One of the 16 habits of mind described by Costa and Kallick. Persevering in tasks through to completion; remaining focused. Looking for ways to reach your goal when stuck. Not giving up.
Excerpted from: Costa, A., & Kallick, B. (2008). Learning and leading with habits of mind. Alexandria, VA.:
Students often give up when they don't immediately know the answer to a problem. They sometimes crumple their papers and throw them away, exclaiming "I can't do this!" or "It's too hard!" Sometimes they write down any answer to get the task over with as quickly as possible. Some of these students have attention deficits. They have difficulty staying focused for any length of time; they are easily distracted, or they lack the ability to analyze a problem and develop a system, structure, or strategy of attack. They may give up because they have a limited repertoire of problem-solving strategies, and thus they have few alternatives if their first strategy doesn't work