Teacher Mindset Influences Student Mindset: Evidence From Canada and the United States

• In Event: The Dynamic Interplay Between Teacher and Student Experiences, Motivational Beliefs, and Achievement

Abstract

Teacher mindset shapes the attributions teachers make about their students’ abilities and can lead to assumptions about students’ performance. However, to date, research has not focused on the relationship between teacher and student mindset, and the possibility that they are associated. The purpose of this study is to fill this gap by identifying teacher mindset as a potential factor influencing student mindset, and testing this association over time. Findings from an analytic sample of 54 teachers and 755 students reveal that teachers with growth mindsets have a mild positive and statistically significant association with the development of their students’ growth mindsets, particularly for boys. Implications for professional learning and systemic inequality are discussed.

Authors

• Rhiannon MacDonnell Mesler, University of Lethbridge

• Catherine Corbin, University of Virginia

• Britt Martin, University of Calgary