Fixed vs Growth Mindset

By: Julia Donnelly

The growth mindset is the belief that humans can grow and that they’re not in a fixed

state, and this is the pathway to develop minds. Taking on this mindset helps students to realize their potential, teaches them how to grow that mind, and proves that anyone can succeed. This is why the growth mindset should be integrated into students.

Oftentimes, students believe that there isn’t a way for them to succeed past what they’ve

already learned, that their growth can't go past a certain point and not worth the effort. This

belief in something is the one usually lived out, if one believes they are in a fixed state they are, but if they believe they have the potential to grow, they will.

“People can believe that a particular attribute, such as intelligence or personality, is

simply fixed. Or they can believe that it can be shaped and developed,” Dweck, C.S., author of Mindsets: A View From Two Eras. Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the

Association for Psychological Science, states. A lifestyle is based on one’s beliefs, and if

someone believes they are the most confident person in the world, they will start living that truth out loud. The same goes for mindsets you take on. When a human believes they can do something, truly believes that reality is more likely to happen versus their belief that they won’t amount to anything. When a person tells themselves something, it has the ability to become an inherent belief, and they start living in a way where that is exemplified. That is why it is important that everyone believes in themselves, and looks at research to prove it. L.B. Limeri, author of Growing a growth mindset: characterizing how and why undergraduate students’ mindsets change, states, “The extent to which students view their intelligence as improvable (i.e., their “mindset”) influences students’ thoughts, behaviors, and ultimately their academic success. Thus, understanding the development of students’ mindsets is of great interest to education scholars working to understand and promote student success.” Students who believe that their intelligence is improvable are more likely to take on challenges, persist, and try new things. “Mindset influences goals, how students respond to difficulty, and thus their behaviors and outcomes. Shows belief → behavior → result,” (Limeri, L.B.). This is the significance of the growth mindset, it helps students, and many others, find their true potential. Once potential is found, the challenge is now to learn how to grow their mind.

Once there is an understanding that intelligence is improvable, these students can shift

their focus to creating good habits that support their growth. This starts with awareness, students change their focus to the process rather than the outcome, and they view challenges as opportunities. They learn from their mistakes and they aren’t afraid anymore. JL Burnette, author of A systematic review and meta-analysis of growth mindset interventions: For whom, how, and why might such interventions work? Psychol Bull, states, “Results highlighted the extensive variation in effects to be expected from future interventions. Namely, 95% prediction intervals for focal effects ranged from -0.08 to 0.35 for academic achievement and from 0.07 to 0.57 for mental health.” This quote supports that the growth mindset works, but it is not magic, effort and consistency need to be met for the best results. This plants a seed of belief in students, when they put effort and consistency into the growth mindset their confidence has the ability to be boosted. Once there is belief, there will be the courage and confidence for action. Because there is now belief and courage in oneself, success becomes more probable for anyone.

No matter the circumstances, a growth mindset can be achieved through hard work,

belief, and effort. D.S. Yeager, author of A national experiment reveals where a growth mindset improves achievement states,” A short online growth-mindset intervention improved grades among lower-achieving students, especially when peer/mindset norms aligned,” students who struggled with their grades were able to make an impact on their GPA with the growth mindset.To go along with that, where the growth mindset is encouraged and supported most is where the students flourish tremendously (Yeager). This shows that no matter the circumstances, there is always a chance to grow. The best environment for these students to take this on would be one with many supporters because this has the ability to clear a pathway for them. Students need to start telling themselves “they can” instead of “nothing will change” because their words become their actions and their actions become their future. It’s important as peers, teachers, friends, and

parents to help develop this mindset in their own lives and the lives of others to see all around success for loved ones. Helping students realize their potential, helping them to grow in it, and showing them that they can succeed will save the next generation coming.

By realizing their potential, creating belief, and understanding that improvement can

happen for anyone, student success can shoot up in amazing ways. It transforms the personal and academic life, grows and challenges their minds, and alters long-term success