11-2018 Mindset , Perseverance , and Learning

209 junior school students, ranging from year four to year six, and their nine teachers participated in this study that explored how the psychological factors of growth mindset: the belief in one’s ability to learn and succeed, selfcontrol: the ability to resist temptation and remain focused on a goal, and grit: applying passion and perseverance for long term goals, impact junior school students’ academic achievement. This study found that growth mindset, selfcontrol and grit can all play a part in helping students to achieve academically in primary schools. The two factors, grit and growth mindset were found to have a direct, significant influence on academic achievement. Grittier students were more likely to outperform their peers in academic achievement. Students with a higher growth mindset were also more likely to outperform their peers. Growth mindset had a significant positive relationship with grit. Although the present study did not find a significant difference in grit based on gender, the structured equation model indicated that boys had a significant direct link to grit, but girls compensated through the significant indirect link to grit via self-control. The present study found a highly positive correlation between self-control and grit. Students with higher levels of self-control were more likely to exhibit higher levels of grit. Introduction To thrive in today’s rapidly changing, technology driven world, individuals may require a different skill set than in the past. Manual labour and low skilled jobs are gradually being replaced by technology. Many jobs now require analytical and interpersonal skills and the ability to solve unstructured problems (World Economic Forum, 2015, p. 1). The fastchanging nature of the world has caused many students to become anxious and levels of student wellbeing have declined (Oster, Pearson, De Iure, McDonald & Wu, 2017). Addressing these changes are placing greater demands on education and require us, as educators, to re-evaluate current approaches in education. Many educational stakeholders recognise the need to better prepare students for the future, improve their wellbeing, and improve students’ 21st century skills, but achieving this in practice can be challenging (Barry, Clarke and Dowling, 2017). Current curriculum delivery, assessment and reporting models focus on all students receiving the same prescribed year level knowledge and skills (Department of Education and Training, 2018, p. 28) and often the focus is on academic achievement (Gonski, 2018). What may be required is a shift in focus. What if we could work to improve student wellbeing and in doing so increase students’ academic achievement. A growing body of research has examined how psychological factors, that are key to student wellbeing, influence student’s academic achievement. These factors include the way students view themselves, their feelings towards school and their self-regulating behaviours. These attributes have the potential to impact students’ experience and achievement in school and improve core academic outcomes such as GPA and test scores (Dweck, Walton & Cohen, 2011). While the inclusion of General Capabilities within the Australian Curriculum has been positive, it is recognised that teachers need more support and training to effectively embed psychological skills in the classroom (Department of Education and Training, 2018, p.27). Identifying the factors What are the psychological factors that can influence learning and achievement in the classroom? Current research indicates that student’s core beliefs about intelligence, and their belief in their ability to change, can have a powerful effect on motivation, learning and academic achievement (Dweck, 2017, p. 7). These beliefs are called mindsets (Farrington, Roderick, Allensworth, Nagaoka, Keyes, Johnson, & Beechum 2012, p.28) and two distinct mindsets have been identified. TEACHR TEACH Journal 12-2.indd 43 26/3/19 10:09 pm 44 | TEACH | v12 n2 v12 n2 | TEACH | 45 Research & Scholarship ” “create a “growthmindsetfriendly environment’ where students are safe from judgement and encouraged to take risks in their learning Growth or fixed mindset A growth mindset is founded on the belief that one’s abilities can be developed through effort, training and experience. This mindset can motivate individuals to stretch beyond their current abilities, to learn and overcome challenges along the way (Dweck, 2017, p. 15). On the other hand, individuals with a fixed mindset perceive ability and intelligence as unchangeable and a reflection on their self-worth. For them success is more than appearing smart or talented. Sucess focuses on perfect performance (Dweck, 2017, p. 31). While students with a fixed mindset may avoid challenges and potential failure, those with a growth mindset are more likely to take risks and overcome setbacks. It is a child’s mindset that defines the way children perceive themselves which often determines the direction of their learning (Haimovitz & Dweck, 2017, p. 1849). Dweck encourages teachers to create a “growth-mindset-friendly environment’ (p. 217) where students are safe from judgement and encouraged to take risks in their learning knowing teachers are committed to their success. Self-control Self-control is another important psychological factor that can influence learning. Self-control can be defined as the ability to regulate attention, emotion and behaviour in order to resist temptation and achieve an enduring, valued goal (Duckworth & Gross, 2014, p. 319). Longitudinal studies indicate that higher levels of self-control earlier in life are linked with desirable life outcomes including higher academic success (Duckworth & Carlson, 2013; Mischel, 2014), prosocial behaviour (Eisenberg et al., 2009), employment, earnings, savings, and physical health (Moffitt, et al, 2011). School-age children regularly encounter situations, which call upon self-control. For example, the increased use of technology and internet can mean that young people may become easily distracted whilst failing to maintain sustained focus and concentration (Webster & Ryan, 2014). In this instance, the ability to self-control, and prioritise attention to task, may be the difference between success and failure (Duckworth & Seligman, 2017). Grit Whilst self-control is about short-term behaviours and goals, ‘Grit’ can be defined as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals” (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007, p. 1087). Grit requires continuous hard work, persistence in overcoming setbacks and single-minded focus over many years. Gritty individuals persist in their quest to succeed despite setbacks, absence of positive rewards, boredom and slow progress. Whilst self-control and grit are highly correlated (Duckworth et al., 2007) they differ significantly in nature and achievement outcomes. This means individuals with high levels of self-control may resist daily temptation to achieve a valued goal but may lack passion and long-term perseverance for a single superordinated goal. It is not surprising that selfcontrol is more strongly linked with everyday success while grit is more strongly connected with outstanding achievement that may take many years or even a lifetime to achieve (Duckworth & Gross, 2014, pp. 322-323). Self-control and grit have been shown to positively influence academic performance (Tangney, Baumeister, & Boone, 2004; Farrington et al., 2012, p.22). Duckworth and colleagues conducted a longitudinal study on a group of military cadets to test the relationship between self-control and grit on grades. The results indicated a stronger relationship between grades and self-control than grades and grit (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007). Can we teach these factors in the classroom? Growth mindset, self-control and grit can positively influence learning in the classroom, but, are these factors malleable and can teachers grow these factors in students? A growth mindset can be taught through face-to-face workshops (Blackwell, Trzesniewski, & Dweck, 2007) and online programs (Yeager, Romero, et al., 2016). Research indicates that intervention programs have led to significant improvements in academic outcomes, particularly for students facing challenging situations or learning difficulties (Paunesku et al., 2015; Yeager Romero, et al., 2016; Yeager Walton, et al., 2016). Despite the domain specific nature of self-control, research suggests several general teachable strategies to improve selfcontrol in school-aged children (Duckworth, Gendler & Gross, 2014, p. 201). While students possess different innate tendencies to persevere, the degree to which they apply effort in a task varies over time and in different situations (Farrington et al., 2012, p. 23-24). This application is largely dependent upon classroom context, students use of strategies to complete a task, as well as their cognitive skills (Dweck, Walton & Cohen, 2011). Teachers can help students develop academic perseverant behaviours including: persisting in learning activities, completing large projects and overcoming challenges when schoolwork becomes difficult (Farrington et al., 2012, p. 25). Teachers do this by setting high standards and creating learning tasks that require students to stretch beyond their current capacity (Dweck et al., 2011, p. 22). Duckworth and fellow researchers (2007) suggest that grit is largely a stable personality trait that remains constant throughout time and context. It’s TEACH Journal 12-2.indd 44 26/3/19 10:09 pm 44 | TEACH | v12 n2 v12 n2 | TEACH | 45 Research & Scholarship