The problem studied was the poor academic achievement of middle school students in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Research indicates that a growth mindset positively affects a student's academic achievement and motivation to learn. However, despite the importance of mindset in fostering student success and enhancing learning, mindset remains underexplored in the CNMI. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to fill this gap in knowledge by investigating teachers' knowledge, perceptions, and practices concerning mindset in the CNMI. Three research questions examined teachers' knowledge and perceptions of mindset in the CNMI and how teachers described and demonstrated the use of mindset in their practices. Dweck's seminal work on mindset served as the conceptual framework. Social constructivism guided the study process. Qualitative data were collected from 15 purposively sampled teachers at a local CNMI middle school. Data were analyzed through categorization and codification, from which emerging themes were used to answer research questions. Results indicated that teachers in the local middle school have limited knowledge and inaccurate perceptions regarding the mindset concept. Accordingly, the analysis recommended the need for and served as the basis for the design of a professional development workshop about mindset for teachers throughout the CNMI to enhance teacher instruction and improve student learning, thus promoting positive social change.

This study is an investigation of the correlation between Grade 9 students’ self-theories of their intelligence and their tendency for intellectual engagement. Individuals have been shown to self-identify, with respect to their self-theories of intelligence as either entity theorists (who think of their own intelligence as fixed and fairly unchangeable), or incremental theorists (who think of their intelligence as malleable and able to be increased over time). Previous research has shown that individuals have a strong tendency to self-select one or the other of these theoretical frameworks. This study examined the correlation of this identification with individuals’ tendency to become intellectually engaged in their learning. Other demographic factors were also explored. A moderate correlation between students’ self-theory of their intelligence and their tendency for intellectual engagement was demonstrated. In this study, female students showed a higher proportion of an incremental self-theory of intelligence than males. Implications for educational leadership and classroom planning and instruction were explored

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