Does inducing growth-oriented mindsets about math ability in parents enhance children’s math mindsets, affect, and achievement?

A parent-directed intervention designed to foster growth-oriented mindsets about math was evaluated in a longitudinal randomized-control trial. Parents (N = 615; 53% white, 22% Black; 63% with at least a bachelor’s degree) participated in the intervention or an active control condition and reported on their math mindsets and parenting practices (e.g., autonomy-supportive math homework assistance) over the course of 15 months; their young elementary school children’s (Mage = 7.17 years; 50% girls) math adjustment (i.e., mindsets, affect, and achievement) was also assessed. The intervention (vs. control) led to sustained increases in parents’ growth mindsets about math and in their belief that mistakes in math are beneficial for learning (i.e., so-called failure-is-constructive mindsets). The intervention, however, did not improve their math parenting practices or children’s math adjustment relative to the control. Instead, there were generally improvements in math parenting practices and children’s math adjustment regardless of condition over the course of the study, perhaps because the control condition provided parents with useful information about the Common Core curriculum in math. Overall, the findings indicate that although the mindset intervention was effective in instilling more growth-oriented mindsets about math in parents, this did not translate into benefits for children’s math learning over and above an active control condition.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2023

Author dc:creator

• MacDonald, Carolyn Ann

Contributors dc:contributor

• Pomerantz, Eva M
• Cimpian, Andrei

• Achievement
• Growth Mindsets
• Math
• Motivation
• Parenting

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2023 Carolyn MacDonald

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/122091

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F122091