Exploration of Mindset Theory in a Competitive Elite Korean High School Using a Mixed-Method Approach

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 1:30 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Mindsets Unpacked: Considering Contexts, Correlates, and Conditions in Mindset Research (Table 3)

Abstract

Responding to a recent controversy on mindset effects, this mixed-method study investigates the mindset meaning system framework in an elite Korean high school (n = 345). Quantitative results show partial replication of the mindset meaning system (mindsets predicting achievement via goal orientation, effort beliefs, responses to failure, and attribution; Blackwell et al., 2007); growth mindsets predict mastery goals and positive effort beliefs, which in turn predict effort-based strategies and lower helpless attributions, respectively. Neither growth mindset nor its motivational outcomes, however, predict academic achievement. Qualitative data reveal students with fixed mindsets still strive and view failures positively, suggesting the competitive environment influences mindset impacts. Emphasizing a growth mindset may improve student motivation but not academic performance in a competitive environment.

Authors

• Wonjoon Cha, The Ohio State University

• Sungwha Kim, Korea University - Brain and Motivation Research Institute

• Hyun Ji Lee, The Ohio State University

• Eric M. Anderman, The Ohio State University