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Does Mindset Intervention Predict Students’ Daily Experience in Classrooms? A Comparison of Seventh and Ninth Graders’ Trajectories

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Abstract

One’s beliefs about whether ability is fixed or malleable—also known as fixed or growth mindset—can impact academic outcomes. This quasi-experimental study investigated effects of a six-week classroom intervention targeting growth mindset on students’ daily quality of experience in science classrooms. Seventh grade (N = 370) and 9th grade (N = 356) students (50 % female, 61 % Hispanic) were randomly assigned by classroom to either a mindset intervention condition or content writing task condition. Students provided self-reports on multiple aspects of their daily classroom experience 11 times across the school year. Hierarchical linear growth models indicate that 7th and 9th grade students who were not exposed to the mindset intervention showed declines in perceived control skill, interest, and learning. In contrast, 9th graders in the mindset intervention reported increased control and interest, and maintained constant levels in skill and learning. Similar effects were not observed among 7th graders. The results are discussed in terms of implications for future research and optimal developmental periods for mindset intervention.

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Acknowledgments

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant HRD-1136143.

Author contributions

J.S. co-conceived of the original study design and the analytic plan, contributed to acquisition of data, was involved in interpretation of data, wrote and revised the manuscript, and gave final approval of the version to be published. L.S. co-conceived of the original study design, contributed to acquisition of data, wrote and critically revised the manuscript, and gave final approval of the version to be published. H.K.C. contributed to acquisition of data, performed data analysis and interpretation of data, was involved in critical revision of the manuscript, and gave final approval of the version to be published.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Michigan State University, Erickson Hall, 620 Farm Lane Room 442, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Jennifer A. Schmidt

  2. LEPF Department, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, 60115, USA

    Lee Shumow & Hayal Z. Kackar-Cam

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  1. Jennifer A. Schmidt
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  2. Lee Shumow
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Correspondence to Jennifer A. Schmidt.

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All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent (including parental consent and student assent) was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Appendix

Appendix

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Table 4 Initial growth models predicting multiple dimensions of student experience in science class: effects of study condition
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Schmidt, J.A., Shumow, L. & Kackar-Cam, H.Z. Does Mindset Intervention Predict Students’ Daily Experience in Classrooms? A Comparison of Seventh and Ninth Graders’ Trajectories. J Youth Adolescence 46, 582–602 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-016-0489-z

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