abstract: This mixed methods action research dissertation examines the effects of implementing growth mindset teaching practices in third grade math as a means to improve student math self-efficacy, math mindset and student achievement. Since the transition to the Pennsylvania Core Standards, students across the state including those in this district have been experiencing a decrease in math achievement in grades three through eight according to the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) the standardized achievement test all public school students take. Locally, traditional interventions such as worksheets, boxed programs, computer-based programs and extra practice have not yielded gains so this intervention focused on developing growth mindset teaching practices in math to answer four research questions. Framed in Dweck’s Implicit Theories of Personal Attributes (1995), Bandura’s description of self-efficacy (1997) and Hall and Hords’ work with teachers in bridging research into practice (2011), this study used Jo Boaler’s, Mathematical Mindset (2015) in a book study with the third-grade teachers. The dissertation study analyzed pre and post survey data from the third-grade class (n=57) on both mindset and self-efficacy. The study also analyzed pre and post survey data from the teachers (n=2) on mindset along with pre and post intervention interviews with the teachers. Qualitative and quantitative data analysis revealed the intervention had a positive effect on teacher mindsets and practices, a positive effect on student mindsets and a positive effect on student math self-efficacy. While the study did not reveal the intervention to have a positive impact on student achievement at this time, previous research included in the literature review cites improvement in student achievement through developing growth mindset thinking. This gives reason to predict that with more time, these students will experience improved achievement in math. Implications from this study include that we should train all math teachers in incorporating growth mindset practices, and that administrators should build the bridge between research and practice for teachers as they implement new teaching practices in effort to positively affect student performance. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 2019

The purpose of this study was to identify the strategies that school administrators indicate they use to develop and sustain the growth mindset in classroom teachers. The researcher interviewed three administrators from a small, rural county in Virginia to gain understanding of established practices (see Appendix D). Two research questions frame this study: What strategies do Virginia public elementary school administrators use to support and sustain the growth mindset of classroom teachers and how do Virginia public elementary school administrators perceive the importance of developing a growth mindset of classroom teachers? This study seeks to contribute to the body of work completed by Dweck (2006) on fixed and growth mindsets. Additionally, this study will further contribute to the research of Abboud (2019), which explored evidenced-based strategies utilized by building principals in California high schools that supported high-yielding student achievement. An analysis of data revealed important steps that help in the development and sustainability of a growth mindset, as well as suggestions for future research. School divisions and administrators could provide teachers opportunities for growth mindset professional development in support of learning strategies for best practices in teaching. School divisions and administrators benefit when teachers are trained in growth mindset development. In addition, the study found, administrators should form PLCs in schools to provide opportunities for sharing and collaboration amongst peers related to growth mindset. School divisions should encourage administrators in providing timely feedback to teachers and follow up related to developing a growth mindset. / Doctor of Education / The purpose of this study was to identify the strategies that school administrators indicate they use to develop and sustain a growth mindset in classroom teachers. An analysis of this relationship revealed important steps that help in the development and sustainability of a growth mindset. The researcher interviewed three administrators from a small, rural county in Virginia to gain understanding of established practices (see Appendix D). Two research questions frame this study: What strategies do Virginia public elementary school administrators use to support and sustain the growth mindset of classroom teachers and how do Virginia public elementary school administrators perceive the importance of developing a growth mindset of classroom teachers? Data were collected and analyzed to determine themes. Major findings of this research reveal four steps administrators used to support teachers in developing, supporting, and sustaining a growth mindset in classroom teachers, as well as suggestions for future research. School divisions and administrators could ensure teachers are provided opportunities for growth mindset professional development in support of learning strategies for best practices in teaching. School divisions and administrators benefit when teachers are trained in growth mindset development. In addition, the study found, administrators should form PLCs in schools to provide opportunities for sharing and collaboration amongst peers to support a growth mindset. School divisions should encourage administrators in providing timely feedback to teachers and follow up related to developing a growth mindset.

This research explores the relationship between mindsets and divergent thinking skills. Specifically, the research questions sought to answer whether there was a positive association between a higher presence of divergent thinking skills and a creative growth mindset, as well as the impact environment has on creative growth. A total of 184 second and sixth grade students from a larger urban school district were surveyed. Data collection included: student surveys, two divergent thinking assessments, direct observation of the students and teacher notes. Results indicate most students identify with a creative growth mindset, but are lacking specific strategies to demonstrate creative growth. In addition, reflective survey results revealed the impact environment can have in helping students recognize and apply the specific strategies and characteristics highly creative people possess.

Currently, the California Community College system is graduating 2.83% of its first-time freshmen from these two-year institutions in a two-year period of time (CCCCO, 2017). In addition, less than 40% of this same group are graduating in a six-year period of time. This study sought to find commonalities between the students who were in the 2.83%, as well as to learn if these thriving students’ experiences centered on possessing the skill sets of grit (Duckworth, 2007), growth mindset (Dweck, 2006), and vulnerability (Brown, 2006). For this study, thriving students were defined as first-time college students during the fall of 2017, who had a GPA equal to or greater than 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, and who had obtained a minimum of 30 units towards graduation and/or transferring at the time of the study. A sequential explanatory mixed methods approach was used to identify skill sets obtained by thriving community college students who were on track to graduate and transfer in a two-year period of time. First, a 58-question quantitative survey was sent to thriving community college students in a three-college district in southern California. The survey combined questions on the topic of grit, growth mindset, and vulnerability. Three weeks after the online survey closed, 10 students participated in a three-hour focus group based on the same topics. The goal for the focus group was to better understand from the thriving students’ perspective the primary skill sets they possess for academic success. In addition, the participants were asked if these skills could be learned by other students. The results from the survey revealed that grit, growth mindset, and vulnerability were non-significant skill sets in the students’ journey towards graduation and transferring to a four-year school. Conversely, the focus group revealed that all three were major factors in contributing to the academic success of the participants. While the quantitative data was not statistically significant, there were four key elements within the survey which did reveal significance. These key elements aligned with the findings of the qualitative data from the focus group, which revealed eight additional elements thriving students consider significant. The contradictory results were interpreted by the researcher to mean more research on grit, growth mindset, and vulnerability needs to be done at the community college level. However, it is clear that there are key elements embedded within grit, growth mindset, and vulnerability, which could positively impact students towards achieving higher graduation and transfer rates.

Recent scientific evidence shows the incredible potential of the brain to grow and change. Students with a growth mindset view errors and obstacles as opportunities for growth. These students welcome challenges and the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. Although some university instructors are incorporating growth mindset into their lectures, attitudes, and exams in small classes, the traditional exam method used in large lecture undergraduate mathematics classrooms follows a fixed mindset model. The growth mindset structured assessments developed for this study incorporate a testing center portion (matching, short answer, fill in the blank and free response) with structured rework opportunities, a written portion with peer reviews, and a group portion. The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between (1) large lecture college algebra undergraduate growth mindset structured assessments and (2) students’ achievement, drop/fail/withdraw rates, mindsets, and anxiety. This relationship is determined using the final exam scores, the withdraw and fail rates, and the responses from a Likert scale survey and a Qualtrics free response survey. No statistically significant difference in mean final exam scores was found, however, withdrawal and fail rates were lower for the class participating in the growth mindset structured assessments than the control classes. Lower levels of math test anxiety and higher levels of growth mindset were demonstrated in the class participating in the growth mindset structured assessments.

abstract: The purpose of this action research study was to explore the relationship between growth mindset instruction in a community college success class with student academic effort and achievement, among students enrolled in a developmental reading class. Community college students, especially those testing into developmental classes, face numerous obstacles to achieving their goal of completing a college degree. Research supports that students with a growth mindset - a psychological concept grounded in the belief of the malleability of traits such as intelligence - embrace challenges, exert more academic effort, and achieve more. Fourteen students enrolled in a community college participated in this convergent parallel mixed methods study. A mindset survey was administered three times, at the beginning and end of the semester as well as at Week 3 after initial introduction to growth mindset. Descriptive statistics indicated a slight increase in students’ growth mindset scores by the end of the term. An analysis of variance, however, yielded no statistically significant relationship. Correlational analysis of final mindset scores with effort variables indicated an unexpected result – a negative correlation (p<.05) of growth mindset with time in Canvas (the Learning Management System). An ANOVA using a median split for high vs. low mindset scores indicated an unexpectedly significant (p<.05) positive relationship between missing assignments and a high mindset score. Statistical analysis of mindset with achievement yielded no significant relationship. Qualitative results included data from three journal assignments and semi-structured interviews and suggest that these students could comprehend and support most of the tenets of Growth Mindset Theory. While quantitative results were not significant in the expected direction, triangulation with qualitative data indicated that students’ goal orientation may be a factor in the unexpected quantitative results. This study adds to the growing literature on Growth Mindset Theory by extending it to a new and different population, first year community college students, with reading challenges. Further study is needed to clarify the relationships of growth mindset, malleability of intelligence, and goal orientation with academic effort and achievement over a longer period. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 2017

Growth mindset interventions have been shown to give small but significant boosts to mathematics performance. These interventions are both brief and cheap, making them attractive for boosting mathematics performance. Is it possible that South African students can benefit from a growth mindset intervention? Mindset assessments and interventions have predominantly been developed in the United States. There have been applications of the assessments and interventions to other cultural contexts, often with minimal adaptions. Adaptions are not reported in detail (or thoroughly evaluated) in existing research literature. In a series of four studies, I establish that South African high school students do have mathematics mindsets akin to the fixed and growth mindsets reported elsewhere. Using an iterative design process and item analysis, I modified a mathematics mindset assessment for use with disadvantaged students in South Africa. In two correlational studies I established validity and reliability for a mindset assessment I call “Thinking About Maths”. I examined the contribution of mathematics mindsets to mathematics performance, in comparison with mathematics anxiety, study attitude and study milieu (or environment). I found that whilst mindsets do contribute to performance, the contribution is minimal compared to other variables measured. Additionally, I found that in an impoverished study environment males have high mathematics anxiety which inhibits mathematics performance whereas females have high study attitude, boosting mathematics performance. With assistance from students and teachers, I developed a mindset intervention that is culturally appropriate and relevant. 305 Grade 9 students participated in a field-based quasi-experiment, which had a passive control group. The intervention was delivered on WhatsApp over four weeks. Each week contained a growth mindset message, a YouTube clip, advice on a learning strategy, and an integration activity. The groups were facilitated by young adult mentors. It was clear that WhatsApp groups were an effective mode of delivery and there was good evidence of participation from students. Mathematics performance at the intervention school improved significantly beyond that of the control school. The strength of the intervention seems to lie in the combination of mindset messaging and the teaching of effective strategies.

As the demand for programming skills in today’s job market is rapidly increasing for disciplines outside of computing, CS courses have experienced spikes in enrollment for non-majors. Students in disciplines including art, design and biological sciences are now often required to take introductory CS courses. Previous research has shown the role of growth mindset, self-efficacy and relevance in student success within CS but such metrics are largely unknown for non-majors. In this thesis, we surveyed non-majors in CS1 at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo during the early and late weeks of the quarter to gain insights on their growth mindset, their self-efficacy and the perceived relevance of the course to their lives. In our analysis, we discovered that non-majors’ levels of growth mindset and of self-efficacy decreased throughout the duration of CS1 with additional differences by gender. However, non-majors largely found that the material covered in CS1 was highly relevant to their academic and professional careers despite being challenged by it. These findings provide important insights into the experiences of non-majors learning to code and can help better serve a more diverse population of students.

Forskning har länge försökt hjälpa organisationer att bli bättre och förstå vad som gör en organisation eller en person att nå sina mål eller inte. Under Angela Duckworth forskning fann hon att personer som hade förmågan att hålla sig motiverad under längre perioder klarade av en av den svårare officersutbildningen i USA. Det var inte den starkaste, smartaste eller snabbaste kandidaten som klara sig genom alla motgångar. Förmågan att vara motiverad trots motgångar och längre prövningar kallar Duckworth för ”grit”. Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur ledare med grit kan motivera sina medarbetare under längre perioder. Via kvalitativa intervjuer, intervjuades ledare med grit om hur de motiverar sina medarbetare. Materialet analyserades med hjälp av en innehållsanalys. Resultatet av studien visade att det var svårt att avgöra utifrån ett test ifall en person hade hög eller låg grit. Ledare med grit försöker motivera sina medarbetare genom att nå ut till de på ett personligt plan och motivera andra så som ledaren själv blir motiverad. Slutsatser som dragits är att nivån på grit är svår att avgöra med hjälp av ett test, framtida studier hade kunnat undersöka närmare på hur grit testet stämmer överens med hur ledaren agerar i praktiken. / Research has long sought to help organizations get better and understand what makes an organization or person achieve their goals and not. During Angela Duckworth's research, she found that people who could stay motivated for extended periods managed one of the more difficult officer training in the United States. It was not the strongest, smartest, or fastest candidate who managed through all the adversity. Duckworth calls the ability to be motivated despite adversity and prolonged trials "grit". The purpose of the study is to investigate how leaders with grit can motivate their employees. Through qualitative interviews, leaders were interviewed with grit about how they motivate their employees. The material was analyzed using content analysis. The results of the study showed that it was difficult to determine from a test whether a person had high or low grit. Leaders with grit try to motivate their employees by reaching out to them on a personal level and motivating others as the leader himself is motivated. Conclusions drawn are that the level of grit is difficult to determine with the help of a test, future studies could have examined in more detail how the grit test corresponds to how the leader acts in practice.

A qualitative case study was conducted to document 12 employees’ perceptions of thriving in a Fortune 500 Company. The case study enabled the researcher to explore the perceptions of thriving among employees with varying levels of grit and resilience using maximum variation sampling strategy. The grit and resilience of these employees had been previously measured through a 14-item Adversity Quotient (AQ) Profile and a 10-item Grit Gauge (GG) assessment. Through analysis of interviews, concept maps, and a ranking exercise the researcher was able to identify the most critical factors that lead to thriving in the Fortune 500 Company. The factors include: positive connections, support of family, support of co-workers and others, shared passion, a sense of resolve and determination, and time for self and others. Additional findings from the research were documented and recommendations were made for leaders of corporate organizations and for further research.