Exploring strategies that foster a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset in previously high attaining secondary school Mathematics students

The aim of this study is to explore strategies that might foster a 'growth' rather than a fixed mindset in previously high attaining mathematics students. Literature suggests that previously high attaining students may be subject to maladaptive responses to both success and failure depending on their mindsets, goal orientation and attributions. Students can exhibit learned helplessness or self-protection when faced with increased levels of challenge.
The desirability of a growth mindset was introduced to staff and students throughout the whole school. Strategies intended to encourage a growth mindset were discussed by me and a colleague and with 59 top set year 9 students over a 5 month period. Questionnaires and interviews of students and teachers provided qualitative and quantitative data that illuminated interpretations of growth mindsets and perceptions of strategies intended to promote them. The results showed that the introduction of entirely formative assessment was a useful cue for clarifying implicit theories of intelligence. Teachers were prompted to deliver relevant attribution retraining through process specific, non-ego involving, strategy feedback based on individual student perspectives. The students often described “intelligence” as an inherent aptitude that could be enhanced by their efforts to improve. Their personal observations conflicted with their interpretation of the growth mindset questionnaire items. This conflict was often explained by their goal orientation and their definition of what intelligence actually is. The main findings of this study are that as well as overt strategies that teach the malleability of intelligence to change teacher and student mindsets continued subtle exposure to experiences which demonstrate that intelligence is unstable and controllable is possible. To prevent alienation of students, this should include acknowledgement that although normative comparisons will reveal different starting points for individuals, attention to honest strategy feedback will lead to improved attainment. Practices such as grading and ego-involving praise can to be avoided if replaced with specific feedback and this promotes learning goals. Essentially teachers and students need to understand that improved attainment is not just achievable through increasing knowledge but through improving processing as well.
The aim of this study is to explore strategies that might foster a 'growth' rather than a fixed mindset in previously high attaining mathematics students. Literature suggests that previously high attaining students may be subject to maladaptive responses to both success and failure depending on their mindsets, goal orientation and attributions. Students can exhibit learned helplessness or self-protection when faced with increased levels of challenge.
The desirability of a growth mindset was introduced to staff and students throughout the whole school. Strategies intended to encourage a growth mindset were discussed by me and a colleague and with 59 top set year 9 students over a 5 month period. Questionnaires and interviews of students and teachers provided qualitative and quantitative data that illuminated interpretations of growth mindsets and perceptions of strategies intended to promote them. The results showed that the introduction of entirely formative assessment was a useful cue for clarifying implicit theories of intelligence. Teachers were prompted to deliver relevant attribution retraining through process specific, non-ego involving, strategy feedback based on individual student perspectives. The students often described “intelligence” as an inherent aptitude that could be enhanced by their efforts to improve. Their personal observations conflicted with their interpretation of the growth mindset questionnaire items. This conflict was often explained by their goal orientation and their definition of what intelligence actually is. The main findings of this study are that as well as overt strategies that teach the malleability of intelligence to change teacher and student mindsets continued subtle exposure to experiences which demonstrate that intelligence is unstable and controllable is possible. To prevent alienation of students, this should include acknowledgement that although normative comparisons will reveal different starting points for individuals, attention to honest strategy feedback will lead to improved attainment. Practices such as grading and ego-involving praise can to be avoided if replaced with specific feedback and this promotes learning goals. Essentially teachers and students need to understand that improved attainment is not just achievable through increasing knowledge but through improving processing as well.

Keywords: MLT
Mathematics
MLT2015