Abstract
This study examined the relationship of grit, subjective happiness, and meaning and alternative education students' GPA and attendance. A convenience sampling method was used for obtaining participants. Ninety-seven participants (61 males, 36 females) completed the survey. Overall results suggest participants from the present study evidenced comparable scores on measures of grit, happiness and meaning in life compared to participants in normative samples. Gender differences were not found with regard to the dependent measures of grit, happiness and meaning in life and GPA or days missed from school. One way ANOVAs were conducted to determine whether participants from various ethnic backgrounds responded differently to any of the dependent measures. There was a significant difference observed for happiness in that participants who indicated "other" as their ethnicity reported less overall happiness. There were no differences among students in various grade levels with regard to dependent measures and the variables of GPA and attendance. Pearson r bivariate correlations were then used to explore whether there were statistically significant relationships between the variables. Of the several hypotheses proposed for the present study, only two were supported by the statistical analysis. Overall, there was an association between student attendance and grit and the search for meaning in life. Limitations of the study and directions for future research were addressed. Further understanding in this area will assist in the process of taking additional measures to promote and support students in alternative education settings.