The Impact of Stress on Later Literacy Achievement via Grit and Engagement among Dual Language Elementary School Students

The goal of this short-term longitudinal study was to identify how stress impacts later literacy achievement via the mediators of grit and emotional engagement. Study design included three time-points with students in 3rd through 5th grades who were low-income, dual language learners in the US (N = 142; 54% female; 75% Latina/o; M = 9.47 years old). The measures were Time 1 student-reported perceived stress, Time 2 teacher-reported student grit and emotional engagement, and a Time 3 student literacy achievement performance task. Stress had a negative impact on later literacy achievement via the mediator of engagement, but not via the mediator of grit. Implications of how stress and socioemotional processes impact achievement among dual language learners are discussed.