Measuring persistence and personality characteristics of adolescents

The concept of persistence (to hold firmly and steadfastly to some purpose or task) has been reportedly related to personality development, motivation, and locus of control. However, there is a dearth of research on persistence primarily because a widely accepted and validated measure of persistence is lacking. A 1987 measure, the Persistence Scale for Children by Lufi and Cohen, has been the subject of validation and reliability studies. The present paper is a description of its use with 50 adolescents and the correlations between persistence and the adolescents' personality characteristics, based on Cattell's High School Personality Questionnaire. Correlations between persistence and HSPQ personality characteristics were significant. Replication with a larger sample and continued use in the study of persistence is discussed as well as persistence in relation to adolescent development.