Poster #24 - Perceived Growth Mindsets Relate to Initial but not Improvements in Math and Literacy Skills

• In Event: Poster Session 04

Abstract

Growth mindsets are beliefs that abilities are malleable and can change over time (Dweck & Yeager, 2019). Individuals who endorse more growth views have been shown to be more mastery-oriented, put more effort into their work, and feel less hopeless when faced with failure (Blackwell et al., 2007). Such skills translate into greater motivation and better academic performance across domains (e.g., mathematics and language competencies, Claro et al., 2016) and over time (Blackwell et al., 2019; Tang et al., 2019). Additionally, growth mindset interventions have been shown to have inoculating effects on negatively stereotyped groups (e.g., women in mathematics, Degol et al., 2018).

Given the potential benefits associated with growth mindsets, there is much value in better understanding their origins and development. Parents are key figures in shaping adolescents’ beliefs about ability (Pomerantz & Kempner, 2013). For example, mothers’ own mindsets influence their adolescents’ academic performance over time (Pomerantz & Dong, 2006). The present study explores the relation between parents’ perceptions of their adolescents’ growth mindsets and youth’s academic progress in math and literacy longitudinally, over three years. We further investigate gender differences in parents’ perceptions of their adolescents’ mindsets.

Parents (N = 127, 71 mothers) evaluated their adolescents’ (N = 79, 46 girls, Mage = 11.65, SD = 0.31) growth mindsets in grade 6 (3 items, e.g., “My child can persevere in his/her work even when it gets hard”). Adolescents’ math and literacy skills were then assessed using standardized tests (WIAT-II) in grade 6, grade 7 (Mage = 12.98, SD = 0.28), and grade 8 (Mage = 14.07, SD = 0.44). Mothers’ and fathers’ perceptions of their adolescents’ growth mindsets were moderately correlated, r = .49, p < .001. Multilevel growth modelling revealed that parents’ perceptions of their adolescents’ growth mindsets were predictive of adolescents’ grade 6 literacy skills (mothers, γ01 = 2.42, p = .034; fathers, γ01 = 3.43, p = .021), but not their improvement over time. Further, fathers’, but not mothers’, perceptions of their adolescents’ growth mindsets were also predictive of adolescents’ grade 6 math skills (γ01 = 3.81, p = .006). In terms of gender, only mothers’ perceptions differed based on adolescents’ gender. Specifically, girls were perceived as having more growth mindsets than boys by their mothers, d = 0.54, t(1,72) = –2.25, p = .028. However, this gender difference was not related to initial or improvements in math and literary skills.
These preliminary results suggest that parental perceptions of their adolescents’ mindsets relate to their current math and literacy skills, but not to the evolution in their academic performance over time. Our findings highlight the potential importance of parents’ perceptions in fostering adolescents’ academic functioning.

Authors

• Anna-Francesca Boatswain-Jacques, McGill University
  Presenting Author

• Maxine Iannuccilli

• Marie-Helene Veronneau

• Kristen Dunfield

• Annie Bernier, University of Montreal