The role of grit in language learning

Grit, a non-cognitive construct defined by Duckworth et al. (2007) as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals” (p. 1087), has been widely studied in the field of Educational Research. Similarly, since 2013 and exponentially over the last lustrum (2020–2024), both domain-general grit (i.e., grit) and languagedomain-specific grit (i.e., L2 grit) have gained relevance within the subfield of Foreign Language Education (FLE). This systematic review, conducted and reported according to the updated PRISMA guidelines (Page et al., 2021), seeks to identify and classify the variables studied in relation to grit/L2 grit in language learning contexts, highlighting those most frequently investigated (as well as the predominant directions of the results), with the ultimate purpose of offering an overview of the nomological network emerging around both constructs within the FLE domain. Out of a total of 814 records identified across five databases or platforms (EBSCOhost, ERIC, ProQuest, Scopus, Web of Science) and via backward/forward snowballing, 171 quantitative and mixed-methods empirical studies published between 2013 and 2024 (last search date: January 1, 2025) were selected for further analysis. The results revealed a complex nomological network comprising 120 heterogeneous variables: (1) 95 learner-internal factors: linguistic and demographic (n = 14, 12%), conative (n = 44, 36%), emotional (n = 25, 21%), and personality (n = 12, 10%) variables; (2) 25 learner-external factors: teacherrelated(n = 12, 10%) and context-related (n = 13, 11%) variables. By December 2024, the most extensively researched variables in relation to grit/L2 grit within each subgroup had been L2 achievement (n = 60), L2 willingness to communicate (n = 22), foreign language enjoyment (n = 45), L2 growth mindset (n = 22), teacher support (n = 12), and classroom environment (n = 2). The review concludes with a discussion of key findings, detected research gaps, and ideas for future studies

Foreign language · Grit · Nomological network · Personality · Education, Achievement, and Giftedness · Grit, Self-Efficacy, and Motivation · Resilience and Mental Health