Growth Mindset

This research synthesis provides an overview of how insights from mindset science can inform the design of educational environments in K-12 and postsecondary education. It describes how students' psychological experience of school shapes their motivation to learn and their learning outcomes. The brief distills principles from 40 years of research on mindsets and motivation about how of learning environments can be designed to be inclusive, growth-oriented, and meaningful.

This research brief presents findings from the first year pilot of the National Study of Learning Mindsets, conducted by members of the Student Experience Research Network and colleagues. The pilot study found that the program improved academic performance for previously low-performing students and increased challenge-seeking among all students.

Researchers Andrei Cimpian, Yan Mu, & Lucy Claire Erickson explore how young children's performance on a task is affected by statements about ability and group membership.

Motivation is an important component of success in both the classroom and beyond. Researchers Rory Lazowski and Chris Hulleman completed an extensive meta-analysis to look at the effectiveness of interventions aimed at increasing students' motivation. They found that overall motivation interventions are effective and can improve both levels of motivation along with academic performance and school attendance.

This research brief summarizes three studies by SERN scholars David Yeager, Greg Walton, Dave Paunesku, Angela Duckworth, Geoffrey Cohen, Carol Dweck, and their colleagues that explore whether online exercises delivered before college can effectively prepare students for certain challenges they may face during the transition to college. The studies found that these programs were able to improve educational outcomes and decrease achievement gaps between African American, Latino, Native American, Pacific Islander, first-generation students and their peers.

This research brief looks into how parent practices affect children’s mindsets. Kyla Haimovitz and Carol Dweck designed multiple studies to explore how the way parents view failure influences their children’s views on intelligence.

The links between growth mindset and achievement received important new validation from this first-of-its-kind study by SERN scholars Carol Dweck and Dave Paunesku and their colleague Susana Claro. The research team surveyed all 10th grade students in Chile, allowing them to use a national data set to explore the relationships between mindsets, academic achievement, and family income.

This research brief summarizes a study by SERN scholars Dave Paunesku, Greg Walton, Carissa Romero, David Yeager, Carol Dweck, and their colleague Eric Smith on the effectiveness of short, computer-based learning mindset programs on academic achievement for high school students.