Persistence is a key personality trait for people of all ages and backgrounds. For many jobseekers, it is what helps them get out of bed every morning and pound the pavement until they find their dream job. In the case of successful entrepreneurs, persistence is necessary to take a simple idea and expand it into a full-fledged business empire.

Now, new research from Oregon State University (OSU) reveals that persistence is what may help preschool students continue on their academic paths until they graduate from college. The study, which is published online in "Early Childhood Research Quarterly," shows a link between children’s behavior in preschool and the likelihood they will earn a bachelor’s degree.

Based on data from 430 preschool-age kids, OSU researchers were able to identify the participants according to their individual social and behavioral skills. When the same group was tested at the age of 21, researchers found that those who were more persistent at 4 years old were 50 percent more likely to graduate college by the age of 25.

However, this does not mean children who have a hard time paying attention and following instructions will struggle throughout their academic careers. The researchers believe that both attention and persistence skills can be taught.

If parents feel their kids do not possess these crucial traits, they may want to have them complete a personality test so they can help children develop them early on.