A Meta-analysis of the relationship between growth mindset and grit

Abstract

Growth mindset is one of the popular educational constructs with strong empirical ties to students' motivation and persistence in the academic context, which has been empirically linked to students' grit. Although a growing body of research suggests that growth mindset and grit are related in nuanced ways, a comprehensive and detailed portrait of this connection is needed to better understand how growth mindset is linked to grit. In this study, we systematically reviewed empirical research on growth mindset and grit among student population. Sixty-six eligible studies involving a total of 42,112 participants were examined. Using the robust variance estimation, we found that the correlations of growth mindset with grit/its facets were generally medium to strong (ρoverall grit = 0.19; ρinterest = 0.20; and ρeffort = 0.24, respectively). The p-curve analysis results suggested that cumulative studies contained evidential value (p < .001). We also investigated 11 potential moderators using meta-regression (covering study, participant, and measurement characteristics), and no significant moderators were observed in the associations between growth mindset and either facet of effort. A stronger growth mindset–overall grit association was observed in a collectivistic context. We concluded with a discussion of heterogeneity, limitations, and implications of meta-analyses.

Keywords

• Grit
• Growth mindset
• meta-analysis
• Moderator