Academic Seeds Need Healthy Soil to Grow

Source: Francesco Gallarotti/Unsplash

For nearly 5 years, I’ve written about behavioral science strategies—such as social belonging, self-affirmations, and interdependent motives—that can improve student success and equity in higher education. But do these interventions always help? Equipped with enough resilient mindsets and motivational strategies, can we forge some kind of super-student, impervious to any variety of slights, barriers, and setbacks?

New research indicates that the answer to both questions is no. Behavioral science introduces students to a new way of thinking about their place within education, but a hostile environment that signals "You’re not smart enough" or "You don’t belong here" will suffocate any temporary changes in mindsets or behaviors. To borrow an analogy from Drs. Greg Walton and Geoff Cohen, behavioral science can plant a seed, but only if the soil is healthy can it sprout and mature. Successful implementation, therefore, requires your school to be ready to nurture the ideas introduced by these behavioral science strategies.

What Conditions Support a Growth Mindset?

In 2015, the National Study of Learning Mindsets (NSLM) delivered a growth mindset intervention, comprising two 25-minute online modules, to a nationally representative U.S. sample of more than 6,000 ninth-graders attending 65 public schools. The goal of NSLM was not only to determine whether an online growth mindset intervention could scale nationwide but also to identify where the intervention works best…or doesn’t work at all. NSLM found that the attitudes and behaviors of both peers and teachers are essential to establishing and maintaining growth mindsets.

The growth mindset intervention boosted end-of-year GPAs by an average of 0.10 points, and reduced rates of D or F grades by 11 percent. The effects were strongest, however, for students attending schools where many of their peers sought academic challenges. Under these circumstances, a student who adopts a growth mindset and begins to take chances in the classroom (e.g., asking questions, volunteering for activities) finds support among like-minded classmates. In schools where few peers seek challenges, however, a student’s new mindset may cause them to feel ostracized. Most of us know how quickly a youth’s behavior changes when they get made fun of by their friends.

Teachers matter, too. The second analysis of NSLM included a growth mindset measure for more than 200 math teachers educating more than 4,000 students. The growth mindset intervention improved math grades only when the student’s teacher already held a growth mindset. Together, NSLM demonstrates that efforts to improve student success via a growth mindset intervention will only work when the educational environment—teachers and peers—are cultivated to reinforce those lessons.

Does the Environment Matter for More Than Growth Mindsets?

Yes. Another recent study had several hundred seventh and eighth graders reflect on how boring or tedious coursework is actually preparing them to serve a purpose bigger than themselves (i.e., a self-transcendent purpose for learning intervention). Two weeks later, students completed a short essay assignment in their English class, with an encouraging, handwritten note from their teacher attached. Only some of the teacher notes, however, reinforced self-transcendence by telling students that they received this assignment to help them “get an interesting job and make people’s lives better one day.”

Among nonnative English speakers (who comprised the majority in this school at 71 percent), essay performance was boosted only when the teacher note aligned with their self-transcendent purpose for learning. In fact, the performance gap between native and nonnative English speakers was completely eliminated under those conditions. Again, this intervention was only successful when supported by the children’s learning environment—in this case, by their teacher’s attitude.

Does the Environment Matter as Much in College?

Although these particular findings have not been replicated among college students, it is reasonable to assume the answer is yes. Several studies have shown that students’ psychological vulnerability, imposter feelings, and negative affect in STEM courses are all heightened when the professor exhibits a fixed mindset. Owing to persistent gender stereotypes in STEM, these effects are all much greater for women than men, and only women tend to pay the price in terms of worse performance.

Another reason why the college environment matters is because going to college—no matter where or when—is a major life transition. Students’ mindsets are vulnerable as they seek to understand whether old attitudes and behaviors are valid and useful within these new circumstances. Negative experiences, such as a STEM professor who reinforces stereotypes via a fixed mindset, can erode a student’s growth mindset, even one that’s been thoroughly entrenched since middle school. Thus, the gardening analogy holds: Even when a seed has grown in rich soil into a hearty plant, transplanting it into toxic soil can kill it.

Growth Mindset Essential Reads

Before You Bet Big, Be Curious and Ask Questions

Cultivating a Lucky Mindset

What Can We Learn for Our Own Practice?

This research points to two important lessons when considering intervening with students using behavioral science strategies. Just as a good gardener tests their soil before planting seeds, schools should take an earnest look at their learning environments before even engaging students in this way. This exploration could involve surveying students, faculty, and staff about key cognitions (e.g., growth mindsets), conducting listening sessions to better understand campus climate and student challenges, or diving into academic data to find equity gaps and their potential causes.

Second, if an intervention doesn’t result in the desired outcomes, it may highlight environmental or structural challenges that are holding students back. Perhaps faculty and staff need to change their mindsets first, or messaging from the college needs to reinforce ideas delivered within the intervention. No amount of social norming, self-persuasion, or expressive writing can overcome an environment that undermines intellectual risk-taking and marginalizes students. Only by being a student-centered institution that truly values growth and belonging can students reap the benefits of these proven approaches.