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Examining the Relationship Between A Growth Mindset and Performance Task Performance in Mathematics

This action research, conducted in Spring of 2017 serves a springboard for this capstone site. I had a strong interest in determining how effective a growth mindset could be in positively impacting student performance on tests. This interest stemmed from a personal belief in the power of growth mindsets and an observation of high test taking anxiety in my students. Excerpts from my paper are below. Ultimately, my results were not significant, however I believe this does not contradict the existing body of research on growth mindsets. In fact, it serves to confirm what pre-existing research says. Growth mindsets are not magic pills that can be given to students to increase test scores but are long term investments that lead to life long learning. You can view my research poster and original research in the Scribd documents below.

Second Round of Research

My second round of research ties more directly to this capstone. My goal was to put my capstone into practice. I have worked to establish a classroom culture around meaningful student choices and open-ended problem solving. This is a different cohort of students than my original research was completed with. 69 of my 7th grade students completed a survey, providing qualitative and quantitative data. The data covers their preferred choice of how to spend their class time working on chosen assignments and why they believe I, as their teacher, built my classroom this way. Below are several charts and excerpts taken from the survey.

Student responses regarding their preferred amount of direction and structure

Selected quotes from students responses to item "Why do you think Mr. Malaret gives you options during work time?"

"I think Mr. Malaret gives us options during work time because everyone is different and some ways of learning work better for certain people, so he gives us the chance to be able to work/learn in an environment that best suits us."


"He gives us options because he wants us to be able to choose because a lot of people feel like they don't have a choice about anything. He is a very good teacher for that."


"Because it can teach you to be responsible for college and he says use your time wisely."


"Because some people don't like to do what other people like to do."


"I think he gives us options during work time so that we can learn how to manage our time and do what works best for your needs."

Student responses regarding their preferred form of assignments

Reflections on Second Round

Even though there is certainly a strong preference for certain types of assignments, as seen above, there is still a significant portion of students who prefer a different structure. It is also important to note that approximately a third of students indicated their main preference was for variety or "different things on different days." So, while students may still feel more comfortable with traditional classroom structures, they also identify it is not the only viable option.

Students recognize the value of having choices and appreciate the opportunity. It makes their learning more authentic. Even if they are not excited about the specific content they are learning, they can understand some of the bigger picture. Not every student will need the Pythagorean Theorem in their adult lives. However, every student benefits from knowing how to teach it to themselves by making meaningful choices with their learning time.

Clearly, this research is incredibly limited. This project has not been going on long enough to track any definitive assessment data. The sample size of this project prevents any real generalization of what I learned from the survey. However, the results are thought provoking. Students do seek to understand what we do as educators and watch us closely. One of the most powerful things we can do is model innovation and life long learning for them!

Design Process

Support and Next Steps