A Meta-Analysis on Teachers' Growth Mind-Set

• In Event: Teachers' Motivation to Teach: What Matters?

Abstract

Theoretical Framework
The concept of growth mindsets—individual’s beliefs that basic characteristics such as intelligence are malleable (e.g., Dweck, 2000)—has gained immense popularity in research, the media, and educational practice. Even though most of the existing studies have focused on students’ mindsets, it is generally assumed that teachers also need a growth mindset and that both teachers and their students should benefit if teachers adopt a growth mindset (e.g., Seaton, 2017).
Purpose
However, systematic syntheses of the potential advantages of growth mindsets in teachers are currently lacking. In this article we therefore present the first meta-analysis on teachers’ growth mindset and its relations to multiple outcomes in terms of within-teacher factors (teachers’ motivation: self-efficacy and achievement goals, teachers’ test performance on mainly knowledge-based tests), instructional strategies (goal structures, i.e., mastery goal structures and performance goal structures), and students’ achievement.
Method
A literature search in four databases (PsycINFO, Web of Science, ERIC - Education Resources Information Center, ProQuest Dissertations) was conducted, which yielded 4,179 results. Additionally, we searched google scholar, and performed reference screening and citation tracking of included articles. The final sample consisted of 38 studies, with 39 independent samples, 65 effect sizes, and a total sample size of 8,382 teachers.
We relied on correlation coefficients as a measure of effect size, with correlations above .10, .30, and .50 reflecting small, medium, and large effects. Random-effects models were used for all calculations. Furthermore, we checked for publication bias by conducting moderator analyses (published vs. unpublished studies as moderator), visually inspecting funnel plots, and using trim-and fill analyses, egger’s regression test, the rank correlation test, and the p-curve and p-uniform methods.
Results
The results revealed statistically significant small associations between growth mindset and self-efficacy, r = .170 (95% CI: .119 to .219), mastery goals, r = .143, 95% (95% CI: .103 to .183), and performance-avoidance goals, r = -.112, 95% (CI: -.211 to -.026). No statistically significant effects were found for performance-approach goals, r = -.099 (95% CI: -.201 to .005), teachers’ performance on tests, r = .007, 95% (CI: -.151 to .166), mastery goal structures, r = .086, 95% CI: -.053 to .220, performance goal structures, r = -.026 (95% CI: -.159 to .107), and students’ achievement, r = -.003, 95% (CI: -.152 to .146). Overall, the results from dissemination bias analyses indicated that the findings were largely unbiased.
Significance
To conclude, apart from some benefits in terms of potentially slightly enhanced adaptive motivational patterns, teachers’ growth mindset was neither significantly related to teachers’ instructional practices, teachers’ test performance, nor their students’ achievement. For research purposes and theory-building, the findings add to our understanding of different personal characteristics of teachers. For educational practice, such as the design of professional development programs, the available evidence synthesized in our meta-analysis suggests that other personal characteristics of teachers than growth mindset may yield stronger benefits.

Authors

• Lisa Bardach, University of Tübingen

• Keiko Bostwick, University of New South Wales

• Daniel Memarpour Hobbi, University of York

• Rob Klassen, University of York