Classroom Goal Structures Impact Mindsets: A Study of Undergraduate Engineering Students at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

• In Event: Saturday Roundtable Session 1:15 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Identity, Agency, and Cultural Relevance in Computing and Engineering Education (Table 18)

Abstract

Individuals’ belief about their abilities informs the goals they adopt, but perceptions of classroom goals may also influence how they perceive their abilities. Using a sample of predominantly minoritized engineering students, we used a linear mixed model to understand how mindsets were influenced by the goal structures transmitted by the environment. This study offers unique insights into the interplay between a mastery learning curricular intervention, classroom goal structures, and their influence on students’ mindsets. Depending on the student, a mastery learning curricular intervention can promote a growth or fixed mindset. Classroom mastery goal structure promotes a growth mindset for all students. At the same time, classroom performance and performance-avoidance goal structures can decrease students’ endorsement of a fixed mindset.

Authors

• Dina Verdin, Arizona State University

• Carlos Perez Leon, Arizona State University