Study Says "Effort" Is Key to Success, Not "Ability"

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Students from Japan and China believe just the opposite.

The study is from a book called The Learning Gap. The authors compared American and Asian beliefs about school success.

Students from Japan and China said “studying hard” was most likely to lead to success in school. They ranked “a good teacher” near the bottom. American students had the two reversed.

In the book, the authors say:

Students' mistaken belief in ability hurts children. Kids with high ability “find little reason to work hard.”
Kids who think they have lower ability, doubt that they can master their lessons through continued effort. “They also have little reason to work hard.”
“Asian students, [are] confident that the time they invest will lead to mastery” of the subject. They are willing to work long hours.
When they get a low score, Asian students don’t see themselves as stupid. They just see that it will take more time and work to reach their goal.
Parents can build an attitude for success. Tell your kids that they can learn a tough subject if they will just keep at it.

Comments on Study Says "Effort" Is Key to Success, Not "Ability"

dean says: Jan. 21, 2012: i read the article "effort is the key to sucess not ability". i beleive this is mostly true. i think ability plays a role also. one thing readers should know is the culture in the asian countries is very different than in the us. the asian kids are brought up with disciplined educational instruction which starts at the home. this is a issue missing in american homes. also the mention that" the time they spent will lead to mastery of the subject "sounds like a martial arts mantra, which originated in asia,so those kids don't know any different. our kids can learn from asian methods for suceeding in school. i feel the fcat in florida for instance needs a major overhaul. they keep raising the standard. our kids aren't super computors. the kids do need to put in the effort, learn effective study habbits and cut back on the texting, social networking & video gaming if the want to suceed in school. thanks for our teachers, your awesome. dean

Zeb Welborn says: Feb. 10, 2011: Great article! This article demonstrates the shift that this country has taken regarding education. The importance of effort has been drastically diminished and is creating a shortfall in the education that our children receive. Effort is the key contributer to success.

As a teacher, in my district, it was forbidden to use effort as a tool for evaluating student success. To me, this is absurd. If we are preparing students for success, they need to know the importance of effort and strive to give more.

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Study Says "Effort" Is Key to Success, Not "Ability"

Comments on Study Says "Effort" Is Key to Success, Not "Ability"

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