The Correlation of Students’ Grit to Their Achievement at STKIP Muhammadiyah of Southwest Aceh

The grit theory emphasizes that persistence and passion for pursuing long-term goals are more important for success than innate talent alone. The purpose of this research was to assess students' grit levels and examine how they relate to academic performance. The study employed a quantitative correlational design to systematically measure numerical data, which helps identify patterns and relationships among various influencing factors. Participants included 136 students (75 English students and 61 Mathematics students). The research process involved: 1) collecting data via a questionnaire, 2) cleaning the data to remove outliers, 3) analyzing the data with SPSS, and 4) interpreting the results. The instrument used was an 11-item grit scale questionnaire. Data collection involved distributing the questionnaire, asking students to select the response that best reflected their feelings on a Likert scale. Data analysis was conducted in two stages: first, removing outliers; second, analyzing the data with SPSS Version 30. The results showed that the average grit level among the 136 participants was moderate, with a mean score of 40.1%. English majors had an average grit score of 39. 59%, while Mathematics majors averaged 40. 74%. Furthermore, the study found a significant correlation between grit and Academic achievement among all 136 participants (p < 0. 001, r = 0. 317). When examined separately, the correlation was weak among the 75 English students (p = 0. 034, r = 0. 245), whereas among the 61 Mathematics students, it was moderate (p < 0. 001, r = 0. 422). In conclusion, this study confirms that grit is positively associated with GPA, emphasizing its role in academic success.