Promoting Grit and Resilience Among Malaysian B40 Students for Academic Excellence

Abstract

Students from B40 families do not really perform well in Malaysian education. In school, they are not motivated, and even when they get into university, some drop out or are expelled from tertiary education. The graduates from the B40 income group are among those who are in the statistics of unemployment. To overcome the problem, it is suggested that the B40 students be equipped with grit and resilience, a construct in educational and psychological field. It is important for university graduates to have a high level of grit in themselves so that they will be more motivated and sustainable in pursuing their academic success and later not easily give up during job hunting. The Ministry of Higher Education has also outlined resilience (grit) as one of the nine Malaysian future-proof skill sets that need to be learned and practiced by Malaysian graduates to face the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). By using a desk-based research approach, this paper aimed to discuss the importance of grit and resilience in education and how the two traits can be applied in Malaysian Education. Grit and resilience can be enhanced among B40 students through self-regulated learning and concerted efforts by parents, schools and the government.