Using growth mindset to improve S2 pupils' confidence and engagement in learning

The main issues with the research that arose were mostly related to timing constraints and not considering the impact of the way in which pupils are being taught consistently in their other classes. It had also not been considered that pupils might already been engaging well with growth mindset and even have a very flexible mindset, especially in the subject Drama. There was also the danger of personal assumptions that pupils are apprehensive about the practical element of Drama, even though from experience that this is not always the case. This was something that had not been considered before and had to acknowledge with the pupils in the early stages of the research, during and after carrying out the research, as well as when analysing my findings and data. Practitioner research promises to answer important questions for teachers and other professional, therefore this area of educational theory was chosen to aid teachers in improving their practice, as well as the learning of the pupils in their classes. This was a very specific research project which was focused on a distinctive area of the researchers practice and therefore is not generalizable across all teaching but for people hoping to develop their understanding and engagement with growth mindset, or looking to improve on this area in general, it could be used as a starting point to experiment with approaches. The importance of this research was to have a foot in the real-world experiences of the pupils involved and to use this to build their understanding of growth mindset critically. This was a good time to carry out this research project, as it also allowed for engagement with the current educational climate in Scotland, namely curriculum for excellence. Within CFE at present pupil ownership of the learning is a key feature in the curriculum, particularly in relation to increased engagement and attainment and a huge part of this is linking learning with mindset. Whilst some strides towards achieving this for pupils were made in the work this is something which needs to be a constant focus to be of value. Improvements such as improved confidence and improved understanding of the positive impact of a growth mindset were clear in both discussions and questionnaire responses however without constant focus this may slip and could only be observed in one class out of eight which pupils have on their timetables. It is something that should be continually embedded in classroom teaching, to allow pupils to feel like they can do the same with their learning and apply their understanding of mindset to other areas of their studies and life.

Due to changes with the class and year group being worked with, the timescale needed to be adapted and work carried out until much closer to the final deadline than hoped. However, splitting the research in to two blocks, which work with the schools existing rotation system allowed for the comparing and contrasting of results, as well as being reflective throughout, and have time to write-up the findings in stages. Whilst this did limit time for development and implementation of the research project there was still time to carry out a scaled back version especially as there was already a two week write up period in the timeline. The clear time demands also helped to focus me and keep me to a strict timescale, allowing me to complete the research and write up in good time. The research did progress through November, towards the end of the second run of my research the intensity of the school timetable increased and staff workload elsewhere went up ,but the research was still able to be completed within the final timeline as the write-up had been completed in phases and reflected on consistently throughout.

Initially it had been hoped to carry out the research with senior pupils who spend a larger amount of time consistently in the department, however, there were too many clashes in the timetable. After discussions with the depute link encouraged a focus on junior classes, as their timetable is more flexible. Having this change in class during the initial planning stages allowed the project to tweak during the summer and return to school in August with a clearer idea of the project. Other than having to adapt the timeline, as previously mentioned, due to the change in class, very little else had to change, as the measures and approach was the same with the pupils. At times, it had to be flexible with the staff who could come and observe lessons, but this is another thing which is already built into the school plan and was always able to adapt dates and times to suit. If the researcher was to start over on a new project, it would be good to find a time of the year that would allow for work with senior pupils to be carried out to see if age/stage has an impact on pupil mindset. As initially discussed, stress could be a factor in pupils mindsets closing off as they get older and them shifting to a more fixed mindset. However I think for the school this project fit well at this time of year and has established a way in for future projects of this nature in the school and through the sharing of findings will open the door to looking at mindset with seniors and perhaps even staff.

Overall the findings suggest that while the pupils had a much better understanding of growth mindset in the initial lesson than had been anticipated, allowing pupils to discuss it as a class and be constantly reflective did have a positive impact on both understanding and engagement in lessons. Behaviour across all pupils increased significantly in the later lessons and this is linked to an increased sense of ownership over their own learning and openness in their approach to tasks. This is something which was noted by the researcher and backed up by all members off staff in discussions after observations, especially in the later stages of the project. Pupil’s engagement increased as they put the onus on themselves in terms of building up and supporting each other, so they had more confidence in their ability to complete tasks. Despite some issues with the timing, impact of staff workload at some points and initial changes which had to be made, the research did have an overall positive influence on pupil’s engagement with growth mindset and understanding of this.

In the exit passes it was clear a much more significant improvement from early lessons to those towards the end of the block, with five pupils writing that they “weren’t sure” of their mindset or “I don’t know” during the former. The rest of the exit pass responses for early lessons, whilst more focused on the idea of mindset itself, did not link to the correct language or provide reasons for the pupil feeling this was their mindset today. However, in the later lessons it was noticed that a much more thorough link to mindset and clearer pupil reasoning. Pupil’s statements in their exit passes in ten cases used the words “growth” and/or “open” in relation to their mindset which are both terms that were used in discussions by the class. In the later lessons there were no exit passes were pupils expressed that they didn’t know or weren’t sure what their mindset was. In fact, the other seven exit passes for this lesson all had a well thought through statement which linked to feedback given in the lesson on their performances and which they had used to develop their idea for next time, because of their growth mindset approach. This was a valuable tool for analysing the developing understanding of growth mindset the pupils were building and how they were building this understating in Drama. The increased understanding of the learning that was perceived in the research could be used as a means of justifying an onus on pupil autonomy, which adds value to growth mindset’s place in the classroom.

To allow the questioning of the impact of the research to be examined further there was a focus more on the observations and evaluations, which observing staff or the researcher, would write up following each lesson. This was another area where there was a marked improvement in pupil behaviour and thus of pupil engagement in lessons. This was evident in staff evaluations where notes were made of the improvements to pupil behaviour and the increased level of contribution from pupils in the later lessons. It was not only evident in researcher observations but also in those taken by observing teachers and discussed after set lessons with many using specific pupils who did not speak out at all or much in their lessons as examples. This was a nice way to affirm the understanding of the pupil's reactions and developed an understanding of staff influence on the pupils throughout the research. It was nice to hear those observing, remark that they had also “noticed a clearer engagement with growth mindset” in the later lessons. Of course, this is subject to bias as well, as this could be due to the other teachers and pupils getting to know the research more as it progressed. Again, this links in with the personal nature of the research, though the work could still be used as a springboard for other researchers to delve deeper into this area of theory and practice.

Despite the obvious gaps and flaws in the research which are partially down to naivety about researcher objectivity and misjudgement about pupil’s level of understanding of growth mindset, the research has offered up some insight. Whilst the quantitative results (show of hands from pupils and completed questionnaires) only illustrated a slight improvement in understanding of growth mindset the increase in qualitative data (exit passes and comments in discussions) which suggested a stronger link with growth mindset was a clear strength for this project. This is exactly what the research set out to improve on in the research and is something which pupils appear to have an increased confidence in discussing. Whilst the quantitative data does not necessarily fully match this improvement potentially due to the overall questions used for show of hands responses. As mentioned previously these aired on the positive side in their construction, which could have swayed pupils into giving a positive response without the need to elaborate too much further. This is an issue linked to personal bias and inexperience in terms of a fully thought through research project, as well as potential misjudgement of pupil’s previous experience of growth mindset. Had there been more awareness of pupils starting point and spent more time focusing on the construction of the questions, the results could have been more diverse. There is also an element of pupil behaviour, fear of fitting in and having positive relationships with the teacher, played a part in the positivity of the responses.

The responses in the exit passes and end of lesson plenaries/discussions were less skewed by this need to be positive, as they were anonymous and allowed pupil voice to take precedent. This provided a clear tangible link between the improvements in what pupils put in early lessons in relation to the increased understanding in growth mindset in the later phase of lessons. This allowed for an understanding into the way’s growth mindset could be used in the classroom to be developed and allowed pupils to access these too. This allowed pupils ownership over their own success, more discussion and feedback, to facilitate and evaluate their mindset and a chance to express their thoughts, feelings and ideas on lessons and their delivery. These are all things that could help any teacher grappling with how to incorporate growth mindset into lessons and give them a starting point. Again, the results and insight gained are specific to this research and the group of pupils being worked with. However, the premise of the research project could open a discussion around not only pupil mindset and engagement in the classroom, but also the varying strategies and approaches that we as professionals work within. This is something which is of importance in the constantly changing educational landscape, with new priorities and polices emerging all the time. Encouraging exploration of mindset for pupils and staff, is something which was hopefully achieved through this research project and is something which will hopefully continue throughout a teacher’s career allowing for the exploration of strengths and the needs of each individual pupil.  A move to work on a whole school level could lead to seeing similar improvements, something that could be brought more in to focus in future.

Do I Know What My Mindset is? Pupil Questionnaire.

Dear second year I am currently carrying out some research to help me understand how to help pupils just like you engage with growth mindset in the classroom. I would really appreciate it if you took the time to answer some questions for me as honestly as you can.

The questionnaires will be handed back in at the end of the lesson and you do not need to put you name on them, only your age and gender if you would like to.

Age:                                               Gender:

Please tick the box which you feel best illustrates your feelings about the comments below:

 Thank you very much for your help!

Through informal discussions during the process, both outside of and during lessons, informal discussions as part of departmental meetings and meetings with depute links and the school’s growth mindset group allowed for the constant gathering of feedback on the research. In the beginning this helped the researcher identify tweaks to make to the research and allowed them to adjust the timeline when needed. This also allowed for ideas to be bounced off other staff about how the process was going and to discuss pupils feedback in plenaries and on their exit passes. Staff overall were  very open to offering this up and always seemed interested in coming in for observations or discussing pupil’s progress throughout the research. The pool of staff used for the majority all had a vested interest in the development of growth mindset in the school, especially those in the schools working group which could be an issue in terms of their established knowledge. The feedback, whilst critical at times, which allowed the research to adapt the approach throughout, was overall positive and allowed for findings to be triangulated by using staff discussions to consolidate the researchers and pupils’ views.

The next steps will be to share the research with colleagues across the school in training and in-service day presentations with pupils there to assist. The first port of call to start this process will be speaking with the schools existing growth mindset working group to build a strong link with them and go over the findings of the research. This will help with the planning events in the school calendar which can build growth mindset into our existing plans and make it easily accessible for stuff without causing any extra work. Through links with the PTA and run similar events with them sharing the research and asking pupils to share their experience of the lessons and their opinions on growth mindset.  The continued development of further understanding and use of growth mindset in everyday practice and making it more visible to students. This will help staff develop as a practitioner but also continue to help pupils develop as well. This is something which I think is part of a much longer journey and is something that must focused on continually, if it is to have a strong impact in a school.