THE IMPACT OF GROWTH MINDSET INTERVENTION ON STUDENTS AT CSUF

Students’ beliefs about intelligence, or their mindsets, influence their self-efficacy, attitudes, and motivation towards learning and academic achievement. Mindsets, also called implicit theories, refer to one’s beliefs about intelligence. Growth mindset interventions have been scientifically supported to be impactful tools for reducing racial achievement gaps between underrepresented (URM) and non-URM students, as well as enhancing student persistence and retention in postsecondary education. However, very few of these social-psychological interventions have been applied to and documented in postsecondary Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) classes. The purpose of this study is to 1)develop growth mindset workshops specific to STEM disciplines, 2) to study how students’ mindsets scores correlate with their perceptions of self-efficacy, and 3) to determine if differences in mindset scores exist in the following student subgroups: underrepresented minority groups (URM vs. non-URM) and sex (females vs. males). Using a mixed methods approach, students’ mindsets were assessed using online surveys conducted at three timepoints throughout fall 2021 semester. Qualitative responses and students’ reflections were collected, and a constant comparison approach was used to identify themes. Results from this study can help to demonstrate the potential positive impact of growth mindset intervention on college students majoring in STEM disciplines, as well as the potential differential impact of growth mindset intervention on minority students