Society-level social axiom moderates the association between growth mindset and achievement across cultures

College

College of Liberal Arts

Department/Unit

Psychology

Document Type

Article

Source Title

British Journal of Educational Psychology

Volume

91

Issue

4

First Page

1166

Last Page

1184

Publication Date

2021

Abstract

Background

Meta-analytic studies show that the benefits of the growth mindset on academic achievement are heterogenous. Past studies have explored how individual characteristics and proximal environmental factors could explain these variations, but the role of the broader sociocultural environment has seldom been explored.

Aims

We investigated society-level social axioms to explain variations in growth mindset effects on achievement across cultures. We hypothesized that three society-level social axioms (social complexity, fate control, and reward for application) imply social norms that would either support or obstruct the growth mindset effect.

Sample and methods

We conducted multilevel SEM with random slopes using data from 273,074 students nested within 39 countries/territories.

Results

We found weaker growth mindset effects in societies with stronger social complexity beliefs; societies believing that there are multiple solutions to problems have social norms that obstruct the growth mindset effects on achievement. No moderating effects were found with other social axioms.

Conclusion

Relevant cultural-level normative beliefs should be considered to better assess the relevance of the growth mindset construct.

html

Disciplines

Psychology

Keywords

Success; Self-actualization (Psychology)

Upload File

wf_no

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS