research period. The results revealed (a) the stability of L2 grit and its perseverance sub-component (b) the positive impact of SA participation (i.e., a novel learning condition) on both grit components, and (c) that the passion sub-component predicted future listening proficiency scores. These findings underscore the value of efforts to foster L2 grit in language programs.