The Combined Effects of Mindset and Feedback on College Students’ Motivation After Experiencing Failure

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of mindset and performance feedback on college students’ motivation after experiencing failure in a web-browser experimental study. This study was conducted with students taking a general education course in Fall 2019 (N = 74). Students completed a 3-item Growth Mindset Scale (GMS) designed to measure individuals’ beliefs about their own influence on personal ability levels. GMS can be conceptualized as a continuum ranging from a growth to a fixed mindset. After completing the GMS, participants completed a Memory for Pictures task designed to induce success. Participants received one of three manipulated feedback conditions praising ability, effort, or no praise (control). They were then given a challenging Numerical Series task designed to induce failure. Participants were asked to rate attributions for failure, make a goal orientation selection, and make a risk-aversion selection after experiencing failure. Primary analyses indicated a non-significant relationship between mindset and task persistence, as measured by total number of attempts on the Numerical Series task (r = 0.13, p = 0.26). Performance feedback conditions did not differ significantly in the number of attempts on the Numerical Series task (F = 0.40, p = 0.67). Mindset was not significantly correlated with attributions for failure, nor did the feedback conditions differ significantly on attributions for failure. A one-way ANOVA revealed that mindset made a significant difference on goal orientation (F = 8.71, p = 0.004). Specifically, growth mindset was significantly related to participants’ selecting to view information related to problem solving strategies, whereas fixed mindset was significantly related to participants’ selecting to view relative-performance feedback. Performance feedback was not significantly related to goal orientation (X 2 = 0.65, p = v 0.72). Results of a one-way ANOVA indicated no significant differences in risk-aversion based on mindset (F = 2.28, p = 0.14). A Pearson chi-square test of independence revealed no significant relationship between performance feedback and risk-aversion (X 2 = 0.61, p = 0.74). Exploratory analyses revealed marginally significant findings related to mindset, feedback and time spent on the study, as well as a significant relationship between goal orientation selection and risk aversion