Growth mindset as a protective factor for middle schoolers at academic risk

Abstract Growth mindset has been shown to predict academic achievement in a variety of student populations, though the strength of the relationship can vary depending on the characteristics of the students examined. Using a large-scale sample of middle school students from a diverse district in the United States, we examine how multiple facets of students’ experiences and background characteristics may interact to impact the relation between mindset and academic achievement. We consider whether the risk factors of socioeconomic status (including a student’s daily experience of that status) and recent school transition interacted with mindset in predicting academic achievement. We show that mindset is most predictive of academic achievement in students with two academic risk factors. These results highlight the importance of context when considering how mindset might be used to improve academic achievement for students at the greatest academic risk.