LibGuides: Getting to Graduation with Belonging and a Growth Mindset: Research

Links to Research Centers

Mindset Scholars Network
"The Mindset Scholars Network (MSN), housed at CASBS, is a national, interdisciplinary body of scholars whose mission is to inform the application of research and theory on academic mindsets--psychological factors affecting student motivation and persistence--to systemic efforts to reduce inequality in educational opportunity."
PERTS College Transition Collaborative
" How do mindset interventions improve student success?

They help prepare students to develop social capital on campus—such as close friendships, involvement in student groups, and engagement with professors and the development of mentor relationships. These are essential resources for college student success. Worries about one's belonging or academic abilities—arising from previous social or economic disadvantage—can prevent students from pursuing these opportunities. "

Research on Belonging and Growth Mindset

Our FACET Leadership Team was familiar with issues related to grit and growth mindsets, but we were really concerned about how to transfer cultural capital to first generation college students so that they could be successful and persist to graduation. We read a powerful article from the New York Times Magazine called "Who Gets to Graduate?" which featured the issue of belonging, in addition to encouraging a growth mindset to help students persist to graduation.

Below are some of the articles that added to our understanding of supporting all students, but especially disadvantaged (first generation and ethnic minority) students in persisting to graduation by helping encourage belonging and using a growth mindset to take advantage of the human resources available on campus to help them be successful. We learned that SUCCESS = effort + strategies + help from others (Yeager, et al. 2013).

Photo Illustration: Gary S. King, https://twitter.com/Gary_S_King/status/524856533432426497/photo/1

Addressing achivement gaps with psychological interventions
Yeager, D., Walton, G., & Cohen, G. L. (2013). Addressing Achievement Gaps with Psychological Interventions. Phi Delta Kappan, 94(5), 62-65.
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Summarizes how psychological interventions work, including construal, understanding what schools feel like to students, psychologically wise delivery of interventions, and recursive processes or the sustainable effect of an intervention over time, such as improved grades or persistence to graduation. (MEH)
A Brief Social-Belonging Intervention Improves Academic and Health Outcomes of Minority Students
Walton, G. M., & Cohen, G. L. (2011). A brief social-belonging intervention improves academic and health outcomes of minority students. Science, 331(6023), 1447-1451.
How Can We Instill Productive Mindsets at Scale? A Review of the Evidence and an Initial R & D Agenda
Yeager, D. S., Paunesku, D., Walton, G. M., Dweck, C. S. (2013). How Can We Instill Productive Mindsets at Scale? A Review of the Evidence and an Initial R&D Agenda. A White Paper prepared for the White House meeting on Excellence in Education: The Importance of Academic Mindsets.
How to Motivate Students to Work Harder
Toch, T. and Headden, S. (2014). How to Motivate Students to Work Harder. The Atlantic.
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Summary of research on psychological interventions to help with student success.
Who Gets to Graduate? (online title)
TOUGH, P. (2014). 'AM I SUPPOSED TO BE HERE? AM I GOOD ENOUGH?'. New York Times Magazine, 26-54. (Online title, Who Gets to Graduate?)
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Evidence of interventions by Yeager at the University of Texas, Austin to help disadvantaged (ethnic minority and first generation) college students persist towards graduation.
Leveraging Mental Muscle for Academic Excellence
Shankar, M. and Kalil, T. (2013). Leveraging Mental Muscle for Academic Excellence. White House blog, Office of Science and Technology.
Teaching Adolescents to Become Learners: The Role of Noncognitive Factors in Shaping School Performance
Camille A. Farrington, Melissa Roderick, Elaine Allensworth, Jenny Nagaoka, Tasha Seneca Keyes, David W. Johnson, and Nicole O. Beechum (2012). Teaching Adolescents to Become Learners: The Role of Noncognitive Factors in Shaping School Performance.
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Raikes and Lumina Foundations

Books

Mindset by Carol S. Dweck
Call Number: BF773 .D85 2006
ISBN: 1400062756
Publication Date: 2006-02-28
Contents: The mindsets -- Inside the mindsets -- The truth about ability and accomplishment -- The mindset of a champion -- Mindset and leadership -- Mindsets in love (or not) -- Parents, teachers, and coaches: where do mindsets come from? -- Changing mindsets: a workshop.
Mindsets in the Classroom by Mary Cay Ricci
Call Number: LB1060 .R495 2013
ISBN: 1618210815
Publication Date: 2013-09-01
"When students believe that dedication and hard work can change their performance in school, they grow to become resilient, successful students. Inspired by the popular mindset idea that hard work and effort can lead to success, Mindsets in the Classroom provides educators with ideas for ways to build a growth mindset school culture, wherein students are challenged to change their thinking about their abilities and potential."
How Children Succeed by Paul Tough
Call Number: LB1139.25 .T68 2012
ISBN: 9780547564654
Publication Date: 2012-09-04
"Why do some children succeed while others fail? The story we usually tell about childhood and success is the one about intelligence: success comes to those who score highest on tests, from preschool admissions to SATs. But in How Children Succeed, Paul Tough argues that the qualities that matter more have to do with character: skills like perseverance, curiosity, optimism, and self-control."