Secondary teachers' perspectives on sustaining growth mindset concepts in instruction

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore perspectives of secondary (9–12) teachers on how to sustain growth mindset concepts within instructional practices as well as identifying barriers to sustainment. Design/methodology/approach – This study employed an exploratory case study to obtain the lived experiences of participants. An inductive analysis process was utilized on the data collected through structured interviews and a semi-structured focus group. Findings – Four major themes emerged from an in-depth analysis process: embed growth mindset practices in daily classroom instruction, communicate verbal affirmations and implement growth mindset learning tasks, allow students to experience academic successes and failures and teachers should receive continual support. Research limitations/implications – The study was limited to secondary grades (9–12). Therefore, it is recommended to expand the study to grades K-8. Originality/value – Due to a gap in the literature, this study provided insights into sustaining an innovative psychological approach, growth mindset, within academic instruction. Growth mindset concepts have been supported through the work of seminal researcher Carol Dweck and other prevalent educational researchers (e.g. Robert Marzano) to provide teachers with effective classroom instructional practices that can academically progress students.

Keywords

• instruction
• education
• academic progression
• effort(s)
• mindset (growth and fixed)