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Version 1.2 – Updated June 2023

Growth vs. fixed mindsets

Overview

  • Influence: Growth vs. fixed mindsets
  • Domain: Student
  • Sub-Domain: Perseverance and confidence
  • Potential to Accelerate Student Achievement: Likely to have a small positive impact
  • Influence Definition: People with a growth mindset believe that they can develop their abilities through study and practice, while those with a fixed mindset believe that they have a certain amount of innate ability that cannot be altered.

Evidence

  • Number of meta-analyses: 5
  • Number of studies: 325
  • Number of students: 863,309
  • Number of effects: 565
  • Weighted mean effect size: 0.19
  • Robustness index: 4

Meta-Analyses

Meta-Analyses
Journal Title Author First Author's Country Article Name Year Published Variable Number of Studies Number of Students Number of Effects Effect Size
Psychological Bulletin Burnette, O'Boyle, van Epps, Pollack & Finkel USA Mind-sets matter: A meta-analytic review of implicit theories and self-regulation 2013 Incremental vs. entity thinking 85 28,217 113 0.19
Psychological Science Sisk, Burgoyne, Sun, Butler, & Macnamara USA To What Extent and Under Which Circumstances Are Growth Mind-Sets Important to Academic Achievement? Two Meta-Analyses 2018 Growth mindsets 123 365,915 273 0.20
Pedagogical Research Seo Korea A meta-analysis of the relationship between grit and related variables. 2019 Growth mindsets 42 0 42 0.28
Frontiers in Psychology Costa & Faria Portugal Implicit theories of intelligence and academic achievement: A meta-analysis 2018 Incremental vs. entity thinking 46 412,022 94 0.14
Psychological Science Sisk, Burgoyne, Sun, Butler, & Macnamara USA To What Extent and Under Which Circumstances Are Growth Mind-Sets Important to Academic Achievement? Two Meta-Analyses 2018 Growth mindsets interventions 29 57,155 43 0.08
TOTAL/AVERAGE 325 863,309 565 0.18
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