The goals of the project were initially left open pending the results of the first questionnaire. After this had been completed, and the participants selected, key themes from the questionnaire were identified which would form the focus of the intervention. This resulted in the project goals of:
This project relied upon two evaluation processes. The first and most significant tool was the Mindset Education Growth v Fixed Mindset Questionnaire. This consisted of 12 questions with a range of answers from strongly agree to strongly disagree. A score was generated for each pupil, with an average score of 1-3 viewed as indicating a fixed mindset and an average score of 4-6 indicating a growth mindset. Those pupils who scored lower than an average of 4 were deemed eligible for the program. The questionnaire provided quick and simple data which was easy to interpret and formed a baseline for the program. By using the same questionnaire again at the end of the program, this was an effective way to measure change and to identify target areas of focus.
The second evaluation method was a discussion with class teachers which allowed them to identify any pupils who they believed regularly show a fixed mindset, regardless of the scoring from the questionnaire. Through this process a further two pupils were identified. This did make it difficult to measure changes for these pupils and it was hard to find time for ongoing discussion with their class teachers to gauge progress. As a result, the pupils attending through this second method have been analysed separately.
In order to track progress, the pupils completed the Growth Mindset Questionnaire at the beginning and end of the program to identify any changes. As the entire cohort of primary 6 and 7 completed the original questionnaire, this provided further data that the focus group could be compared too. Along with this, class teachers recorded any changes in pupils’ attitudes towards work/challenges that they saw throughout the program.
Overall, throughout the course of the project, the majority of pupils have developed their growth mindsets and are now more confident in facing challenges and accepting support from others. More detail on the results of the project is provided in the sections to follow.
The program was initially planned for a duration of 12 weeks and was to be used for a small group of pupils identified through the Growth Mindset Questionnaire and class teacher recommendations. Due to covid-related absences, it ended up being delivered over 10 weeks. The initial plan of the program also included an online aspect aimed at engaging with parents to increase awareness of the benefits of a growth mindset. However, due to several issues, this part of the program could not be delivered.
This project has led to several changes in classroom practice. The prevalence of growth mindset, both in terms of visual displays and discussions, has increased due to a clearer understanding of the benefits. The project has also resulted in linking growth mindset to daily classroom activities, such as numeracy or literacy, which is benefiting all children in the class.
In terms of the wider school, the project lead to a 10-week program being developed which can be used by any of the teachers with their own class. This should help to develop a strong focus within the school on the importance of a growth mindset, and in time reduce the need for specific intervention programs.
For the pupils who participated in the program the results are clear. The majority of pupils have developed their growth mindsets and are now more confident in facing challenges and accepting support from others. As most of the pupils were in Primary 7, we will be unable to record any long-term changes in their attitudes.
Table 1 below shows the pupils average scores across all 12 questions from the Growth Mindset Questionnaire, before and after the project. Of the original group of pupils attending the project, 50% showed a significant increase on their average score. Significantly, the increase in scores was greatest for four of the five lowest scoring pupils to attend the program. The other 50% of pupils showed little or no increase on their average scores after attendance. From the secondary stream, the two pupils attending showed no change to their average scores.
Table 1
Whilst it is encouraging that several of the pupils showed an average score increase, the success of the program can be better evaluated by focusing in on the key targets. The first of the targets, was to develop the pupil’s ability to accept teacher support rather than looking at this as interference. This related directly question 11 ‘I like to be left to get on with my learning without interference from my teachers’.
The results show a significant increase on the average score for this question (as seen in Table 2 below). Initially, the average score of 1.87 meant this was the lowest scoring question among the main group of participants. This increased by an average of 1.13 per pupil which took the average score from the fixed mindset category into the growth mindset category. This area may have seen further improvement the class teachers had been more involved in discussions. The smaller group of pupils also showed an increase in their average score for this question.
Table 2
The next focus of the program was to develop a growth mindset around improving our own ability. It was decided that this would also be linked to forming a willingness to work with higher ability pupils, as this can often result in valuable learning experience and support from peers. This linked directly to two of the questions which were identified as areas of improvement - question 7 ‘I like to work alongside those who have the same ability level (if not lower level) as me’ and question 9 ‘There are some tasks that no matter how hard I try, I will never improve’.
Table 3
The main group of pupils increased their score on both questions. An average increase of 0.88 with regards to working alongside higher ability pupils was achieved, and a very significant increase of 2.25 with regards to believing they could improve their own ability. The increases in scores again moved both questions from fixed mindset scores to the growth mindset category. Pupil A and B showed no positive increase in their scores, however, they had already scored particularly highly on the pre-assessment questionnaire.
The final target of the program was to develop pupil’s confidence in focusing on themselves rather than looking to impress others. This linked to question 6 ‘My main aim is to impress other people’.
Table 4
The main group of participants again increased their score in this area by a significant margin, moving from 2.37 to 4.38. This moved the score out of the fixed mindset area and into a growth mindset. Through discussions with the pupils, it was clear that they could see the benefits of focusing on their own progress and achievement rather than trying to impress or compare themselves to others. The smaller sample group had already achieved a maximum score for this question during the pre-assessment.