What is the study about: The paper examines whether students’ perceptions of their STEM professors’ mindset beliefs (growth vs fixed mindset) affect their behavior in class. In Study 1, participants see one of three videos of a professor presenting the course syllabus on the first day of class. In the growth mindset condition, the script includes comments suggesting ability can improve (e.g., the assignments are designed to help students improve their skills). In the fixed mindset condition, it includes comments suggesting ability is innate (e.g., you either have the skills or you don’t). Lastly, in the control condition, there are no mindset comments. Participants then imagine taking the course and rate their anticipated vulnerability (belonging and evaluative concerns), engagement, interest in the course, and course performance.
Suggested number of participants: 100
Can it be conducted online: YES
Mandatory data analyses: one-way ANOVA and mediation analyses
Note: /
The CREP team advice:
Full paper link: https://psycnet.apa.org/manuscript/2020-30956-001.pdf
(The mentors are obliged to read the full paper before committing to the replication)
More information *click*
Participants watch only one of the following videos (randomly assigned):
V1 (Growth mindset): A calculus professor describes the syllabus on the first day of class, with growth mindset comments throughout.
V2 (Fixed mindset): The same professor delivers the same content, with fixed mindset comments throughout.
V3 (Control): The same professor delivers the same content with no mindset comments.
Responses are provided by rating the following (imagining taking this course):
Vulnerability: belonging (5 items, e.g., “How much would you feel that you ‘fit in’ during this class?”) and evaluative concerns (5 items, e.g., “How much would you worry that you might say the wrong thing in class?”)
Engagement (3 items, e.g., “I think I would be willing to put in extra effort if the professor asked me to”)
Interest in the course – 1 item
Anticipated course performance – 1 item
Results obtained in the paper:
Participants anticipated feeling the most vulnerable with the fixed mindset professor, followed by the control, and the growth mindset condition. The same pattern of results is recorded when it comes to the engagement levels (lowest with the fixed mindset professor, highest with the growth mindset professor). Participants expected to be equally disengaged with the fixed mindset and control professors and most engaged with the growth mindset professor. Interest was lowest in the fixed condition, higher in the control, and highest in the growth condition. Anticipated performance was lowest with the fixed mindset professor and similar for the growth and control conditions.