Running head: TRAIT GRATITUDE AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS 1

A Literature Review on Trait Gratitude and Academic Success

Kristen Havens

Siena Heights University

LDR602: Research and Professional Writing

TRAIT GRATITUDE AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS 2

A Literature Review on Trait Gratitude and Academic Success

For years it has been reported that obtaining a post-secondary degree can substantially increase

one’s earning potential. Data recorded in 2016 found that the average income for the adult population

over the age of 24 who have earned a bachelor’s degree is nearly double that of those with only a high

school diploma or GED. It was also found that having an advanced degree increases that average by

nearly an additional $30,000 for the same group; yet, only a third of the adult population in America

have obtained a post-secondary degree (Census Bureau, 2017). According to the National Center for

Education Statistics (2018), an average of only 60 percent of students who begin a bachelor’s degree

program are retained to completion.

Traditionally, education has been viewed on a one-dimensional basis in which learning is a

passive reaction to external developments and influences. More recent research concludes that the make-

up of a student’s personality is a tremendous factor in the achievements of that student (Angelkoska,

Stankovska, and Dimitrovski, 2016).

Though much research has been done on the topic of college retention, the primary focus has

been on the correlation of external life factors, such as financial circumstances and academic history,

with substantially less attention given to internal psychological factors (Mofidi, El-Alayli, and Brown,

2014). As the psychological factors now become a focus, “research is beginning to recognize the

importance of positive emotions as a precursor for success in college” (p. 326).

Gratitude

As gratitude can be defined in a variety of ways, for the sake of this paper, trait gratitude will be

limited to “having a grateful disposition.” Mofidi et al. describe trait gratitude as being made of three

primary components: “sense of abundance, appreciation of simple pleasures, and appreciation of others”

(pg. 327).
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Academic Success

Within this paper, academic success will specifically be defined as the retention of a student

through degree completion. There will be some discussion on the correlation of GPA and other specific

academic markers, which will be specified within the text.

Transitional Programming

Transitional programming can be implemented in a variety of structures. Purdie and Rosser’s

(2011) research explores three of these specifically – Living Learning Communities, Freshman Interest

Groups, and First Year Experience Courses, confirming that participating in transitional programming

does increase the rate of retention. To ensure the most effective programming for the purpose of

retention, it is imperative that any factor of retention that can be improved should be explored as a

potential intervention to be included in such programming. The idea that trait gratitude can be taught and

improve the likelihood that a student graduates is the basis for the topic of this review.

Outline

Using primarily qualitative analysis performed on the topics of academic success and the effects

of trait gratitude from studies published within the last 8 years, this paper will give specific focus to the

following research questions:

 What are the psychological factors which most closely predict academic success in

college students?

 To what degree does trait gratitude impact the ability to persist successfully through to

completion of a collegiate program?

 What are the practical research implications for integrating gratitude lessons into

transitional programming for first year college students?

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Literature Review

Traditional Predictors

Prior Academic Achievement. Casillas, Robbins, and Allen (2012) suggest that the strongest

predictor of future academic achievement is prior grades and standardized performance. They indicate

that GPA has been used as an indicator of academic potential for many years, even though grading

standards fluctuate across states and districts - even classroom to classroom. Casillas, et al. also find that

both GPA and standardized achievement are associated with measures of motivation.

Social Class & Ethnicity. It was previously reported that inequalities in wealth and minority

ethnic background were each directly correlated with lower academic achievement (Rushing, 2002). As

more recent studies take a closer look at these factors, researchers now suggest that the social class of an

individual student is not as strongly a predictor of academic achievement; rather the poverty level of the

secondary school attended by the student is a more accurate indicator (Sinhan & Mishra, 2014).

Psychological Predictors

Self-Efficacy. Research conducted by Zajacova, Lynch, and Espenshade (2015) found that

academic self-efficacy was a consistent predictor of academic success as measured by high grades and

persistence in college. Though looking at general self-efficacy did not show any prediction of college

outcomes, Zajacova et al. report a multitude of studies confirming a positive association between self-

efficacy and grades in college as far back as 1984. The group postulates that the self-efficacy beliefs

lend a student to be more motivated and persistent in facing academic challenges, as well as more

efficient in applying previously acquired skills and knowledge.

Stress. College related stress, defined as a harmful psychological arousal resulting when

requirements and demands exceed a person’s perceived capabilities and resources, is identified to be a

factor inversely related to both persistence and academic performance in college freshman (Zajacova, et
TRAIT GRATITUDE AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS 5

al. 2015). Earnest and Dwyer (2010) report that the excessive attrition rate of college freshman is

largely caused by “academic and social stressors encountered by students as they attempt to adapt to the

college environment” (p. 888). They go on to tell us that it is not the level of stress directly that impacts

a student’s academic performance, but instead that the student’s ability to utilize a variety of coping

mechanisms to effectively manage their stress response is the key factor.

Personality. A study by Angelkoska et al. (2016) reviews the correlation of intellect and

personality type to academic achievement in a multitude of ways. Ultimately the group concludes that,

in addition to external factors, academic success is significantly influenced by a student’s dominant

personality traits. When using the big-five model of personality, their results show more specifically that

there is a statistical difference in the traits that correlate most closely to success in school and the

personality traits of males (agreeableness and neuroticism) versus females (openness and extraversion).

Social Integration. Social integration is defined as the “connectedness to others” (Algoe, 2012,

p.462) A multitude of studies link social integration with greater measures of various positive student

outcomes including academic persistence (Froh, Bono, & Emmons, 2010), and retention in college

(Woosley & Shepler, 2011). Though social integration has not been found as a determinant link to grade

point average, as previous studies have had contradictory results,

Effects of Gratitude

Trait Gratitude. Mofidi et al. (2014) state that “grateful people experience more psychological

well-being, social connectedness, and feelings of personal accomplishment, along with less burnout” (p.

325), while a study by McCullough (2002) suggests that trait gratitude is a unique characteristic that can

be differentiated from other dimensions of one’s personality. A study by Robustelli and Whisman

(2016) states that trait gratitude has a positive impact on the Big Five factor personality traits in that

“grateful people tend to be more agreeable, extraverted, conscientious, open, and less neurotic” (p. 42).
TRAIT GRATITUDE AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS 6

Exercises that bring about gratitude have been found to increase psychological well-being as

measured by a variety of factors, such as more happiness and general life satisfaction in combination

with decreased depression (Toepfer, Cichy, & Peters, 2012). With a variety of studies linking

psychological well-being with improved academic achievement markers, it is expected that trait

gratitude would also be associated with the improvements, including being less likely drop out

(Hixenbaugh, Dwart, & Towell, 2012).

Effects on Self-Efficacy. Mofidi et al. (2014) go on to propose that appreciating one’s life and

recognizing that someone else may be largely responsible for the benefit of good things that happen

increases a student’s belief that they have all the necessary pieces – between previously acquired

knowledge and the aid of resources available – to face the challenges of academic rigor.

Grateful Coping. Robustelli and Whisman (2016) reported that gratitude was positively

associated with overall life satisfaction and satisfaction in relationships, however, not with satisfaction in

work or health. A contrary study suggests that grateful individuals are more likely to use adaptive coping

strategies when faced with times of stress, leaving their satisfaction with work higher than those facing

the same job stress without a grateful disposition (Mofidi, et al. 2014). In fact, the same study reports

that those who present with trait gratitude are exponentially more likely to use growth-focused coping

strategies in which a negative event is reinterpreted with positive feelings regarding the opportunity for

personal growth when compared to those with a less grateful disposition. McCullough (2002) echoes

that grateful people are more likely to seek the necessary support – emotional, academic, and social – in

a time of need than to resort to “negative coping strategies, such as self-blame, substance abuse, and

denial” (p. 115).

Effects on Persistence. Trait gratitude has not yet been linked specifically with persistence in

school; however, Mofidi, et al. (2014) indicate that there is a reported link between gratitude and
TRAIT GRATITUDE AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS 7

persistence in other self-directed tasks, primarily after participating in a gratitude intervention. The

group goes on to suggest that by helping to maintain self-directed activities, such as attending class and

completing homework, gratitude would likely contribute to a student’s persistence and overall retention.

Effects on Social Integration. Reportedly, students with a higher level of trait gratitude have a

tendency to make more connections with a greater number of people and indicate receiving a greater

amount of social support through their transition to the post-secondary level (Algoe, 2012). Froh, et al.

(2010) concluded that social integration and gratitude have a mutually causal relationship in that “trait

gratitude triggers an upward spiral of positive emotions by increasing social integration” which, in turn,

further increases gratitude (p. 149).

Implications for Transitional Programming

Current Models. As a focus on retention in higher education increases, programs aimed

specifically at preventing attrition have become more comprehensive focusing on best practices

academically, financially, and other like topics; however the programs still lack heavily in interventions

to improve emotional intelligence (Modifi et al., 2014).

Gratitude Interventions. It was reported by Modifi et al. (2014) that college students who

participated in guided gratitude journal exercises were better able to reinterpret disappointing events as

positive growth experiences. With academic integration being known to positively predict retention, and

academic achievement among college students, it is also important to note a 2012 study finding

significant increases in academic engagement after a semester-long gratitude intervention (Flinchbaugh,

Moore, Chang, & May).

Positive Education. While the ability to learn and be academically successful is found to be

dependent on a combination of the “intellectual development of the student and the overall structure of

the personality of the student” (Angelkoska et al., 2016, p. 263), Adler (2017) states that building skills
TRAIT GRATITUDE AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS 8

for the elements of well-being allow individuals to be successful academically, and professionally, in

addition to living a fulfilling life. Adler’s study goes on to explain that the current external view of

education and success prepares students to be productive rather than purposeful, yet “rigorous scientific

research” (p. 51) indicates that positive education prepares individuals to lead a life that is both fulfilling

and productive.

Conclusion

Summary. The traditional focus on external factors as the primary influence on an individual’s

level of academic achievement is highly outdated. As extensive research regarding psychological factors

emerges, it is becoming more evident that a student’s personality plays an incredibly significant role.

Positive emotional skills, such as trait gratitude, are repeatedly found to improve all of the psychological

factors that most closely correlate with academic achievement. Trait gratitude is found to be a skill that

can be improved through specific exercises and intervention methods, which could easily be included in

most of the transitional programming already in place at many higher education institutions.

It is highly likely that implementing positive education within the framework of standard

curriculum for college students (and adolescents) would have a significant positive impact on the

retention, academic achievement, and life satisfaction of the individuals included.

State of Research. As this is a relatively new topic in the realm of scientific study, additional

study is necessary. One factor making conclusive research on the subject difficult is that defining the

word gratitude, or any other psychological phenomenon, is highly subjective. The ability to segregate

gratitude from other psychological factors specifically (i.e. general happiness, self-esteem, appreciation,

etc.) is also highly subjective, making it difficult to make specific statements of correlation. Enough of

the research at this time is educated hypothesis based on relative study. The next logical step is to apply
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the findings to the transitional programming at a range of institutions to evaluate more wide-spread

correlation between these variables specifically.

Call to Action. The most important idea within this research is that psychological well-being

contributes significantly to many things, including multiple factors that contribute to both academic

success and retention. The United States, as a whole, places an excessive focus on the drill of academic

information and other external factors to influence a student’s learning. It is now time to shift our focus

to holistic well-being, and include positive education in the standard curriculum. Specifically, higher

education institutions should implement interventions that are proven to increase trait gratitude and

positive coping reactions in their transitional programming for freshman entering the community.
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References

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