The Effect of Growth Mindset Interventions on Students’ Self-Regulated Use of Retrieval Practice
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study designs: Randomized Controlled Trial, Clinical Trial
Abstract: Although general growth mindset interventions have been found to improve learning outcomes, relatively little research focused on effects of specific growth mindset interventions. However, domain-specific growth mindset beliefs may be a more accurate predictor of performance within that same domain. The current study investigated the effect of a specific growth mindset intervention designed to enhance self-regulated learning on learners’ adoption of retrieval practice while studying image–name pairs. The impact of this targeted approach was compared to the effects of a broader, general growth mindset intervention, which emphasized the brain’s malleability. Participants were 178 first-year university students, who were randomly assigned to three groups: a general growth mindset group (n = 58), a specific growth mindset group (n = 64), and a control group (n = 56). All groups were informed about the benefits of retrieval practice after the intervention. Our results showed that higher education students can benefit from mindset interventions in terms of their growth mindset beliefs. However, no effects on the use of retrieval practice were found, possibly due to the high difficulty of the learning material. Future research could explore the difficulty of learning materials when investigating the effect of mindset interventions on students’ use retrieval practice during self-regulated learning.
Source: Education Sciences
Authors: Jingshu Xiao, Martine Baars, Kate Man Xu, Fred Paas
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,172
Funder: China Scholarship Council
OpenAlex ID: W4414448671