RESEARCH BRIEF

Growth mindset
thinking and beliefs in
teaching and learning
Jessica N. Jacovidis, PhD
Ross C. Anderson, PhD
Paul T. Beach, MPA
Kristine L. Chadwick, PhD
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Introduction
This policy paper presents findings from a wide range of This research brief, which was extracted from the full paper,
literature on growth mindset in primary and secondary highlights high-level findings. To learn more, please refer to the
education. Part 1 of the full paper describes key insights full policy paper.
from research on growth mindset. Part 2 presents promising
practices to improving students’ growth mindset beliefs and
thinking. Part 3 provides recommendations for IB stakeholders,
meant to strengthen and reinforce the IB programme’s
potential to facilitate student growth mindset thinking across
contexts.

What is growth mindset? mixed. The mixed findings illustrate how the beliefs we carry, even
those that may be unsupported by facts, are powerful, sensitive
Every person carries a mindset, or implicit view, about the nature to context, triggered by circumstances and others, and often
and origin of their own ability, and the ability of others. Mindset stubborn and difficult to change. Notable findings about growth
beliefs and thinking exist on a continuum, ranging from fixed mindset include:
mindset at one end to growth mindset at the other end. Students
holding a fixed mindset, or entity beliefs, about their ability • Mindset and academic achievement: Growth mindset beliefs
and the ability of others believe that intelligence and abilities have been found to predict higher academic achievement
are innate and unalterable. Students with a growth mindset, or in a number of studies; however, meta-analytic research has
incremental theories, believe that intelligence and abilities are found a weak relationship between growth mindset and
malleable and can be developed with effort. However, students academic achievement. This weak relationship may be due to
rarely hold one mindset, exclusively, in all circumstances. They few interventions meeting the accepted standards for rigor
typically exhibit a moderate mindset, where they may hold required to show an impact on achievement.
beliefs that fit into some aspects of a fixed mindset and some • Benefits of growth mindsets: Some evidence suggests
aspects of growth mindset, depending on the context and skill growth mindset can have a positive effect on students beyond
area (Dweck, 2006). academic achievement, including more positive attitudes
towards school, higher academic confidence and psychological
well-being, increased motivation and school engagement, and
higher academic resilience and persistence.
Why does growth mindset matter in • Mindset across student groups: The relationship between
growth mindset and achievement has been examined and
education? supported for key student groups, including students with
disabilities, gifted students, and students from marginalized
Students’ interpret their environment through the lens of their socioeconomic backgrounds. Results suggest academically
beliefs and perceptions. Students’ beliefs are shaped by their at-risk students and economically disadvantaged students may
experiences and by cues they receive through their interactions benefit most from growth mindset interventions.
with others around them—parents, teachers, coaches, mentors, • Mindset across developmental periods: Mindset theory
and peers. Students’ beliefs about intelligence can lead them to has not linked the onset of implicit beliefs to a specific
interpret day-to-day classroom experiences as either threatening developmental period, some research suggests that mindsets
and indicative of a deficit in ability (fixed mindset) or exciting and are particularly influential during challenging academic
indicative of a potential for development (growth mindset). transitions, such as from primary into middle grades and
throughout adolescence.
• Mindset across global contexts: Studies have demonstrated
a positive relationship between mindset and academic
What does the research say about achievement in a number of countries, including Australia,
China, Chile, England, Norway, Turkey, South Africa, and the
mindset theory? U.S. Further, recent PISA results support the idea that students’
growth mindset resulted in better academic performance,
Mindset theory suggests that implicit beliefs about intelligence with only 4 out of 70 participating education systems showing
play a critical role in academic achievement; however, the link no relationship or a negative relationship between growth
between growth mindset and academic achievement has been mindset and academic performance.
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How do growth mindset, metacognition, leaders, teachers, families, and students. These examples provide
concrete actions that can be taken to facilitate growth mindset
and academic resilience work together? in students. Finally, four effective programs are described to
highlight characteristics of effective growth mindset interventions:
Given the recent increase in attention around social and
emotional learning in education, the IB commissioned three • Brainology: Mindset Works Brainology and SchoolKit support
policy papers focused on key interrelated social and emotional growth mindset development of school staff and students.
learning topics that are most closely aligned to the work of • Changing mindsets: The Changing Mindsets program in the
IB: metacognition, growth mindset, and academic resilience. UK focuses on both teachers and students and demonstrated
Research illustrates how these three factors work together in modest gains in student academic performance.
teaching and learning. Failure, setbacks, and mistakes are a • World Bank’s growth mindset program: Online growth
natural and inevitable aspect of school and academic learning. mindset training for South African students improved attitudes
Adaptive responses to the stress of setbacks draw on growth toward learning and academic performance.
mindset thinking about ability, the metacognitive knowledge and • Denmark’s reading intervention: A parent growth mindset
skills to make adjustments and be strategic, and the academic intervention in Denmark improved student reading abilities,
resilience to persevere with confidence, composure, and control. particularly among students whose parents had held fixed
mindsets.
Metacognition skills may be critical for learners to implement a
growth mindset when stressed and to manage emotions when Given that growth mindset has largely developed through
failure makes them want to quit. When teachers message and research with Western cultures, the policies, practices, and
model a growth mindset in the face of setbacks in their own programs reviewed here are heavily influenced by Western
learning, they illustrate a self-regulatory process that underpins culture and may not be received in the same way when
the academic resilience students need in their own lives. implemented with other cultures. As such, it is important to
Recognizing one’s fixed mindset dialogue and adjusting to make consider cultural norms and expectations and inquire within your
room for growth mindset thinking is a metacognitive process that own school whether adaptations are needed to the presented
sets the stage for academic resilience. Goal-setting and consistent policies, practices, and programs to be successful in your
reflection on progress toward those goals are also important particular context.
metacognitive processes that influence growth mindset and,
in turn, academic resilience. Goals emphasize the link between
effort, strategy, and progress in learning. Reciprocally, mindset
beliefs and thinking will influence how teachers and students use What do we recommend for IB
metacognitive knowledge and skills. It is important to understand
how these three factors of growth mindset, metacognition, and stakeholders?
academic resilience interact in typical academic experiences across
grade levels and content areas. They do not function in isolation. This section presents recommendations for IB, educators (school
leaders and teachers), and parents and students interested in
integrating growth mindset thinking and beliefs in their personal
and professional lives. It is important to recognize that growth
What policies, practices, and programs mindset, as a concept, can be somewhat controversial. However,
the recommendations provided here, while directed at improving
support growth mindset? growth mindset, also may improve similar skills (e.g., self-efficacy,
attribution, goal orientation, locus of control) and are generally
Approaches to facilitating growth mindset thinking and considered best practices in education.
beliefs vary widely from large-scale government policies and
international education programs to discrete classroom practices.
This brief covers policies, practices, and programs developed in Recommendations for the IB organization
K–12 education around the world to support growth mindset
development in students and the educational stakeholders The IB has a number of supports in place for facilitating growth
that support them. Although the direct effects of policy on the mindset in school leaders, teachers, and students. These
growth mindset of teachers and students has not been studied, recommendations are intended to strengthen and reinforce
examples of philanthropic organizations, research centers, growth mindset beliefs and thinking into programme curricula by
education agencies, and specific schools are described to making it explicit. However, whether IB wants to specifically frame
illustrate implementation of initiatives to support growth mindset these recommendations as directed at improving growth mindset
development in students. The importance of establishing grading or incorporate the recommendations more broadly, as promising
and testing policies that support growth mindset is also covered. practices for social and emotional learning, is less important than
Additionally, specific promising practices are explored for school whether they are implemented.
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• Recommendation 1: Consider explicitly incorporating growth Recommendations for IB parents

mindset beliefs and thinking in IB’s Approaches to Learning
• Recommendation 2: Consider directly embedding growth Parents establish the foundations for student mindsets. Thus,
mindset modeling and messaging into IB programme resources it is important for parents to foster growth mindset beliefs and
• Recommendation 3: Provide guidance for schools to develop thinking in their children from a young age. Parents should
a school culture that supports growth mindset beliefs and consider whether these approaches align with their specific
thinking parenting styles and whether these strategies would work with
• Recommendation 4: Provide a compendium of growth their individual child’s personality.
mindset professional learning opportunities and resources for
school leaders and teachers • Recommendation 11: Model growth mindset behavior and
• Recommendation 5: Consider providing resources for parents language

Recommendations for IB school leaders and teachers Recommendations for IB students

School leaders and teachers are at the heart of facilitating growth Although students receive messages about their abilities from
mindset thinking in their students. In many instances, school others, students are ultimately responsible for which messages
leaders and teachers may already be engaged in activities that they accept and for changing their thought processes.
support growth mindset thinking. These recommendations
are intended to refine and strengthen existing processes and • Recommendation 12: Identify fixed mindset triggers and
practices, as well as introduce some new processes and practices respond with growth mindset thinking and actions
that school leaders and teachers may consider to more explicitly
address growth mindset beliefs and thinking.

• Recommendation 6: Consider cultural norms and expectations

prior to implementing a growth mindset initiative
• Recommendation 7: Consider a systems approach for growth
mindset initiatives
• Recommendation 8: Build a school culture and classroom
environment that supports growth mindset thinking
• Recommendation 9: Model growth mindset behavior and
language
• Recommendation 10: Consider explicitly teaching students
about the brain

Conclusion
Even with mixed research findings, growth mindset has been the complex nature of growth mindset and the competing
widely accepted by educators, incorporated in educational sources of information that shape students’ mindset
policies, and implemented emphatically in classrooms across beliefs, it is unrealistic to expect a single growth mindset
the world with students of all ages. Although future research intervention to result in enormous shifts in student beliefs
is needed on the effects of systematic growth mindset about their intelligence or their academic achievement,
interventions, there appears to be some evidence that, when especially if nothing else changes in the school and classroom
implemented correctly, growth mindset interventions can environment. However, consistent and comprehensive efforts
have meaningful effects on teachers, parents, and students. across the community of support for students could result in
However, these effects may not have a lasting impact. Given substantial, long-term benefits and sustained effects over time.

This research brief was extracted from the full policy paper. A copy of the full paper is available at: www.ibo.org/en/research/. For more information on this study or other IB
research, please email research@ibo.org.

To cite the full policy paper, please use the following: Jacovidis, JN, Anderson, RC, Beach, PT and Chadwick, KL. 2020. Growth mindset thinking and beliefs in teaching and learning.
Bethesda, MD, USA. International Baccalaureate Organization.