Intelligence alone doesn't make children excel at studies; it takes grit and perseverance too: Study

It's a general notion that some children are born brilliant and excel at studies, while others 'with less intelligence' lag behind in academic performance. A large new study seeks to bust this myth, having found that motivation, self-regulation, grit and perseverance help children become better at studies.

These non-cognitive skills that are part of emotional intelligence and also include academic interest and value attributed to learning, are as important as intelligence- a largely genetic attribute- in determining academic success, found the study.

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The researchers followed the development of 10,000 children in the UK, including siblings, to reach the conclusions.

Fostering non-cognitive skills alongside cognitive abilities could significantly improve educational outcomes, said the authors of the study published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.

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"Our research challenges the long-held assumption that intelligence is the primary driver of academic achievement," said Dr Margherita Malanchini at Queen Mary University of London, who did the study along with Dr Andrea Allegrini at University College London.

Non-cognitive skills vs genetic factors

The findings challenge the traditional view of educational achievement as determined largely by intelligence, which is largely a genetic attribute.

Instead, it suggests that a child's "emotional and behavioural makeup, influenced by both genes and environment, plays a crucial role in their educational journey," said the release.

How the study was done

The study followed 10,000 children from age seven to 16 in England and Wales, using "a combination of twin studies and DNA-based analyses to examine the interplay between genes, environment, and academic performance," said the release.

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By analysing DNA of study participants, researchers constructed a "polygenic score" for non-cognitive skills, essentially a genetic snapshot of a child's predisposition towards these skills, it said.

"We discovered that genetic effects associated with non-cognitive skills become increasingly predictive of academic achievement over the school years, in fact their effect nearly doubles between the ages of 7 and 16," Dr Allegrini said.

"By the end of compulsory education, genetic dispositions towards non-cognitive skills were equally as important as those related to cognitive abilities in predicting academic success."

Children in same families differ in approach to studies

Children within the family may shape their own learning experiences based on their personality, dispositions and abilities.

"We found that while family-wide processes play a significant role, the increasing influence of non-cognitive genetics on academic achievement remained evident even within families," said Allegrini.

"Our education system has traditionally focused on cognitive development," said Dr Malanchini.

(With inputs from agencies)