Indicator: Growth mindset

Definition

Students believe that their abilities can grow with effort.

Recommended Metric(s)

Percentage of students or individuals reporting a high level of growth mindset on surveys

Example Instruments

Not finding an instrument that suits your needs? Visit EdInstruments.org for more measurement tools.

Type(s) of Data Needed

Surveys

Why it matters

A growth mindset has been linked to better attendance, behavior, and math and English language arts test scores.1 In particular, the belief that math ability is fixed or innate is especially common, and may limit learning in math.2 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.3 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.4, 5, 6, 7, 8 However, a recent meta-analysis of 29 mindset interventions found that, on average, they had limited effects on student outcomes.9 Growth mindset interventions may help narrow differences in academic achievement between students of color and White students;10, 11 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,12 and other studies have not been able to replicate positive impacts among diverse populations of students.13

What to know about measurement

As indicated above, several survey tools exist to measure this indicator and related constructs. We have identified and suggested tools with an evidence base; however, other instruments may also be appropriate to measure this indicator, though the use of different instruments across contexts would reduce comparability of this indicator. Please see information on the self-management indicator for additional considerations regarding the measurement of social-emotional skills.

E-W Case Studies

Children running stock image
Elevating Social-Emotional Learning in CORE Districts
The CORE Districts—a collaborative of eight school districts in California—developed, validated, and included measures of students’ social-emotional skills in its School Quality Improvement System.
View Case Study

Source frameworks

This indicator appeared in three source frameworks reviewed for this report. Our proposed definition and measure align with the CORE Districts definition of growth mindset. Broadly, we have opted to align with—and build on—CORE Districts SEL indicators, given the evidence base for their predictive power and instrumentation.

References

    • 1

      West, M. R., Buckley, K., Bartolino Krachman, S., & Bookman, N. (2018). Development and implementation of student social-emotional surveys in the CORE Districts. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 55, 119–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2017.06.001 

    • 2

      Liu Sun, K. (2018). The Role of Mathematics Teaching in Fostering Student Growth Mindset. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 49(3), 330-355. https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc.49.3.0330

    • 3

      Claro, S., & Loeb, S. (2019). Self-management skills and student achievement gains: Evidence from California’s CORE districts. Policy Analysis for California Education, Stanford University. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED600478 

    • 4

      Yeager, D. S., Hanselman, P., Walton, G. M., Murray, J. S., Crosnoe, R., Muller, C., Tipton, E., Schneider, B., Hulleman, C. S., Hinojosa, C. P., Paunesku, D., Romero, C., Flint, K., Roberts, A., Trott, J., Iachan, R., Buontempo, J., Man Yang, S., Carvalho, C. M….Dweck, C. S. (2019). A national experiment reveals where a growth mindset improves achievement. Nature, 573, 364–369. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1466-y 

    • 5

      Paunesku, D., Walton, G. M., Romero, C., Smith, E. M., Yeager, D. S., & Dweck, C. S. (2015). Mindset interventions are a scalable treatment for academic underachievement. Psychological Science, 26(6), 784–789. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797615571017

    • 6

      Sriram, R. (2014). Rethinking intelligence: The role of mindset in promoting success for academically high-risk students. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory, & Practice, 15(4), 515–536. https://doi.org/10.2190/CS.15.4.c 

    • 7

      Boaler, J., Dieckmann, J. A., Perez-Nunez, G., Liu Sun, K., & Williams, C. (2018). Changing students minds and achievement in mathematics: The impact of a free online student course. Frontiers in Education. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2018.00026 

    • 8

      Broda, M., Yun, J., Schneider, B., Yeager, D. S., Walton, G. M., & Diemer, M. (2018). Reducing inequality in academic success for incoming college students. A randomized trial of growth mindset and belonging interventions. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 11(3), 317-338. https://doi.org/10.1080/19345747.2018.1429037

    • 9

      Sisk, V. F., Burgoyne, A. P., Sun, J., Butler, J. L., & Macnamara, B. N. (2018). To what extent and under which circumstances are growth mind-sets important to academic achievement? Two meta-analyses. Psychological Science, 29(4), 549–571. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797617739704

    • 10

      Aronson, J., Fried, C. B., & Good, C. (2002). Reducing the effects of stereotype threat on African American college students by shaping theories of intelligence. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 3(2), 113-125. https://doi.org/10.1006/jesp.2001.1491

    • 11

      See Yeager et al. (2019).

    • 12

      See Broda et al. (2018).

    • 13

      Brez, C., Hampton, E. M., Behrendt, L., Brown, L., & Powers, J. (2020). Failure to replicate: Testing a growth mindset intervention for college student success. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 42(6), 460-468. https://doi.org/10.1080/01973533.2020.1806845