Abstract
Research proposing that mindset interventions promote student achievement has been conducted at a frenetic pace nationwide in the United States, with many studies yielding mixed results. The present study explores the hypothesis that mindset interventions are beneficial for students only under specific circumstances. Using a randomized controlled trial with student-level random assignment within two public schools (School 1: n = 198 seventh-graders, 73% Black, 27% White, 53% male; School 2: n = 400 ninth-graders, 98% White, 2% Black, 52% male), this trial conceptually integrated elements from three evidence-based mindset interventions. It then examined two theoretically driven moderators of student performance following the transition to middle or high school: students’ racial backgrounds and students’ educational expectations. Results indicated that the intervention was effective for a particular subset of students—Black students with high educational expectations—resulting in higher grades over the course of the year. Among students with low educational expectations (regardless of race), the intervention did not impact grades. For White students with high educational expectations, the control activities actually benefitted grades more than the mindset intervention. Both theoretical and practical implications for mindset research are discussed.
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Authors’ Contributions
Wang and Binning conceived of the study (i.e., study questions, study design, interpretation of results), participated in the literature review, and drafted the introduction, literature review, and discussion sections; Amemiya supervised the development and implementation of the intervention study, performed the data analysis, participated in the interpretation of the data, and drafted the method and result sections. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available but are available from the corresponding author by request.
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A review conducted by the Institutional Review Board approved the study to be consistent with the protection of the rights and welfare of human subjects and to meet the requirements of the Federal Guidelines. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants 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 was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
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All three authors contributed equally to the article and they shared the first authorship: Kevin Binning, Ming-Te Wang, Jamie Amemiya.
Appendix
Appendix
Examples of Student Testimonials in the Social Belonging Component of the Intervention
School District 1 and 2: “Sometimes it feels like what we’re learning doesn’t really matter. I’m like, ‘How does this even relate to me?’ … I was really bored in class at first. But then I told myself, ‘I need to be here all day every day. I might as well try to get something out of it.’ Now I find ways to be interested in what I’m doing in class. Like, I think about how it relates to my life and my goals.”
School District 2: “When I got to 9th grade, everything felt different. All of my friends were changing and trying to be popular. Honestly, I thought I had to be just like them… I had a hard time finding my real friends. But I realized a lot of people do too. I wish I could tell my 9th grade self, ‘Don’t worry about fitting in! It takes time. Soon you’ll find your group of friends.’”
Writing Exercise 1 Prompt: Struggle Reflection
Write about one challenge that you might be worried about in (7th or 9th) grade. Then, write one way you can work through this challenge.
Writing Exercise 2 Prompt: Saying-Is-Believing
We want to pass on today’s message to (6th or 8th) graders, but we need your help. We’d like you to write a postcard to a (6th or 8th) grader who is nervous about starting (7th grade or high school). Please tell this student about what they can do to overcome a challenge that they might face in (7th or 9th) grade.
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R. Binning, K., Wang, MT. & Amemiya, J. Persistence Mindset among Adolescents: Who Benefits from the Message that Academic Struggles are Normal and Temporary?. J Youth Adolescence 48, 269–286 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-018-0933-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-018-0933-3