A new Norwegian study suggests the most powerful driver of school success is not grit or raw talent, but a basic belief that you can get better with practice. Researchers say this mindset boosts both grades and enjoyment in class.
Believing that you can get better with practice may matter more for school success than being naturally talented, intensely ambitious or even exceptionally gritty, according to a new study on upper secondary school pupils from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
The research, published in the journal Frontiers in Education, suggests that a simple mindset about learning — the belief that skills can be developed through effort — is the most consistent motivational factor linked to better grades and a stronger sense of mastery in school.
First author Birger Olav Sætre, a research assistant in psychology at NTNU and general manager of the education-focused organization Tenn Gnisten (Ignite the Spark), noted that among all the motivational traits the team examined, one stood out.
“One of the clearest findings in the study is that believing you can improve through practice is the most consistent motivational factor when it comes to grades and experiencing a sense of mastery in academic subjects,” Sætre said in a news release.
The study focused on four well-known aspects of student motivation:
– Growth mindset: whether pupils believe they can improve through effort.
– Self-efficacy: how much faith they have in their own abilities.
– Passion: how strongly they want to perform well and stay engaged over time.
– Grit: how much they persevere when things are difficult.
The researchers then looked at how these factors related to students’ grades, their sense of mastery and their well-being in two subjects: Norwegian and physical education.
Across the board, pupils who believed they could improve through effort tended to enjoy their subjects more and perform better in school. This belief was especially important in Norwegian and physical education.
“Having this attitude was important in the subjects of Norwegian and physical education, and was more strongly associated with several outcomes than the other motivational factors we measured,” Sætre added.
In other words, students who saw challenges as opportunities to grow — rather than as signs that they had reached the limit of their abilities — were more likely to thrive academically and feel good about their learning.
The study also highlighted the role of self-efficacy, particularly in physical education. Pupils who felt confident in their abilities in that subject reported greater well-being and a stronger sense of mastery.
Sætre noted this pattern fits what teachers often see in the gym and on the playing field.
“This makes sense, since this is a subject where pupils receive clear and immediate feedback on their skills and often draw on experiences from activities outside school,” he said.
The researchers did not find that passion and grit were irrelevant, but their influence was smaller than many might expect once other factors were taken into account.
“Pupils who were ambitious and highly focused on performing well often excelled,” Sætre said.
But when the team controlled for growth mindset and self-efficacy, ambition and perseverance were less strongly tied to overall outcomes.
“The same applied to perseverance. It helped somewhat, especially in terms of enjoyment of the subject of Norwegian, but was less important than we expected in a general school context. At the same time, these factors can play a greater role in activities that pupils have chosen themselves and are passionate about,” he added.
The findings suggest that in everyday schoolwork, believing that effort pays off and feeling capable in a subject may be more powerful than simply pushing harder or wanting success very badly.
The study also uncovered gender differences in how motivation shows up and how it connects to achievement.
“Boys reported having more grit and higher drive to perform, but this did not result in them achieving better grades,” Sætre said.
This indicates that the students who seem most driven on the surface are not always the ones who perform best academically.
“Girls, however, felt more confident in Norwegian and achieved better grades in this subject,” he added.
These patterns raise questions for teachers and schools about how they support different students. If boys report high grit but do not see that effort translate into grades, they may need more help connecting their drive to effective learning strategies. Girls, meanwhile, may benefit from similar boosts in confidence in subjects where they feel less sure of themselves.
More broadly, the study reinforces a growing body of research in psychology and education: how students think about their own learning can shape their academic paths. A belief that abilities are fixed can make setbacks feel like proof of failure. A belief that abilities can grow, by contrast, turns mistakes into feedback and challenges into practice.
Sætre emphasized this is where schools can make a real difference.
“Schools can therefore benefit greatly by helping pupils see that it is always possible to improve and understand that making mistakes is part of the learning process,” he said.
That might mean teachers talking openly about their own learning curves, designing assignments that reward revision and persistence, or giving feedback that emphasizes progress and strategies rather than just scores.
For students, the takeaway is both simple and hopeful: you do not need to be perfect, and you do not need to have everything come easily. What matters most, this study suggests, is believing that you can get better — and then giving yourself the chance to prove it through practice.