Indicator: Growth mindset

Why it matters

A growth mindset has been linked to better attendance, behavior, and math and English language arts test scores. In particular, the belief that math ability is fixed or innate is especially common, and may limit learning in math. Research shows that traditionally underserved students—including students experiencing poverty, emerging multilingual learners, and Latino and Black students—are less likely to hold a growth mindset than their peers. Some interventions with K–12 and college students that foster a growth mindset have been shown to improve students’ grade point averages (GPAs), reduce course failures, and support academic effort. However, a recent meta-analysis of 29 mindset interventions found that, on average, they had limited effects on student outcomes. Growth mindset interventions may help narrow differences in academic achievement between students of color and White students; however, research findings are inconsistent—for example, one study found that growth mindset interventions significantly improved the academic performance of Latino students, but not Black students, and other studies have not been able to replicate positive impacts among diverse populations of students.