This US-based study examined pupil and teacher attitudes to growth mindset, focusing on measures of three constructs: growth mindset, performance avoidance and academic behaviours. It may be useful to educators with an interest in this area.
Growth mindset, performance avoidance, and academic behaviors in Clark County School District
Synopsis
Examining evidence and theories around academic mindsets, this report suggests that there is an important role for teachers and peers in generating, supporting, and reinforcing these attitudes and beliefs.
The study addressed pupil and teacher attitudes towards growth mindsets (beliefs about the malleability of ability and the payoff for student effort), performance avoidance (hiding one’s effort or refraining from making an effort due to concerns of failure or embarrassment), and academic behaviours (such as completing homework and participating in class) in Nevada’s Clark County School District.
It found that most pupils held beliefs that were consistent with a growth mindset, and that their reported levels of growth mindset, performance avoidance, and academic behaviours differed significantly by grade level, prior academic achievement, English learner status, and race/ethnicity. By contrast, for the most part teachers’ beliefs did not vary significantly according to the characteristics of the pupils in their schools.