Home⇛Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal⇛vol. 34 no. 3 (2025)

Exploring the Moderating Effects of Age and Career Stage on the Relationship Between Grit and Work Engagement Among Public School Teachers

Anne Bernadette Bautista | Clarissa F. Delariarte

Discipline: others in psychology

 

Abstract:

Duckworth (2015) defines grit as a non-cognitive variable determinant of success. In various fields, including education, grit has been linked to long-term success and efficacy. This study explores the moderating role of age and career stage on the relationship between grit and work engagement among public school teachers in Valenzuela City. Using a cross-sectional explanatory research design, the study examines relationships between grit and work engagement while assessing whether age and career stages influence these dynamics. Results suggest that older employees experience higher levels of engagement and that the career stage significantly moderates the relationship between grit and engagement.



References:

  1. Anderson, C. (2020). On the meaning of grit, hope, fate control, alienation, locus of control, self-efficacy, and effort optimism. The Urban Review, 48(2), 198–219. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-016-0351-3
  2. Andres, T. (2019). Understanding Filipino values: A management approach. New Day Publishers.
  3. Boyle, P., Hood, P., & Bradley, L. (2017). Grit: Perseverance and passion in teaching. Educational Psychologist, 52(1), 85–98.
  4. Burke, J., & Cooper, C. (2016). The fulfilling workplace: The organization’s role in achieving individual and organizational health. Springer.
  5. Clemente, K. A. (2022). The role of grit in occupational persistence: A Filipino perspective.
  6. Cobb, B. (2021). Work engagement, emotional labor, and grit in frontline restaurant employees: A quantitative study (Order No. 28541688). Available from ProQuest Central. (2544894392). https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/work-engagement-emotional-labor-grit-frontline/docview/2544894392/se-2
  7. Credé, M., Tande, J. A., & Borman, K. M. (2017). Teacher grit and its relationship to student achievement: Exploring potential mediating mechanisms. Journal of Educational Psychology, 109(8), 1256-1271.
  8. Datu, J. A., Valdez, J. P., & King, R. B. (2016). The successful life of gritty students: Grit leads to optimal educational and well-being outcomes in a collectivist context. In R. B. King & A. B. I. Bernardo (Eds.), The Psychology of Asian Learners (pp. 503-516). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-576-1_31
  9. Duckworth, A. L. (2015). Grit: The power of passion and perseverance. Penguin Books.
  10. Duckworth, A. L. (2013). Is it self-control: A critical analysis of the “Marshmallow Test.” Society of Personality and Social Psychology Connections. https://spsptalks.wordpress.com/2013/11/10/is-it-really-self-control-a-critical-analysis-of-the-marshmallow-test/
  11. Duckworth, A. L. (2024). Commentary on Personal perspectives on mindsets, motivation, and psychology by Carol S. Dweck. Motivation Science, 10(1), 12–13.
  12. Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(6), 1087–1101.
  13. Duckworth, A. (2015, June 22). Hiring tips: What is grit, and why is it important? - Upserve. Upserve. https://upserve.com/blog/hiring-tips-what-is-grit-and-why-is-it-important/
  14. Duckworth, A. L., & Quinn, P. D. (2009). Development and validation of the Short Grit Scale (GRIT–S). Journal of Personality Assessment, 91(2), 166–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223890802634290
  15. Fu, Q., & Zhang, X. (2024). Promoting community resilience through disaster education: Review of community-based interventions focusing on teacher resilience and well-being. PLOS ONE, 19(1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296393
  16. Gepila, E. (2020). Assessing teachers using Philippine standards for teachers. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 8(3), 302–312. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2020.080302
  17. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada. (2021, September 30). Age of person. https://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p3Var.pl?Function=DEC&Id=25363
  18. Halbesleben, J. R. B., Whitman, M. V., & Crawford, W. S. (2021). Grit, burnout, and psychological capital: Distinguishing their relative influence on employee well‐being and engagement. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000237
  19. Hill, P. L., Burrow, A. L., & Bronk, K. C. (2016, February). Persevering with positivity and purpose: Examining purpose commitment and positive affect as predictors of grit. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10902-014-9593-5
  20. Hodge, B., Wright, B., & Bennett, P. (2018). The role of grit in determining engagement and academic outcomes for university students. Research in Higher Education, 59(4), 448–460. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-017-9474-y
  21. Hodge, B. M., Wright, A. A., & Bennett, A. A. (2020). The role of grit in sustaining work engagement: Linking perceptions of self and work to employee engagement. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(10), 3721.
  22. Johnson, B. (2001). Toward a new classification of nonexperimental quantitative research. Educational Researcher, 30(2), 3–13. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3594335
  23. Kim, M., & Kim, J. H. (2023). Exploring the effect of teachers’ grit and passion on work engagement. Current Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-02105-8
  24. Kuok, A. C. H., Teixeira, V., Forlin, C., Monteiro, E., & Correia, A. (2022). The effect of self-efficacy and role understanding on teachers’ emotional exhaustion and work engagement in Macao (SAR) inclusive education. International Journal of Disability, Development & Education, 69(5), 1736-1754. https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2020.1808949
  25. Lau, N. K. K., & Singh, G. S. B. (2022). Relationship between grit and teacher leadership, and their effects on students’ academic achievement in an international school in Malaysia. Journal of Interdisciplinary Teacher Leadership, 6(1), 1–35.
  26. Liu, N., Luo, Y., Yang, H., & Li, R. (2020). Does teacher grit matter for burnout and engagement? Exploring the mediating role of self-efficacy and coping strategies. Current Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-00674-y
  27. Macleod, D. (2020). What is employee engagement? Retrieved from http://engageforsuccess.org/what-is-employee-engagement
  28. Masten, A. S. (2001). Ordinary magic: Resilience processes in development. American Psychologist, 56(3), 227–238.
  29. Mehta, J. (2015). The problem with grit. Retrieved from http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/learning_deeply/2015/04/the_problem_with_grit.html
  30. Mendoza, S. T., & Cruz, B. A. (2023). Grit and career advancement: Evidence from Philippine industries.
  31. Metzgar, J. (2013). Redefining grit: New visions of working-class culture. Retrieved from https://workingclassstudies.wordpress.com/2013/11/04/redefining-grit-new-visions-of-working-class-culture/
  32. Moss, S. (2020). Engagement at work. Retrieved from http://www.sicotests.com/psyarticle.asp?id=345
  33. Munawar, R., Naz, S., Bibi, Z., & Ullah, M. I. (2020, September). Organizational constraints and work engagement among employees: The moderating role of grit. Indian Journal of Economics and Business, 19(2), 321-342. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361433919_Organizational_Constraints_and_Work_Engagement_among_Employees_Moderating_Role_of_Grit
  34. OECD. (2019). Education at a Glance 2019: OECD Indicators. OECD Publishing.
  35. Perlis, M. (2019). 5 characteristics of grit - How many do you have? Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/margaretperlis/2013/10/29/5-characteristics-of-grit-what-it-is-why-you-need-it-and-do-you-have-it/#1ddfd7ea1f76
  36. Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers. (2017). Research Center for Teacher Quality (RCTQ).
  37. Regents of the University of Minnesota. (2014). Commitment and dedication. Retrieved from https://www1.umn.edu/ohr/prod/groups/ohr/@pub/@ohr/documents/asset/ohr_asset_48440.pdf
  38. Saeed, S., & Hussain, A. (2021). The role of perceived organizational support towards teachers’ work engagement. Bulletin of Education and Research, 43(3), 95-106.
  39. Schaufeli, W. B. (2013). Engagement. In C. Cooper & J. C. Quick (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Organizational Psychology (Vol. 1, pp. 306-321). Oxford University Press.
  40. Schaufeli, W. B. (2013). What is engagement? In C. Truss, K. Alfes, R. Delbridge, A. Shantz, & E. Soane (Eds.), Employee Engagement in Theory and Practice (pp. 15-35). Routledge.
  41. Schaufeli, W. B., & Bakker, A. B. (2004a). Job demands, job resources, and their relationship with burnout and engagement: A multi-sample study. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25(3), 293-315. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.248
  42. Schaufeli, W. B., & Bakker, A. B. (2004b). UWES - Utrecht Work Engagement Scale: Preliminary manual Version 1.1. Occupational Health Psychology Unit, Utrecht University.
  43. Schaufeli, W. B. (2012). Work engagement: What do we know and where do we go? Romanian Journal of Applied Psychology, 14(1), 3-10.
  44. Schaufeli, W. B., & Bakker, A. B. (2010). Defining and measuring work engagement: Bringing clarity to the concept. In A. B. Bakker & M. P. Leiter (Eds.), Work Engagement: A Handbook of Essential Theory and Research (pp. 10-24). Psychology Press.
  45. Schaufeli, W. B., & Salanova, M. (2007). The measurement of engagement and burnout: A two-sample confirmatory factor analytic approach. In R. C. L. Cooper & P. E. Spector (Eds.), International Handbook of Work and Organizational Psychology (2nd ed., pp. 719-731). Wiley.
  46. Scott, G. (2020). Examples of dedication and devotion in the workplace. Retrieved from           http://work.chron.com/examples-dedication-devotion-workplace-25163.html
  47. Lee, S. M., & Sohn, Y. W. (2022). The effect of grit on job performance through work engagement: A moderated mediation model of team member support. Current Psychology, 41(1), 296–309.
  48. Suzuki, Y., Tamesue, D., Asahi, K., & Ishikawa, Y. (2015). Grit and work engagement: A cross-sectional study. PLOS ONE, 10(9), e0137501. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0137501
  49. Suzuki, T., Tamesue, A., Kentaro, N., & Ishikawa, N. (2015). Does individual differences in grit moderate the relationship between work resources and work engagement? Journal of Occupational Health, 57(8), 546-550.
  50. Williams, J. (2015). What is grit, why kids need it, and how you can foster it. Retrieved from http://afineparent.com/building-character/what-is-grit.html
  51. Winkler, L., Shulman, E., Beal, S., & Smith, B. (2019). The grit effect: Predicting retention in the military, the workplace, school, and marriage. Retrieved from http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00036/full
  52. Yudiarti, R., & Putranta, A. (2022, December). The influence of grit towards work engagement and the moderating role of perceived organizational support. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/366230278_The_influence_of_grit_towards_work_engagement_and_the_moderating_role_of_perceived_organizational_support

Tools


Copyright © 2026  KITE Digital Educational Solutions |  Exclusively distributed by CE-Logic