Our Spotlight video series is highlighting each of our network research teams and their projects. In this video, Sarah Gripshover, Ph.D., director of research at the PERTS Lab, describes the Growth Mindset project.

Research has found that college students taking developmental or gateway courses often fail to complete them or attain a degree. The Growth Mindset project is evaluating whether a 30-minute online module that describes what a growth mindset is can improve the persistence and academic success of students enrolled in developmental or gateway mathematics courses at community colleges.

A growth mindset is the belief that intelligence is something a person can develop through deliberate effort and practice. This mindset has been shown to correlate with positive academic behaviors and to increase resilience and persistence. In the online module, students read an article explaining how brain functioning improves when people confront new challenges, engage multiple learning strategies, and seek out advice. Students then complete several writing activities to internalize the article’s message.

The Growth Mindset team is partnering with 17 open- and broad-access community colleges in California and Indiana. Participating students are randomly assigned to complete either the growth mindset module or a module describing the structures of the brain.