Developmental Trajectories of Students' Growth Mindsets in STEM: A Cohort-Sequential Longitudinal Study

• In Event: AERA Virtual Poster Session 8
  In Poster Session: Motivation in Education SIG Poster Session: Motivational Processes and Effects

Abstract

While the consequences of growth mindsets for students’ motivation are well established, less is known about the developmental trajectories of growth mindsets. The present cohort-sequential longitudinal study investigated mean-level changes of growth mindsets in math, science, and computer coding between 2nd and 9th grade among students across two school years. Our data included 1,313 students (50% girls; 39% White, 24% Latino/Hispanic). Using a series of growth models, the results showed that students tended to endorse growth mindsets more at higher grade levels in a curvilinear fashion. There were no substantial differences in growth mindsets between girls and boys or among STEM fields. Our findings are informative for researchers, educators, and policymakers who are interested in implementing growth mindset interventions.

Authors

• Suppanut Sriutaisuk, University of Houston

• Allison Master, University of Houston