Students’ Perceptions of Socializers’ Mindsets and Their Influences: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis

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  In Roundtable Session: Igniting Motivation: Complementary Perspectives on Motivating Climates and Socializers

Abstract

How adolescents in non-Western contexts perceive the mindsets of parents, teachers, and peers—and how these perceived mindsets influence students’ own mindsets—has been rarely examined. Using thematic analysis of 14 interviews, we investigated how Korean students in a competitive high school perceive the mindsets of socializers and their influences. Parents and teachers were generally perceived as endorsing growth mindsets, primarily through effort- and improvement-oriented messages. Negative relationships with teachers often led students to perceive them as holding fixed mindsets. Peers most explicitly discussed innate ability and made social comparisons, reinforcing students’ fixed mindset perceptions. While perceived socializers’ mindsets had limited influence on students, parents appeared to have the greatest impact. Findings call for nuanced approaches in studying these perceptions.

Authors

• Wonjoon Cha, The Ohio State University

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

• Hyun Ji Lee, Hunter College, The City University of New York

• Eric M. Anderman, The Ohio State University