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Visible Learning™
Visible Learning MetaX™
Version 1.4 – Updated February 2026

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: 8
  • Number of studies: 398
  • Number of students: 985,196
  • Number of effects: 745
  • Weighted mean effect size: 0.14
  • Robustness index: 4

Meta-Analyses

Meta-Analyses
Journal Title Author 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 Mind-sets matter: A meta-analytic review of implicit theories and self-regulation 2013 Incremental vs. entity thinking 32 51,676 110 0.09
Psychological Science Sisk, Burgoyne, Sun, Butler, & Macnamara 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
Psychological Science Sisk, Burgoyne, Sun, Butler, & Macnamara 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
Frontiers in Psychology Costa & Faria Implicit theories of intelligence and academic achievement: A meta-analysis 2018 Incremental vs. entity thinking 46 412,022 94 0.14
Pedagogical Research Seo A meta-analysis of the relationship between grit and related variables. 2019 Growth mindsets 42 NA 42 0.28
Psychological Bulletin Burnette, Billingsley, Banks, Knouse, Hoyt, Pollack, & Simon A systematic review and meta-analysis of growth mindset interventions: For whom, how, and why might such interventions work? 2022 Growth mindsets 53 NA 110 0.09
Psychological Bulletin Macnamara & Burgoyne Do Growth Mindset Interventions Impact Students' Academic Achievement? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis With Recommendations for Best Practices. 2022 Growth mindsets 63 97,672 63 0.05
Educational Psychology Review Bardach, Bostwick, Futterer, Kopatz, Hobbi, Klassen, & Pietschnig A meta-analysis on teachers' growth mindset. 2024 Teacher mindsets on student achievement 10 756 10 -0.08
TOTAL/AVERAGE 398 985,196 745 0.11
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