Growth mindset mediates perceptions of teachers' and parents' process feedback in digital reading performance: Evidence from 32 OECD countries

A growth mindset is one's belief that intelligence is malleable. Extensive research has shown that a growth mindset can enhance students' academic performance. However, its mechanism on students' digital reading performance has been little explored. This study examined the correlation between perceptions of teachers' and parents' process feedback and adolescents' growth mindsets and the relationships among feedback, a growth mindset, and digital reading performance. Data on 250,912 fifteen-year-old students from 32 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries who participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 were drawn. The data were analyzed through the use of multilevel mediation. The results showed that in most countries, perceptions of teachers' and parents' process feedback used positively predict adolescents' growth mindsets, which in turn positively predict digital reading performance and mediate the relationship between perceptions of feedback and reading performance. Educators and parents should intentionally integrate process-oriented factors into their feedback to help students realize their academic potential. Cultural heterogeneity should also be considered concerning the role of a growth mindset.