The Promise of Noncognitive Factors for Underrepresented College Students

We use confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the validity and reliability of three non-cognitive factors-resilience, grit, and growth mindset-as well as to examine whether those factors predict academic success for a sample of students primarily represented by first-year African American students at three Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and one Minority Serving Institution (MSI). The findings indicate that initial growth mindset and grit scores predicted GPA, whereas changes in resilience over the academic year predicted the number of credit hours taken at the end of the first year. Results add to the ongoing debate about the credibility and utility of noncognitive factors for fostering success.