Date of Award

5-2022

Degree Type

DPT Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)

Advisor

Celia Pechak

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Decreasing educational disparities experienced by minorities is an important step toward improving diversity in healthcare. The purposes of this study were to identify if grit or social capital is related to Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) student success, and to identify if First Generation College Students (FGCSs) have different levels of grit and social capital compared to their Continuing Generation College Student (CGCS) peers.

Subjects: Participants were 1st, 4th, and 7th-semester students in the 9-semester DPT Program at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) in summer 2020.

Methods: This was an exploratory, non-experimental study employing a 3-part online survey. The first part consisted of open- and closed-ended questions developed by the primary investigator (PI) using the literature regarding demographics. The second and third parts of the survey were the Grit-Short and Social Provisions Scale (SPS), respectively.

Results: Neither grit nor its components were associated with higher Grade Point Average (GPA). GPA was positively correlated with the SPS constructs Reassurance of Worth (R = .34; P < .01) and Reliable Alliance (R = .23; P < .05). No significant differences were found between FGCSs and CGCSs.

Discussion and Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that addressing students’ social capital rather than grit might be a better route to improve student academic success through increasing students’ Reassurance of Worth and establishment of Reliable Alliance. Faculty mentoring and team building efforts should attempt to promote the development of these two components to enhance students’ perception of their social capital.

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