Grit and student learning skills, such as their approaches to learning (SAL), play a significant role at the very onset of university studies, as they impact student burnout. The present study contributes to this area of research by examining the associations between grit, SAL, and burnout among first-year students using the study demand-resources (SD-R) model. Specifically, the study investigates the mediating effect of SAL between grit and burnout through a structural equation model (SEM). A total of 648 first-year students participated in this study. The SEM analysis revealed that an unreflective approach negatively mediated the relationship between passion and burnout, suggesting that adopting an unreflective approach may explain why higher levels of passion can lead to a greater risk of burnout. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of supporting student learning by activating their prior knowledge and passion for learning to reduce burnout during the first year of higher education.
AllenR. E.KannangaraC.CarsonJ. (2021). True grit: How important is the concept of grit for education? A narrative literature review. International Journal of Educational Psychology, 10(1), 73–87. https://doi.org/10.17583/ijep.2021.4578
2.
AsikainenH.NieminenJ. H.HäsäJ.KatajavuoriN. (2022). University students’ interest and burnout profiles and their relation to approaches to learning and achievement. Learning and Individual Differences, 93, Article 102105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2021.102105
3.
AsikainenH.Salmela-AroK.ParpalaA.KatajavuoriN. (2020). Learning profiles and their relation to study-related burnout and academic achievement among university students. Learning and Individual Differences, 78, Article 101781. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2019.101781
4.
BackovicD. V.Ilix ZivojinovicJ.MaksimovicJ.MaksimovicM. (2012). Gender differences in academic stress and burnout among medical students in final years of education. Psychiatria Danubina, 24, 175–181. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0031-1297938
5.
BakkerA. B.HakanenJ. J.DemeroutiE.XanthopoulouD. (2007). Job resources boost work engagement, particularly when job demands are high. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(2), Article 274. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.99.2.274
6.
BakkerA. B.MostertK. (2024). Study demands–resources theory: Understanding student well-being in higher education. Educational Psychology Review, 36(3), Article 92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09940-8
7.
BellhäuserH.LöschT.WinterC.SchmitzB. (2016). Applying a web-based training to foster self-regulated learning — Effects of an intervention for large numbers of participants. The Internet and Higher Education, 31, 87–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2016.07.002
8.
BembenuttyH. (2011). Introduction: Self-regulation of learning in postsecondary education. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 126, 3–8. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.439
9.
BiggsJ.KemberD.LeungD. Y. P. (2001). The revised two-factor study process questionnaire: R-SPQ-2F. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 71, 133–149. https://doi.org/10.1348/000709901158433
10.
BowmanN. A.HillP. L.DensonN.BronkemaR. (2015). Keep on truckin’ or stay the course? Exploring grit dimensions as differential predictors of educational achievement, satisfaction, and intentions. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 6(6), 639–645. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550615574300
11.
BrigmanG.WebbL. (2007). Student success skills: Impacting achievement through large and small group work. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 11(4), 283. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2699.11.4.283
12.
ByrneB. M. (2011). Structural equation modeling with Mplus. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
13.
ChouM. H. (2023). Examining the influence of L2 grit and English proficiency on learning approaches: A mediation analysis through expectancy of success and perceived task difficulty. Educational Psychology, 43(9), 1102–1123. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2023.2281256
CredéM.TynanM. C.HarmsP. D. (2017). Much ado about grit: A meta-analytic synthesis of the grit literature. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 113(3), 492–511. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000102
16.
CreswellJ. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). Pearson.
17.
DörrenbächerL.PerelsF. (2016). More is more? Evaluation of interventions to foster self-regulated learning in college. International Journal of Educational Research, 78, 50–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2016.05.010
18.
DouglasH. E.RubinM.ScevakJ.SouthgateE.MacqueenS.RichardsonJ. T. (2020). Older women, deeper learning: Age and gender interact to predict learning approach and academic achievement at university. Frontiers in Education, 5, Article 158. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.00158
19.
DuckworthA. L. (2016). Grit: The power of passion and perseverance. Scribner.
20.
DuckworthA. L.PetersonC.MatthewsM. D.KellyD. R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(6), 1087–1101. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087
21.
DuckworthA. L.QuinnP. 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
22.
DuckworthA. L.YeagerD. S. (2015). Measurement matters: Assessing personal qualities other than cognitive ability for educational purposes. Educational Researcher, 44(4), 237–251. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X15584327
23.
EntwistleN. (1988). Motivational factors in students’ approaches to learning. In SchmeckR. R. (Eds.), Learning strategies and learning styles. Perspectives on individual differences (pp. 21–51). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2118-5_2
24.
EntwistleN. (2009). Teaching for understanding at university. Palgrave Macmillan.
25.
EntwistleN.McCuneV. (2004). The conceptual bases of study strategy inventories. Educational Psychology Review, 16(4), 325–345. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-004-0003-0
26.
EntwistleN. J.McCuneV.HounsellJ. (2003). Investigating ways of enhancing university teaching-learning environments: Measuring students’ approaches to studying and perceptions of teaching. In De CorteE.VerschaffelL.EntwistleN.J.van MerrienboerJ. (Eds.), Unravelling basic components and dimensions of powerful learning environments (pp. 89–107). Elsevier Science.
27.
FredricksJ. A.AlfeldC.EcclesJ. (2010). Developing and fostering passion in academic and nonacademic domains. Gifted Child Quarterly, 54(1), 18–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/0016986209352683
28.
FryerL. K.VermuntJ. D. (2018). Regulating approaches to learning: Testing learning strategy convergences across a year at university. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 88(1), 21–41. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12169
29.
GaetaT. J.DamA.PerreraT.JonesM.DulaniT. (2017). A multicenter study of grit and it’s relationship to burnout. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 18(5.1), S3. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5nh6253h
30.
GongZ.LiC.JiaoX.QuQ. (2021). Does resilience help in reducing burnout symptoms among Chinese students? A meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 707792. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.707792
31.
GuoM. (2024). The relationship between students’ grit and mathematics performance: The mediational role of deep and surface learning strategies. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 33(2), 373–381. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-023-00735-z
32.
HäsäJ.RämöJ.YanZ. (2025). Examining the reciprocal influence between undergraduate students’ self-regulation and approaches to learning. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 69, 1175–1189. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2024.2394404
33.
HayesA. F.MontoyaA. K.RockwoodN. J. (2017). The analysis of mechanisms and their contingencies: PROCESS versus structural equation modeling. Australasian Marketing Journal, 25(1), 76–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ausmj.2017.02.001
34.
HobbsL. (2012). Examining the aesthetic dimensions of teaching: Relationships between teacher knowledge, identity and passion. Teaching and Teacher Education, 28(5), 718–727. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2012.01.010
35.
HuL.BentlerP. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118
JiangL.ZhangS.LiX.LuoF. (2021). How grit influences high school students’ academic performance and the mediation effect of academic self-efficacy and cognitive learning strategies. Current Psychology, 42, 94–103. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01306-x
38.
JinB.KimJ. (2017). Grit, basic needs satisfaction, and subjective well-being. Journal of Individual Differences, 38(1), 29–35. https://doi.org/10.1027/1614-0001/a000219
39.
KangT. (2022). Post-secondary education in Singapore. In LeeY.-J. (Ed.), Education in Singapore: People-making and nation-building (pp. 69–85). Springer Singapore.
KimK. T. (2019). A mediating effect of positive psychological capital on the relationship between academic grit and academic burnout perceived by high school students. Journal of the Korea Convergence Society, 10(6), 219–225. https://doi.org/10.15207/JKCS.2019.10.11.429
42.
KleimanE. M.AdamsL. M.KashdanT. B.RiskindJ. H. (2013). Gratitude and grit indirectly reduce risk of suicidal ideations by enhancing meaning in life: Evidence for a mediated moderation model. Journal of Research in Personality, 47(5), 539–546. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2013.04.007
43.
KokX.-F. K. (2024). Quick Fix: A vignette-based approach to demystifying the concept of metacognition. College Teaching. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2024.2440892
KokX.-F. K.PuahS.PuaC. Y.DevillyO. Z.LimS. M. (2024). Students’ approaches to learning (SAL) and their relations to burnout among university freshmen in Singapore. Discover Psychology, 4, Article 98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44202-024-00218-2
46.
Lindblom-YlänneS.ParpalaA.PostareffL. (2019). What constitutes the surface approach to learning in the light of new empirical evidence?Studies in Higher Education, 44(12), 2183–2195. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2018.1482267
47.
MaddiS. R.MatthewsM. D.KellyD. R.VillarrealB.WhiteM. (2012). The role of hardiness and grit in predicting performance and retention of USMA cadets. Military Psychology, 24(1), 19–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/08995605.2012.639672
MeehanC.HowellsK. (2018). ‘What really matters to freshers?’: Evaluation of first year student experience of transition into university. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 42(7), 893–907. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2017.1323194
50.
MortonJ.StorchN.ThompsonC. (2015). What our students tell us: Perceptions of three multilingual students on their academic writing in first year. Journal of Second Language Writing, 30, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2015.06.007
ÖzhanM. B. (2021). Academic self-efficacy and school burnout in university students: Assessment of the mediating role of grit. Current Psychology, 40, 4235–4246. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02023-9
53.
ParpalaA.Lindblom-YlänneS. (2012). Using a research instrument for developing quality at the university. Quality in Higher Education, 18(3), 313–328. https://doi.org/10.1080/13538322.2012.733493
54.
ParpalaA.MattssonM.HerrmannK. J.Bager-ElsborgA.HailikariT. (2021). Detecting the variability in student learning in different disciplines—A person-oriented approach. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 66(6), 1020–1037. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2021.1958256
55.
PiZ.GuoX.LiuC.YangJ. (2023). Students with low prior knowledge learn more when explaining to a peer than to a teacher after viewing educational videos. Active Learning in Higher Education, 26(1), 91–107. https://doi.org/10.1177/14697874231212260
56.
PostareffL.MattssonM.ParpalaA. (2018). The effect of perceptions of the teaching-learning environment on the variation in approaches to learning-between-student differences and within-student variation. Learning and Individual Differences, 68, 96–107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2018.10.006
57.
PuahS.LimS. M.KokX.-F. K.DevillyO. Z. (2024). The longitudinal study on the reciprocal effects between GPA and burnout in university students: Exploring grit, self-efficacy, and resilience as moderators. Frontiers in Education, 9, Article 1408058. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1408058
58.
RahimiS.VallerandR. J. (2021). The role of passion and emotions in academic procrastination during a pandemic (COVID-19). Personality and Individual Differences, 179, Article 110852. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.110852
59.
RämöJ.NokelainenP.KangaslampiR.ViroE.KaarakkaT.NieminenM.HirvonenJ.Ali-LöyttyS. (2023). Engineering students’ approaches to learning in two student-centred instructional models before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. European Journal of Engineering Education, 48(6), 1186–1212. https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2023.2206794
Salmela-AroK.ReadS. (2017). Study engagement and burnout profiles among Finnish higher education students. Burnout Research, 7, 21–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.burn.2017.11.001
62.
Salmela-AroK.SavolainenH.HolopainenL. (2009). Depressive symptoms and school burnout during adolescence: Evidence from two cross-lagged longitudinal studies. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38(10), 1316–1327. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-008-9334-3
Salmela-AroK.UpadyayaK. (2017). Co-development of educational aspirations and academic burnout from adolescence to adulthood in Finland. Research in Human Development, 14(2), 106–121. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427609.2017.1305809
65.
Salmela-AroK.UpadyayaK. (2020). School engagement and school burnout profiles during high school–The role of socio-emotional skills. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 17(6), 943–964. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2020.1785860
66.
SchmidtF. T. C.SudzinaF.BotekM. (2021). Psychometric assessment of the short grit scale among Czech young adults. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 39(4), 508–513. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734282920974817
67.
SchmitzB.WieseB. S. (2006). New perspectives for the evaluation of training sessions in self-regulated learning: Time-series analyses of diary data. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 31(1), 64–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2005.02.002
68.
SmarandacheI. G.MaricutoiuL. P.IlieM. D.IancuD. E.MladenoviciV. (2022). Students’ approach to learning: Evidence regarding the importance of the interest-to-effort ratio. Higher Education Research & Development, 41(2), 546–561. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1865283
69.
TangX.UpadyayaK.Salmela-AroK. (2021). School burnout and psychosocial problems among adolescents: Grit as a resilience factor. Journal of Adolescence, 86, 77–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2020.12.002
70.
TeuberZ.NussbeckF. W.WildE. (2020). The bright side of grit in burnout-prevention: Exploring grit in the context of demands-resources model among Chinese high school students. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 52(3), 464–476. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-020-01031-3
71.
TuononenT.ParpalaA.MattssonM.Lindblom-YlänneS. (2016). Work experience in relation to study pace and thesis grade: Investigating the mediating role of student learning. Higher Education, 72, 41–58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-015-9937-z
72.
UllahR.RichardsonJ. T.HafeezM. (2013). Variations in perceptions of the learning environment and approaches to studying among university students in Pakistan. Prospects, 43(2), 165–186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-013-9264-z
73.
WangP. C.ChuaE. C.AvnitK.LimS. M. (2023). Developing students’ self-regulation skills within and outside academic modules. In GlickD.BerginJ.ChangC. (Eds.), Supporting self-regulated learning and student success in online courses (pp. 304–320). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-6500-4.ch014
74.
WhiteE. J.KrainesM. A.TuckerR. P.WingateL. R.WellsT. T.GrantD. M. (2017). Rumination’s effect on suicide ideation through grit and gratitude: A path analysis study. Psychiatry Research, 251, 97–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.01.086
75.
WoltersC. A.HussainM. (2015). Investigating grit and its relations with college students’ self-regulated learning and academic achievement. Metacognition and Learning, 10, 293–311. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-014-9128-9
76.
YeungW.-J. J.AlipioC. (2013). Transitioning to adulthood in Asia: School, work, and family life. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 646(1), 6–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716212470794
77.
YinY.ToomA.ParpalaA. (2022). International students’ study-related burnout: Associations with perceptions of the teaching-learning environment and approaches to learning. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 941024. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.941024
78.
YoonS.KimS.KangM. (2020). Predictive power of grit, professor support for autonomy and learning engagement on perceived achievement within the context of a flipped classroom. Active Learning in Higher Education, 21(3), 233–247. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787418762463
79.
ZakariyaY. F.NilsenH. K.BjørkestølK.GoodchildS. (2023). Analysis of relationships between prior knowledge, approaches to learning, and mathematics performance among engineering students. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 54(6), 1015–1033. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020739X.2021.1984596
80.
ZhaoH.ZhangZ.HengS. (2024). Grit and college students’ learning engagement: Serial mediating effects of mastery goal orientation and cognitive flexibility. Current Psychology, 43(8), 7437–7450. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04904-7
