About the Intervention
Growth Mindset Intervention is a short (less than one hour), online intervention that teaches students that intellectual abilities can be developed through effort, trying new strategies, and seeking help when appropriate. The intervention targets ninth-grade students (age 14-15 years) in the United States during their transition to secondary school. It consists of two self-administered online sessions lasting approximately 25 minutes each, delivered roughly 20 days apart during regular school hours. The intervention communicates that the brain is like a muscle that grows stronger through rigorous learning experiences, using neuroscience content, reflection exercises, and having students teach the concept to a hypothetical struggling ninth-grader. The intervention aims to reduce negative effort beliefs, fixed-trait attributions, and performance avoidance goals. No teacher training is required as the intervention is self-administered online.
Statistical Findings
Positive effect: on core course GPAs among lower-achieving students
Positive effect: on mathematics and science GPAs among lower-achieving students
Positive effect: on advanced mathematics course enrollment in tenth grade for all students
Positive effect: on reducing poor performance rates (GPAs below 2.0) among lower-achieving students
More Intervention Details
Focus Areas
Drop-OutsPrograms & Services
General EducationDelivery Methods
Online – AsynchronousDisability Support
N/ATarget Groups
Student(s)Citation
Buontempo, J., Carvalho, C. M., Crosnoe, R., Duckworth, A. L., Dweck, C. S., Ferguson, R., Flint, K., Gopalan, M., Hahn, P. R., Hanselman, P., Hinojosa, C. P., Hulleman, C. S., Iachan, R., Mhatre, P., Muller, C., Murray, J. S., Paunesku, D., Roberts, A., Romero, C., Schneider, B., Tipton, E., Trott, J., Walton, G. M., Yang, S. M. & Yeager, D. S. (2019). A national experiment reveals where a growth mindset improves achievement (s41586_019_1466_y). ERIC. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1466-y.
Study Demographics
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Participant Race
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Participant Gender
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Other Participant Characteristics
Geographical Setting
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