‘Mindset’ among student teachers at the University of York: A cross-cultural intervention study

A ‘growth’ mindset has been found beneficial to students, particularly when they encounter academic setbacks (Dweck, 2000). Evidence suggests that teachers’ own mindsets can impact their students. In Study 1 we assessed mindset among postgraduate education students from eastern and western backgrounds in a UK university (N = 263). Although both groups were relatively growth minded, those brought up in the West were significantly more so than those brought up in the East, t(236) = 6.10, p < 0.01, d = .79 for academic potential; t(236) = 10.39, p < 0.01, d = 1.35 for behaviour. Both groups were more growth-minded about behaviour than academic potential. In Study 2 we measured mindset among experienced Canadian teachers (N = 276) and found length of teaching experience to be significantly but modestly correlated with mindset, r = 0.14, p < .05 for academic potential; r = 0.17, p < .01 for behaviour.