For years now, I have been teaching in kindergartens in the UK, with children under the age of 7. I have seen several of these children behaving in these ways all too often. As a person, teacher and mother I deeply value the character trait of perseverance, and I began to realise that several of the young children I care for have little of it, so I started to wonder about where this limited capacity to maintain focus and engagement comes from.
Perseverance can be defined as the ability to stay on task despite all the challenges that may arise, with a goal in mind. In other contexts, it can also be defined as a facet of courage, or a manifestation of self-control.
Research on ‛grit’ has shown, for example, that those who are highly successful in their studies and have general well-being possess a high degree of perseverance. Given the importance of perseverance in positively contributing to individuals' career choices and general well-being, it became evident to me that I needed to support young children to acquire and develop it.
To find out how it is possible to promote perseverance from a very young age, I conducted a research project in my kindergarten, observing a small group of children aged 3 and 4. The research was part of the final dissertation for my Masters of Education at the University of Aberdeen (Scotland).
What I found out was very revealing! Children can indeed stay on task and be persistent, even in front of a small challenge, provided they are interested and motivated to continue. Most importantly, I found that the motivation to continue came from the children themselves, not as a result of a reward promised by adults. Indeed, research on “rewards and consequences (or punishments)” has shown that promising a reward can actually reduce children's internal motivation to persist when the reward ceases to be offered. In other words, while children are likely to comply when a reward awaits them, that is not enough to keep them interested.
Interest alone is, however, not enough. Motivation needs to be there for children to continue. So the question is: How can we support children to maintain the motivation to continue a task or an activity?
The initial interest, often enthusiasm, they may have will soon dissipate at the smallest challenge. Thus, the transition from initial to maintained interest in an activity may require adults' intervention to ensure that children can continue to be engaged. This is particularly so when children are learning a skill (such as using scissors, when the adult may have to hold the paper), or the adult is planning something new (and challenging) for them. For example, in my observation, when the children were learning to make shapes out of bread dough or with clay (nests with small eggs, small animals, etc.), they were more likely to stay with the activity when the present adult had a supportive role. The children were more likely to maintain interest when I was with them, one-to-one or in a small group, and assisting them (but not doing things for them!!).
So far, we have seen that children are more likely to persist when they are interested in, and motivated to continue an activity. Yet, this is still not enough, as persistence will depend on the type of feedback the children receive from participating in an activity. In the example above, I often used verbal encouragement that focuses on the process of the activity rather than the result. For example, I used to say phrases such as: “I can see you are working really hard”, instead of: “Your nest is really beautiful”. Research on praise has shown that praising for process and effort, rather than the person and what they have done, is more likely to support perseverance and courage. Without adult's support, when needed, children's interest can indeed become dormant or ultimately disappear altogether.
When we observe children's engagement, whether in play or an activity led by an adult, we can see the joy and satisfaction in them. It may not be obvious, but children who enjoy what they are doing are learning and self-regulating (i.e., they can control their own behaviour). We would not say the same when we see their frustration, unhappiness and the resulting dysregulation! Joy and satisfaction feed their positive sense of self, fuelling the perception of themselves as capable beings.
Children who believe of themselves that they can do something are more likely to persevere. When I hear a young child say: “I can't do it!” even before trying I think to myself: “Ok, we have got some work to do here”, as the child has already developed a sense of his or her own limited capabilities. Children’s growing up believing to be able to do things is of paramount importance if we want to support the development of their perseverance.
What does this all mean for us, parents, carers and educators of young children? In a nutshell, this implies i) providing and facilitating activities that are developmentally appropriate and feed the children's needs for competence and autonomy; ii) supporting children when transitioning from initial interest to maintained interest; iii) avoiding rewards and consequences, and focus on a “relational approach” that feeds the need for relatedness that the child has; iv) if praise is necessary, using the technique of process praise rather than person praise; v) tuning in with what the child or the group children are interested in, providing for these experiences, thus developing a positive relationship with the child or children. All this can all help us in promoting their perseverance and the development of positive feelings in them about their own capabilities.
One of the most rewarding experiences as a parent and educator is precisely to see how the young children I care for, through small achievable steps, do increase their ability to persist on a task, showing joy and satisfaction along the way. As the children’s experiences contribute to their sense of self, we have a huge responsibility in ensuring that the experiences we provide them, and the quality of our relationships with them, positively affect their developing self-concept.
