How Does Adopting a Growth Mind-Set Improve Academic Performance? Probing the Underlying Mechanisms in a Nationally Representative Sample

• In Event: Motivation Interventions Targeting Mind-Set and Value

Abstract

Students who are taught that intellectual abilities are not fixed but can be developed—a growth mindset of intelligence—show improvements in their academic outcomes, as demonstrated by decades of research including the largest randomized evaluation in a nationally-representative sample in the US by the National Study of Learning Mindsets (NSLM). Yet, the mechanisms through which a growth mindset brings about positive academic outcomes remains unclear. Research posits a role for learning-oriented behaviors of students exposed to a growth mindset intervention. For the first time, given the multi-site RCT design of the NSLM, and the inclusion of a rich set of mediators (beyond simple self-reported mindset measures), this research tests the complete mediational pathway from mindset to academic outcomes through student behaviors.

Authors

• Maithreyi Gopalan, The Pennsylvania State University

• David Yeager, The University of Texas at Austin