ERIC Number: ED619000
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Testing Basic Assumptions Reveals When (Not) to Expect Mindset and Belonging Interventions to Succeed
McPartlan, Peter; Solanki, Sabrina; Xu, Di; Sato, Brian
Grantee Submission, AERA Open v6 n4 Oct-Dec 2020
In this case study, we investigated the effectiveness of growth mindset and social belonging interventions in a college setting with large numbers of traditionally underrepresented groups (n = 1,091). In doing so, we highlight the characteristics of the students in our study that are important for determining whether we should expect such interventions to be effective for diverse higher education populations. Correlational analyses revealed no evidence that growth mindset or social belonging were barriers to academic success among targeted subgroups in our sample. Additionally, we found no evidence that underrepresented minority, first-generation, or low-income students substantially endorsed fixed mindset or belonging uncertainty measures at baseline. We discuss benefits of testing basic assumptions for interpreting null results, including choosing the most appropriate interventions, accurately identifying subgroups who face psychological barriers to academic success, and establishing "redundancy thresholds" at which messages do not need to be reinforced by interventions. [This article was published in "AERA Open" (EJ1280132).]
Descriptors: Beliefs, Intelligence, Student Development, Sense of Community, Intervention, Psychology, Cost Effectiveness, College Freshmen, Disproportionate Representation, Minority Group Students, First Generation College Students, Low Income Students, Barriers, Academic Achievement, State Universities, Student Attitudes
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California (Irvine)
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305B170015
Author Affiliations: N/A