School underachievement is a persistent problem in the United States. Direct-to-student, computer... more School underachievement is a persistent problem in the United States. Direct-to-student, computer-delivered growth-mindset interventions have shown promise as a way to improve achievement for students at risk of failing in school; however, these interventions benefit only students who happen to be in classrooms that support growth-mindset beliefs. Here, we tested a teacher-delivered growth-mindset intervention for U.S. adolescents in Grades 6 and 7 that was designed to both impart growth-mindset beliefs and create a supportive classroom environment where those beliefs could flourish ( N = 1,996 students, N = 50 teachers). The intervention improved the grades of struggling students in the target class by 0.27 standard deviations, or 2.81 grade percentage points. The effects were largest for students whose teachers endorsed fixed mindsets before the intervention. This large-scale, randomized controlled trial demonstrates that growth-mindset interventions can produce gains when delivered by teachers.
Two studies explored the role of implicit theories of intelligence in adolescents' mathematics ac... more Two studies explored the role of implicit theories of intelligence in adolescents' mathematics achievement. In Study 1 with 373 7th graders, the belief that intelligence is malleable (incremental theory) predicted an upward trajectory in grades over the two years of junior high school, while a belief that intelligence is fixed (entity theory) predicted a flat trajectory. A mediational model including learning goals, positive beliefs about effort, and causal attributions and strategies was tested. In Study 2, an intervention teaching an incremental theory to 7th graders (N 5 48) promoted positive change in classroom motivation, compared with a control group (N 5 43). Simultaneously, students in the control group displayed a continuing downward trajectory in grades, while this decline was reversed for students in the experimental group. The adolescent years are filled with many changes, making it a psychologically intriguing stage of development. The adolescent experiences rapid maturational changes, shifting societal demands, conflicting role demands, increasingly complex social relations, and new educational expectations (e.g.,
. How to measure quality of delivery: Focus on teaching practices that help students to develop p... more . How to measure quality of delivery: Focus on teaching practices that help students to develop proximal outcomes.
. How to measure quality of delivery: Focus on teaching practices that help students to develop p... more . How to measure quality of delivery: Focus on teaching practices that help students to develop proximal outcomes.
Mastery behaviours -seeking out challenging tasks and continuing to work on them despite difficul... more Mastery behaviours -seeking out challenging tasks and continuing to work on them despite difficulties -are integral to achievement but difficult to measure with precision. The current study reports on the development and validation of the computer-based persistence, effort, resilience, and challenge-seeking (PERC) task in two demographically diverse samples of adolescents (total N = 3,188). We present evidence for convergent validity with self-reported mastery behaviours and learning mindsets, discriminant validity from theoretically unrelated constructs, and incremental predictive validity for grade point average (GPA). Results suggest that the PERC task may be a useful tool for assessing mastery behaviours at scale. • Mastery behaviours such as persisting through difficulty, exerting effort, striving after failure, and seeking challenge can promote success in school. • The persistence, effort, resilience, and challenge-seeking (PERC) task assesses these four mastery behaviours in a single computer activity that takes about 10 minutes to complete and does not depend on language ability or subject-specific knowledge. • Students with higher PERC scores have more adaptive learning mindsets and higher self-reported mastery behaviours. • PERC scores also predict high school grade point average (GPA) independent of learning mindsets and demographic factors. • PERC may be a useful tool for assessing mastery behaviours at scale.
Mastery behaviours -seeking out challenging tasks and continuing to work on them despite difficul... more Mastery behaviours -seeking out challenging tasks and continuing to work on them despite difficulties -are integral to achievement but difficult to measure with precision. The current study reports on the development and validation of the computer-based persistence, effort, resilience, and challenge-seeking (PERC) task in two demographically diverse samples of adolescents (total N = 3,188). We present evidence for convergent validity with self-reported mastery behaviours and learning mindsets, discriminant validity from theoretically unrelated constructs, and incremental predictive validity for grade point average (GPA). Results suggest that the PERC task may be a useful tool for assessing mastery behaviours at scale.
Two studies explored the role of implicit theories of intelligence in adolescents' mathematics ac... more Two studies explored the role of implicit theories of intelligence in adolescents' mathematics achievement. In Study 1 with 373 7th graders, the belief that intelligence is malleable (incremental theory) predicted an upward trajectory in grades over the two years of junior high school, while a belief that intelligence is fixed (entity theory) predicted a flat trajectory. A mediational model including learning goals, positive beliefs about effort, and causal attributions and strategies was tested. In Study 2, an intervention teaching an incremental theory to 7th graders (N 5 48) promoted positive change in classroom motivation, compared with a control group (N 5 43). Simultaneously, students in the control group displayed a continuing downward trajectory in grades, while this decline was reversed for students in the experimental group.
School underachievement is a persistent problem in the United States. Direct-to-student, computer... more School underachievement is a persistent problem in the United States. Direct-to-student, computer-delivered growth-mindset interventions have shown promise as a way to improve achievement for students at risk of failing in school; however, these interventions benefit only students who happen to be in classrooms that support growth-mindset beliefs. Here, we tested a teacher-delivered growth-mindset intervention for U.S. adolescents in Grades 6 and 7 that was designed to both impart growth-mindset beliefs and create a supportive classroom environment where those beliefs could flourish ( N = 1,996 students, N = 50 teachers). The intervention improved the grades of struggling students in the target class by 0.27 standard deviations, or 2.81 grade percentage points. The effects were largest for students whose teachers endorsed fixed mindsets before the intervention. This large-scale, randomized controlled trial demonstrates that growth-mindset interventions can produce gains when delivered by teachers.
Two studies explored the role of implicit theories of intelligence in adolescents' mathematics ac... more Two studies explored the role of implicit theories of intelligence in adolescents' mathematics achievement. In Study 1 with 373 7th graders, the belief that intelligence is malleable (incremental theory) predicted an upward trajectory in grades over the two years of junior high school, while a belief that intelligence is fixed (entity theory) predicted a flat trajectory. A mediational model including learning goals, positive beliefs about effort, and causal attributions and strategies was tested. In Study 2, an intervention teaching an incremental theory to 7th graders (N 5 48) promoted positive change in classroom motivation, compared with a control group (N 5 43). Simultaneously, students in the control group displayed a continuing downward trajectory in grades, while this decline was reversed for students in the experimental group. The adolescent years are filled with many changes, making it a psychologically intriguing stage of development. The adolescent experiences rapid maturational changes, shifting societal demands, conflicting role demands, increasingly complex social relations, and new educational expectations (e.g.,
. How to measure quality of delivery: Focus on teaching practices that help students to develop p... more . How to measure quality of delivery: Focus on teaching practices that help students to develop proximal outcomes.
. How to measure quality of delivery: Focus on teaching practices that help students to develop p... more . How to measure quality of delivery: Focus on teaching practices that help students to develop proximal outcomes.
Mastery behaviours -seeking out challenging tasks and continuing to work on them despite difficul... more Mastery behaviours -seeking out challenging tasks and continuing to work on them despite difficulties -are integral to achievement but difficult to measure with precision. The current study reports on the development and validation of the computer-based persistence, effort, resilience, and challenge-seeking (PERC) task in two demographically diverse samples of adolescents (total N = 3,188). We present evidence for convergent validity with self-reported mastery behaviours and learning mindsets, discriminant validity from theoretically unrelated constructs, and incremental predictive validity for grade point average (GPA). Results suggest that the PERC task may be a useful tool for assessing mastery behaviours at scale. • Mastery behaviours such as persisting through difficulty, exerting effort, striving after failure, and seeking challenge can promote success in school. • The persistence, effort, resilience, and challenge-seeking (PERC) task assesses these four mastery behaviours in a single computer activity that takes about 10 minutes to complete and does not depend on language ability or subject-specific knowledge. • Students with higher PERC scores have more adaptive learning mindsets and higher self-reported mastery behaviours. • PERC scores also predict high school grade point average (GPA) independent of learning mindsets and demographic factors. • PERC may be a useful tool for assessing mastery behaviours at scale.
Mastery behaviours -seeking out challenging tasks and continuing to work on them despite difficul... more Mastery behaviours -seeking out challenging tasks and continuing to work on them despite difficulties -are integral to achievement but difficult to measure with precision. The current study reports on the development and validation of the computer-based persistence, effort, resilience, and challenge-seeking (PERC) task in two demographically diverse samples of adolescents (total N = 3,188). We present evidence for convergent validity with self-reported mastery behaviours and learning mindsets, discriminant validity from theoretically unrelated constructs, and incremental predictive validity for grade point average (GPA). Results suggest that the PERC task may be a useful tool for assessing mastery behaviours at scale.
Two studies explored the role of implicit theories of intelligence in adolescents' mathematics ac... more Two studies explored the role of implicit theories of intelligence in adolescents' mathematics achievement. In Study 1 with 373 7th graders, the belief that intelligence is malleable (incremental theory) predicted an upward trajectory in grades over the two years of junior high school, while a belief that intelligence is fixed (entity theory) predicted a flat trajectory. A mediational model including learning goals, positive beliefs about effort, and causal attributions and strategies was tested. In Study 2, an intervention teaching an incremental theory to 7th graders (N 5 48) promoted positive change in classroom motivation, compared with a control group (N 5 43). Simultaneously, students in the control group displayed a continuing downward trajectory in grades, while this decline was reversed for students in the experimental group.
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Papers by Lisa Blackwell