Growth Mindset

STEM education is being transformed by a combination of pedagogical innovations and emerging technologies. Encouraging STEM faculty to successfully engage students, particularly students from underrepresented and minoritized groups, with the goal of helping them improve academic outcomes, is critical to this transformation. Key to successful engagement and teaching in STEM is fostering a growth mindset among faculty and students (Canning et al., 2019; Miller, 2015).

What is a Growth Mindset?

The concept of a “growth mindset” was developed by Dr. Carol Dweck. The practice of a growth mindset means that people have the ability to overcome obstacles and gradually learn. For example, when one struggles with grasping a certain subject and faces challenges, an individual with a growth mindset would be able to tackle any given difficulties to improve their skills. Not only does having a growth mindset improve skills, but it also builds intelligence because it shapes people’s learning experience and allows them to focus on the process of improvement.

References

Brewer, S. (2019). STEAM and STEM activities that promote a growth mindset in students. Retrieved March 03, 2021, from https://www.steampoweredfamily.com/education/stem-activities-growth-mindset/

Canning, E. A., Muenks, K., Green, D. J., & Murphy, M. C. (2019). STEM faculty who believe ability is fixed have larger racial achievement gaps and inspire less student motivation in their classes. Science Advances, 5(2). doi:10.1126/sciadv.aau4734

Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute. (2018). Skills gap and the future of work study. Retrieved September 15, 2020, from https://www.themanufacturinginstitute.org/research/2018-deloitte-and-the-manufacturing-institute-skills-gap-and-future-of-work-study/

Dweck, C. S. (2019). The choice to make a difference. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 14(1), 21-25. doi:10.1177/1745691618804180

Hacisalihoglu, G., Stephens, D., Stephens, S., Johnson, L., & Edington, M. (2020). Enhancing undergraduate student success in STEM fields through growth-mindset and grit. Education Sciences, 10(10), 279. doi:10.3390/educsci10100279

Limeri, L. B., Carter, N. T., Choe, J., Harper, H. G., Martin, H. R., Benton, A., & Dolan, E. L. (2020). Growing a growth mindset: Characterizing how and why undergraduate students’ mindsets change. International Journal of STEM Education, 7(1). doi:10.1186/s40594-020-00227-2

Miller, D. (2015). Fostering a growth mindset is key to teaching STEM. Retrieved November 14, 2019, from https://www.usnews.com/news/stem-solutions/articles/2015/07/10/fostering-a-growth-mindset-is-key-to-teaching-stem