Students’ mindsets, burnout, anxiety and classroom engagement in language learning: a latent profile analysis

Purpose Language mindsets have recently garnered increasing attention. Nevertheless, current studies have predominantly concentrated on the global profile of language mindsets via a variable-centered method, neglecting the potential substantial differences in mindsets among subpopulations of language learners. This study aims to address this gap by adopting a person-centered approach, specifically latent profile analysis, to uncover the distinct profiles of language mindsets. In addition, drawing insights from the implicit theory, which explains the diverse cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses individuals have to similar situations (Dweck, C. S., and E. L. Leggett. 1988. “A Social-Cognitive Approach to Motivation and Personality.” Psychological Review 95 (2): 256–273), this study seeks to examine the disparities in burnout, anxiety and engagement across profiles of language mindsets.Design This study implemented a quantitative research design. Quantitative data were analyzed via latent profile analysis, multinomial logistic regression, and one-way ANOVA.Findings The study identified three distinct profiles of language mindsets: ‘Growth Mindset’, ‘Fixed Mindset’ and ‘Mixed Mindset’. In addition, demographic factors (i.e. gender and subject) were revealed to predict profile membership. The distinct profiles of language mindsets reported significantly different levels of burnout, anxiety and engagement.Value The current study employed a person-centered approach to reveal the potential heterogeneous nature of language mindsets. The results substantiate the underpinnings of the implicit theory by revealing that language mindsets are not binary but can be mixed. In addition, the identified profiles of language mindsets displayed significant differences in burnout, anxiety and engagement, lending evidence to the claims of implicit theory.