Dweck (key study) (development) (study 1)

Question 1

What was the background?

Answer 1

Dweck thought that students who believed that intelligence is fixed were less successful than students who believed that intelligence is flexible

Question 2

What was the aim?

Answer 2

• To see whether theories of intelligence correlate with academic achievement in mathematics.
• To test the impact of academic intervention.

Question 3

What was the hypothesis?

Answer 3

There will be a relationship between 7th grade students’ theories of intelligence (fixed or growth mindset) and their achievement grades on a standardised maths test

Question 4

What was the design?

Answer 4

• It was a longitudinal study over 5 years.
• It was a natural study

Question 5

What was the dependent variable?

Answer 5

The maths score

Question 6

What was the independent variable?

Answer 6

The students theories of intelligence (fixed/growth mindset)

Question 7

What was the sample?

Answer 7

• 373 students (198f + 175m)
• 4 successive 7th grade classes
• from a public secondary school in New York City
• Varied in ethnicity, achievement, and socioeconomic status
• 205 African American, 101 South Asian, 56 Hispanic, 11 East Asian and European American

Question 8

What were the materials?

Answer 8

• Scores on a standardised maths test used as a baseline for future tests
• A maths test for autumn and spring terms of both 7th and 8th grade
• A motivational questionnaire assessing: theory of intelligence, learning goals, effort beliefs, responses to failure

Question 9

what was the procedure?

Answer 9

• At the beginning of 7th grade, participants took a motivational questionnaire

Question 10

What were the results?

Answer 10

• There was no significant correlation between theory of intelligence on maths test scores when measured at the start of 7th grade
• When students were tested in the autumn term of 7th grade and spring term of 8th grade, theory of intelligence became a predictor of maths test scores
• This means that participants who held the belief that intelligence was flexible showed greater improvements on the maths test than those who believed intelligence was fixed