Does Mindset Explain our Abilities?

Photo by Victoria Patton

The way one views school and the world plays a role in their academic achievement (Sriram, 2014). In my personal experience, mindset has played a role in my schoolwork, especially as a masters student at Boston University’s Applied Human Development Program with an undergraduate degree in Psychology. I hope to expand the minds of the students I will eventually work with in my future career in after-school programs and summer camps.

The problem being addressed is many students feel limited by what they can and cannot do based on their abilities in school. This limitation based on abilities affects them academically (Macnamara & Rupani, 2017). Therefore, creates a problem for students trying to do well in school to eventually go to college (Sriram, 2014).

What is mindset?

According previous research about mindset, there are two types, fixed or growth. Meaning, individuals have only a particular set of abilities (fixed) or their abilities are malleable (growth) (Dweck, 2000). Growth mindset is viewed as the positive mindset (McCutchen et al., 2016) because individuals with this mindset believe they can improve their weaker abilities for example, note taking and organization. Fixed mindset is viewed more negatively (McCutchen et al., 2016) because individuals with this mindset do not believe in gaining and improving their abilities but rather stick to what they are good at.

Previous research suggests students perform better in school when they obtain a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset (McCutchen et al., 2016). Some teaching does not address a growth mindset instruction. One study used a growth mindset intervention which was a computer program designed to teach students about study skills and brain function (Schmidt et al., 2017). The intervention was placed in classrooms of 7th and 9th graders, to see if the intervention helped students get better grades (Schmidt et al., 2017). The study found the intervention to work on 9th graders in getting a high grade in their science class (Schmidt et al.,2017). Therefore, exposure to the growth mindset in academic settings, is possible with the guidance of a different style of teaching.

What can we do to teach growth mindset?

1. Teachers should not praise students for being “smart”, but for the act of doing something (Macamara & Rupani, 2017)

2. Remind students that they can expand their knowledge because there are no limits

3. Teach skills that can be applicable in any setting

References

Dweck C. S. (2000). Self-theories: Their role in motivation personality and development. New York: Psychology Press.

Macnamara, B. & Rupani, N. (2017). The relationship between intelligence and mindset. Intelligence, 64, 52-59.

Mccutchen, K. Jones, M., Carbonneau, K., & Mueller. C. (2016). Mindset and standardized testing over time. Learning and Individual Differences, 45, 208-213.

Schmidt, J., Shumow, L., & Kackar-cam, H. (2017). Does mindset intervention predict students' daily experience in classrooms? a comparison of seventh and ninth graders' trajectories. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 46(3), 582-602.

Sriram, R. (2014). Rethinking intelligence: the role of mindset in promoting success for academically high-risk students. Journal of College Student Retention, 15(4), 515-536.