AN ANALYSIS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF POSITIVE ACADEMIC ... · impact on positive academic behaviors....

NATIONALCENTERFORRESTRUCTURINGEDUCATION,SCHOOLS,ANDTEACHING

TEACHERS COLLEGE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

ANANALYSISOFTHEDEVELOPMENTOFPOSITIVEACADEMICMINDSETSINDIVERSEIBOSCHOOLS

ElisabethBarnett

OsvaldoAvila

FenotAklog

March2017

NationalCenterforRestructuringEducation,SchoolsandTeaching

TeachersCollege,ColumbiaUniversity

NewYork,NewYork

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TABLEOFCONTENTSExecutiveSummary 4Introduction 9ReasonforthisResearch 9InternationalBaccalaureate(IB)Programmes 9TheNationalCenterforRestructuringEducationSchoolsandTeaching 10

ReviewoftheLiterature 10

ResearchDesignandMethodology 13Overview 13Sampleselection 15Datacollectionmethods 16DataAnalysis 18

Findings 18SchoolEnvironmentandClassroomPracticesthatFosterPositiveAcademicMindsets 18MeasuresofStudentAcademicMindsets 30StudentPerceptionsofSchoolCultureandClassroomPractices 33RelationshipsBetweenPositiveAcademicMindsetsandPositiveAcademicBehaviors 37

ConclusionsandImplicationsforIBO 38Summaryoffindings 38ImplicationsforIBO 41

AreasforFutureResearch 43

FinalThoughts 43

References 44

AppendixA:Instruments 47

AppendixB:StudentSurveyDesignandReponses 60

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ListofTablesandFigures

Table1.SampleSchoolCharacteristics 15Table2.SummaryofDataCollectionActivitiesintheSampleSchools 16Table3.AverageDifferencesinStudentAcademicMindsetbyCountry 32Table4.RelationshipBetweenSchool/ClassroomFactorsandAcademicMindsets 37Table5.RelationshipBetweenAcademicBehaviorsandAcademicMindsets 38

Figure1:LogicModel–ResearchonAcademicMindsets 14Figure2:AverageResponsestoMeasuresofAcademicMindsetsbySchool 31Figure3:ResponsestoMalleableIntelligenceKeyItems 33Figure4:ResponsestoSenseofBelongingKeyItem 33Figure5:ResponsestoSelf-ConfidenceKeyItem 34Figure6:ResponsestoSchoolWorkRelevanceKeyItem 34Figure7:SchoolCultureandClassroomPracticesAverageResponsesBySchool 35Figure8:ResponsestoSchoolCultureandClassroomPracticeKeyItems 36Figure9:StudentAcademicBehaviors,AverageResponsebySchool 37

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ExecutiveSummary

ANANALYSISOFTHEDEVELOPMENTOFPOSITIVEACADEMICMINDSETSINDIVERSEINTERNATIONALBACCALAUREATEWORLDSCHOOLS

Overview

Thereisgrowingevidencethatstudents’postsecondaryandcareerreadinessisdrivenbymorethantheircontentknowledgeandcoreacademicskills.Non-cognitivefactors(i.e.setsoflearningstrategies,academicmindsetsandbehaviors)playacriticalroleinstudentsuccess(Farrington,Roderick,Allensworth,Nagaoka,Keyes,Johnson,andBeechum,2012;Levin,2012).Theliteraturealsoincreasinglysuggeststhatstudentsaremorelikelytodemonstratethosenon-cognitivebehaviors,attitudesandstrategiesineducationalcontextsthatarespecificallystructuredtoencouragestudentstodevelopandexhibitthem.

ThecurrentstudyexaminedthewaysinwhichInternationalBaccalaureate(IB)DiplomaProgramme(DP)schoolsandclassroomsfosteranddevelopstudents’non-cognitiveassets,withaparticularfocusonacademicmindsets.Academicmindsetsarethe“beliefs,attitudes,orwaysofperceivingoneselfinrelationtolearningandintellectualworkthatsupportacademicperformance”(Farrington,etal.,2012).WefollowFarringtonetal.inconsideringasetoffourdimensionsofacademicmindset:1)thebeliefthatsuccessismainlyaproductofeffort,2)asenseofbelonging,3)confidenceinone’sabilitytosucceed,and4)aconvictionthatlearningtasksareimportant,interestingand/orrelevant.Theirresearchsuggeststhatstudents’academicmindsetshaveanimportantinfluenceonacademicbehaviorssuchasstudyskillsandtimemanagementthatarecloselyrelatedtoacademicperformance.

Thefollowingquestionsguidedourresearch:

1. HowdoDPschools’structures(philosophy,structure,leadership)andclassroompractices(curriculumandintendedandenactedinstruction)contributetostudents’positiveacademicmindsets?

2. TowhatextentdoDPstudentsandteachersperceivethattheIBprogrammeandtheschools’structure,curriculumandinstructionsupportthedevelopmentofpositiveacademicmindsets?

3. WhatoutcomesdoDPstudentsobtainonstandardizedmeasuresofacademicmindset?Howdotheseoutcomescompareacrossschools,especiallythoseindifferentcountries?Whatschool-basedfactorsmightcontributetothisvariation?

4. WhatlinkagescanbeobservedbetweenpositiveacademicmindsetsandpositiveacademicbehaviorsinDPschools?

5. WhatstrategiesmighttheInternationalBaccalaureateOrganization(IBO)useorstrengthentodeveloppositiveacademicmindsetsamongDPstudentsinthefuture?

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Thisstudywasconductedusingamultiplecasestudydesign,implementedinfourschools—twointheUnitedStatesandtwoinPeru.Datawerecollectedusingstudentsurveysandbyconductingschoolvisitsthatincludedinterviewsandobservations.Schoolfindingswereexaminedindividually,althoughthefocuswasoncross-schoolresults.

Summaryoffindings

Ourresearchprovidesevidenceinsupportoftherelationshipsamongschoolconditionsandacademicmindset.Thestudentsurveyresultssuggestedthatparticularaspectsoftheschoolenvironmentandanumberofclassroompracticesareindeedassociatedwithpositiveacademicmindsets.Thetablebelowshowstherelationshipbetweenstudentresponsestoschoolenvironmentandclassroompracticesscaleditemsandacademicmindsetsscaleditems.Wefoundpositiveandstatisticallysignificantassociationsbetweenschoolenvironmentandacademicmindsetsandbetweenclassroompracticesandacademicmindsets.

Table.RelationshipBetweenSchool/ClassroomFactorsandAcademicMindsets

Relationships Correlation(rvalue)

Schoolenvironment

with….

Malleableintelligence .26***

Senseofbelonging .59***

Selfconfidence .51***

Relevanceofschoolwork .56***

Classroompractices

with….

Malleableintelligence .08*

Senseofbelonging .43***

Selfconfidence .47***

Relevanceofschoolwork .43***

*Statisticallysignificantatthep<.05levelorless.

**Statisticallysignificantatthep<.01levelorless.

***Statisticallysignificantatthep<.001levelorless.

Forinstance,studentswhobelievedthattheschoolculturewaspositivewereespeciallylikelytofeelastrongsenseofbelonging(anrvalueof.589,astrongrelationship).Similarly,studentswho

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believedthatthereweregoodclassroompracticeswereespeciallylikelytofeelasenseofself-confidence(anrvalueof.469,amoderaterelationship).

Further,studentswithpositiveacademicmindsetswerefoundtobemorelikelytopracticethegoodacademicbehaviorsassociatedwithpositivestudentoutcomes,asfoundintheresearchliterature.

Thestudentsurveyresultsalsosuggestthat,whilemalleableintelligence(orgrowthmindset)getsmoreattention,sensesofrelevance,belongingandself-confidencearemorecloselyassociatedwithpositiveacademicbehaviorsintheIBschoolsstudied.Theywerealsopresentinhigherlevelsamongstudentsatallfouroftheschoolsparticipatinginourresearch,increasingtheirpotentialimpactonpositiveacademicbehaviors.Furthermore,wefoundthatschoolleadersandteachershaddevelopedmorewaystopromoteself-confidence,belonging,andrelevancethanmalleableintelligence.

Themostimportantfindingsrelatedtoschoolenvironmentsandpracticesthatpromotepositiveacademicmindsetswereasfollows:

Malleableintelligence:Attitudesvariedwithregardtothemalleabilityofintelligenceamongbothadultsandstudentsinthefourschoolsstudied.Severalschoolshadadoptedpracticesthatbuiltonthisconceptbyemphasizingpoliciessuchasde-tracking.Othersweremorelikelytoseekoutdifferentwaysforstudentstoshine(e.g.throughtheartsorleadership).Whilebothstrategiescouldhelpstudentsbesuccessful,thefirstismorelikelytoadvancetheideathatallstudentscangrowtheirintelligence,whilethesecondismorelikelytomakestudentsfeelthatit’sacceptabletonotbeanintellectualstarifyoucansucceedinotherways.

Similarnumbersofstudentssaidthattheywerepraisedforintelligenceandforeffort.Thissuggeststhatsomepracticesconsidereddetrimentaltoamalleableintelligencemindset(i.e.praiseforintelligence)arewidelyused.Atthesametime,schoolleadersexpressedacommitmenttohavingallstudentsgoasfaraspossibleintheirlearningandwefoundpoliciesencouragingaccesstotheintellectuallychallengingDPcurriculuminallofthefourschools.Inallschools,everystudent,includingspecialeducationstudents,tookatleastoneDPcourse,andmostlearnedthattheywerecapableofsucceedingintheserigorousandchallengingcourses.

Inaddition,schoolleadersandteacherswereabletodescribeinstructionalpracticesthattheybelievedwouldstrengthenstudents’malleableintelligencemindset.Theseincludedseekingtherightblendofchallenge/highexpectationsandsupport/scaffoldingor,asoneprincipalsaid,“therightamountofdissonance–strugglewithoutdeflation.”Most,ifnotall,teacherscommunicatedthattheybelievedthatallstudentscouldlearnrigorouscoursematerialandthatstudenteffortintheclassroomwaskeytoacademicsuccess.Anumbersoughtwaystoputinplacestructurestohelpstudentsthroughthestepsinvolvedinchallengingthemselvesintellectually.

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Belonging:Asenseofbelongingwasdescribeddifferentlyineachschool,withsomeemphasizingschoolspirit,whileotherstalkedaboutschoolprideorasenseofbeingpartofacomfortablefamilyenvironment.Amongstudentssurveyed,overhalf(54%)agreedwiththestatement“Ifeelasenseofbelongingtotheschoolcommunity.”ThedevelopmentofasenseofbelongingseemedtobemorepervasiveinthePeruvianschoolswherethestudentshadattendedthesameschoolsinceagethreeorfour.Acrossallschools,warmrelationshipsbetweenstudentsandteacherswerementionedasespeciallyimportanttodevelopingasenseofbelonging.Insomecases,teachersshowedtheirconcernforstudentsbyspendingextensiveout-of-classtimewiththem.

Schoolsuseddifferentmethodstofosterasenseofbelongingincludingstructuressuchashomeroom,houses,andarangeofactivitiesinwhichstudentscouldengageinout-of-schooltime.Teachersatsomeschoolsarrangedtheirclassroomsinwaysthatencouragedasenseofcommunity(e.g.,organizingdesksincirculargroupsorclusters)orprovidedstudentswithopportunitiestoworkingroups,facilitatingpeerbonding.CASactivitieswerealsosettingsinwhichstudentsbondedwitheachotheranddevelopedasenseofbelonging;theywerealsocitedashelpingstudentstodevelopself-confidenceandseetheirlearningasrelevant.

Self-confidence:EspeciallyintheUSschools,effortsweremadetopromotestudents’self-confidenceinundertakingchallengingDPcourses.Intervieweesstatedthatstudentsoftengainedconfidenceintheirabilitytobesuccessfulinschoolfromtheexperienceofsucceedinginthesecourses.Inaddition,therewereexamplesofmoregeneraleffortstobuildstudentself-confidence,oftenthroughleadershipopportunitiesintheclassroom,inclubs,sports,etc.Intheoneall-girlsschoolinthestudy,aschoolleadertalkedabouthowasinglegenderenvironmentencouragesthedevelopmentofleadershipandself-confidenceamongstudents,astheydonothavetocompetewith–ordeferto–boys.

Therewasevidencethatseveralschoolsworkedtohelpstudentsfindarenasinwhichtheycouldshineasawaytobolstertheirself-confidence.Thissometimestooktheformofencouragingexplorationofdifferentinterestsand“selves”throughinvolvementinCASwithitsemphasesoncommunityservice,thearts,andsports.Inaddition,someteachersemphasizeddevelopingself-confidencethroughself-knowledgeandprovidedopportunitiesforthemtousewrittenreflectionstoconsidertheirareasofstrengthandtoembraceworkingonareasofweakness.Opportunitiesforautonomousdecision-makingwerealsoseenasawaytobuildstudentself-confidence.TheoryofKnowledge,CAS,andExtendedEssayteacherstendedtogivetheirstudentsconsiderableautonomyinchoosingwhatprojectstoworkon.

Relevance:Developingaschoolenvironmentinwhichstudentsperceivedtheircourseworkasrelevanthadmuchtodowithemphasizingtheimportanceoflearningfortheattainmentoffuturegoals,especiallysuccessincollege.Thiswasahighpriorityforthemajorityofstudentsineachoftheschools.Insomecases,thiswasreinforcedbythecourseworkavailablethroughIB.Whilemoststudentstookcorecollegepreparatorycourses,somealsotookDPcoursessuchasbusiness

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managementandmusicthatallowedstudentstolearnabouttopicstheyfoundengagingorworthconsideringascareeroptions.Teachersinourstudyschoolswereoftenobservedtobemakinganefforttoengagestudentsbecausetheyrecognizedthatstudentswillputmoreeffortintoworkthattheyviewasrelevant.

MostteachersstatedthattheybuildrelevanceintheirclassroombypushingstudentstoengagewithquestionsthataskthemtoexaminetheirlivedexperiencesinTheoryofKnowledgeandotherclasses.Inothercases,teacherssoughtoutwaystokeeplearningconnectedtolifebygivingstudentschoicesonresearchpapertopicsorinselectingCASorclassroomprojectsofinteresttothem.CASprojectsandrelatedtravelwereoftencitedasimportanttoconnectinglearningtolifeexperiences.

Finalthoughts

IBschoolsareclearlysettingsinwhichthereisconsiderableinterestinhighqualityeducationandindevelopingtheenvironmentsandclassroompracticesmostconducivetostudentsuccess.TheIBOworkshardtoprovidestrongmaterialsandprofessionaldevelopmenttosupportthem.Inourresearch,weobservedahighlevelofcommitmenttotheuseofinnovativepracticesandprocessesforcontinuousimprovementintheschoolswevisitedandintheIBO.Wecommendthemforthesequalitiesandhopethatthisresearchonacademicmindsetsservesasafurthersourceofinspirationgoingforward.

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ANANALYSISOFTHEDEVELOPMENTOFPOSITIVEACADEMICMINDSETS

INDIVERSEIBOSCHOOLS

Introduction

ReasonforthisResearch

Thereisgrowingevidencethatstudents’postsecondaryandcareerreadinessisdrivenbymorethantheircontentknowledgeandcoreacademicskills.Non-cognitivefactors(i.e.setsoflearningstrategies,academicmindsetsandbehaviors)playacriticalroleinstudentsuccess(Farrington,Roderick,Allensworth,Nagaoka,Keyes,Johnson,andBeechum,2012;Levin,2012).Theliteraturealsoincreasinglysuggeststhatstudentsaremorelikelytodemonstratethosenon-cognitivebehaviors,attitudesandstrategiesineducationalcontextsthatarespecificallystructuredtoleadstudentstodevelopandexhibitthem.

ThecurrentstudyexaminesthewaysinwhichInternationalBaccalaureate(IB)DiplomaProgrammeschoolsandclassroomsfosteranddevelopstudents’non-cognitiveassets,withaparticularfocusonacademicmindsets.Academicmindsetsarethe“beliefs,attitudes,orwaysofperceivingoneselfinrelationtolearningandintellectualworkthatsupportacademicperformance”(Farrington,etal.,2012).WefollowFarringtonetal.inconsideringasetoffourdimensionsofacademicmindset:1)thebeliefthatsuccessismainlyaproductofeffort,2)asenseofbelonging,3)confidenceinone’sabilitytosucceed,and4)aconvictionthatlearningtasksareimportant,interestingand/orrelevant.Theirresearchfurthersuggeststhatstudents’academicmindsetshaveanimportantinfluenceonacademicbehaviorssuchasstudyskillsandtimemanagementthatarecloselyrelatedtoacademicperformance.

Thisstudywasconductedusingamultiplecasestudydesign,implementedinfourschools—twointheUnitedStatesandtwoinPeru.ItwasdesignedtoinformtheInternationalBaccalaureateOrganization’sthinkingabouthowitpromotespositiveschoolenvironmentsandclassroompracticesthatsupportstudentdevelopmentofpositiveacademicmindsets.Itwillalsoprovidecontributionstotheliteratureonthewaysinwhichnon-cognitiveassetsthatcontributetostudents’successfulacademicperformancecanbetaughtandlearnedinschoolandclassroomsettings.Thiswillbeofparticularinteresttothoseinterestedinhownon-cognitiveassetsarevaluedandexpressedindifferentculturesandsettings.

InternationalBaccalaureate(IB)Programmes

IBschoolsofferoneormoreoffouravailableIBprogrammes.Threeofthesearewellestablishedandhavebeenofferedformanyyears—theDiplomaProgramme(DP)implementedsince1968,theMiddleYearsProgramme(MYP)since1997,andthePrimaryYearsProgramme(PYP)since1994(Bunnell,2011).Morerecently,theIBOhasaddedanIBCareer-relatedCertificate(IBCC)

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Programme,intendedtointegrateacademicandcareer-orientedlearning.Alloftheprogrammesseektopromotelife-longlearningandinternationalmindedness,anaimthatisadvancedthroughhelpingstudentstostrivetobeinquirers,knowledgeable,thinkers,communicators,principled,open-minded,caring,risk-takers,balancedandreflective,asdescribedintheIBLearnerProfile(IB,2008).

Inaddition,eachprogrammehasitsowngoalsandnorms.TheDiplomaProgramme,offeredtostudents16-19,isbyfarthelargest,accountingfor56%oftotalIBprogrammes(IB2011AnnualReport).Itisnotedforitsrigorandforitsuseofexamstoassurethatstudentsmeethighacademicstandards.Studentsengageincourseworkinlanguages,socialstudies,theexperimentalsciences,mathematic,thearts,andTheoryofKnowledge(TOK).Thosecompletingtheircourses,passingassociatedexams,writinganextendedessay,andparticipatinginCreativity,ServiceandAction(CAS)activitiesareeligibletoearntheIBDiploma.

TheIB/DPprogrammestructureandpractices,theLearnerProfile,theirnewerAcademicTeachingandLearningframework,thefocusoninternationalmindedness,andthepracticesofteachersinDPclassroomsmayallplayaroleinsupportingthedevelopmentofpositiveacademicmindsetsinstudents.

TheNationalCenterforRestructuringEducationSchoolsandTeaching

TheNationalCenterforRestructuringEducationSchoolsandTeaching(NCREST)atTeachersCollege,ColumbiaUniversityconductedthisstudy.Foundedin1990,NCRESTisaneducationresearchanddevelopmentorganizationthatcarriesoutresearchincriticalareasofschoolreformsuchasassessment,accountability,standards,andrestructuringelementary,middle,andhighschools—includingtheirorganization,governance,instruction,curriculum,teacherandstudentlearning.NCREST’smissionistodisseminateknowledgetomultiplestakeholdersonhowlearning-andlearner-centeredschoolsandeducationcanincreaseequity.

ReviewoftheLiterature

Non-cognitiveassets,includingacademicmindset,haverecentlygainedprominenceamongthoseconcernedwithstudentacademicperformance.Priorresearchhasfoundanimportantassociationbetweentheexpressionofnon-cognitiveskillsandacademicsuccessandpersistenceinbothsecondaryandpostsecondaryeducation(e.g.,Porchea,Allen,Robbins,&Phelps,2010;Poropat,2009;Robbins,Allen,Casillas,Peterson,&Le,2006;Trapmann,Hell,Hirn,&Schuler,2007).

Academicmindsetsareasub-setofnon-cognitiveskillsorassets.ThetermmindsetiscloselyassociatedwiththeworkofnotedscholarCarolDweck.Sheconductedresearchshowingthatstudentswitha“growth,”ratherthana“fixed”mindsetaremorelikelytobeeffectivelearnersandattaingoodacademicoutcomes(Dweck,2006).Inherresearch,sheemphasizestheimportanceof

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believingthatitispossibletobeasuccessfulstudentbasedoneffort,notjustonesbasedoninnatequalities.

Whilethereisextensiveliteratureonthetopicofnon-cognitiveskillsandaconsiderableamountonacademicmindsetsinparticular,wefoundtwosourcestobeofparticularrelevanceinconstructingthisstudy.Asnotedabove,Farringtonetal.(2012)offerawell-arguedapproachtoframingnon-cognitiveskillsthatdrawsextensivelyontheresearchoftheChicagoSchoolsResearchConsortiumaswellasfromotherscholarsandorganizations.Inaddition,wefoundthatSnipes,Fancsali,andStoker(2012)havesynthesizedarangeofstudiesthatdescribeinterventionsthatpromotepositiveacademicmindsets.Intandem,thesetworesourcesallowedustolayastrongfoundationforthisstudy.

Farringtonetal.(2012)positthatnon-cognitiveskillscanbesub-dividedintoseveralcategories.Intheirframing,academicmindsetsareconsideredtobefoundationalandapreconditionforothernon-cognitiveskills.Positiveacademicmindsetscontributetoacademicperseverance,definedastheintensity,directionanddurationofstudenteffort.This,inturn,leadstopositiveacademicbehaviorssuchasstudyskillsandtimemanagement,whichthenresultingoodacademicperformance.Intheirframework,therefore,positiveacademicmindsetsunderlieothernon-cognitiveskills,andthushaveparticularimportance.Inthecurrentresearch,wefollowFarringtonetal.(2012)inconsideringfourdimensionsofacademicmindset:1)thebeliefthatsuccessismainlyaproductofeffort(whichweshortento“malleableintelligence”),2)asenseofbelongingtoanacademic,learningand/orsocialcommunity(“belonging”),3)confidenceinone’sabilitytosucceed(“self-confidence”),and4)aconvictionthatlearningtasksareimportant,interestingand/orrelevant(“relevance”).

Buildingontheworkofanumberofresearchers,Snipes,Fancsali,andStoker(2012)identifyarangeofschool-based“tools,practices,andstrategiesfocusedonpromotingpositiveacademicmindsetsandlearningstrategies”(p.4)anddiscusstheevidencesupportingtheiruse.Theirlistisextensiveandpertainstomanyaspectsofschoolpractice.WeidentifiedthosethatappearedmostlikelytoberelevanttoIBschoolsandclassifiedthemintothoserelatedtoschoolenvironmentsandthoseusedintheclassroom.ThistwopartdivisionisalignedwiththeworkofDurlakandcolleagues(2011)whoidentifiedtwomainstrategiesthatpromotethedevelopmentofnon-cognitiveskills:instructionalandenvironmentalapproaches.

WhilethefollowingaspectsoftheschoolenvironmentandclassroompracticearesummarizedintheworkofSnipesetal.(2012).Itshouldbenotedthatmanyoftheseideascomefrom–andareattributedto–othernotedscholarsandpractitioners(e.g.Carr&Walton,2011;Lee&Smith,1999:Marzano,2000).

Schoolenvironment:Certainaspectsofaschool’sculturehavebeenfoundtobeassociatedwithpositiveacademicmindsetsincludinganatmosphereofrespectforscholarship,anemphasison

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teamwork,apositivepeerculture,school-wideassumptionsthatallstudentscanbesuccessfullearners,andanoverallstrongandhealthyorganization.Scholarshavealsofoundevidencethatcertainstructuressuchasextendedtimewithteachersandaconsistentgroupofpeers(e.g.blockscheduling,looping)areassociatedwiththedevelopmentofpositiveacademicmindsets.Otherschoolconditionsfoundtobepositiveareasystemofrewardsandconsequencesthataretransparentsothatstudentsunderstandwhatisrequiredtosucceed.Inaddition,studentsbuildpositiveacademicmindsetswhentheyaregivenopportunitiestoengageinservicetoothers.

Classroompractice:Attheclassroomlevel,researchershavefoundthataspectsofcurriculumandinstruction,studentsupports,assessmentpracticesandclassroomculturecaninfluencethedevelopmentofpositiveacademicmindsets.Studentsaremorelikelytoholdpositivemindsetswhentheinstructionalpracticesincludechallengingbutachievableassignments;whenpraiseisofferedforhardworkratherthanintelligence;throughopportunitiestoundertakeauthentic,relevanttasksappliedtorealworldsettings;andwhenclassroomactivitiesincorporatestudents’culturalknowledgeandpersonalopinions.Inaddition,itishelpfulwhenstudentsaregivenchoices,cognitiveautonomyandownershipoflearning.Inaddition,studentswhohaveaccesstosupportswhentheystrugglewithlearningaremorelikelytodeveloppositivemindsets.Withregardtoassessments,studentsbenefitfromtransparentgradingpracticesandfromregular,supportivefeedbackfromteachersonprogresstowardgoalattainment.

Linkageshavealsobeenfoundbetweenpositiveacademicmindsetsandtrustandsafetyintheclassroom.Studentsbenefitalsofromhighexpectationsamongteachers,especiallywhenitisalsoclearthatteachersrespectthemaslearners.Moregenerally,positivestudent-teacherrelationshipsareassociatedwithpositivemindsets.Inaddition,welookedforwaysinwhichparticularIBOcoreideas,framingdocumentsandinitiativesmightintersectwitheffortstopromotepositiveacademicmindsetsamongstudents.WeexpectedthattheremightbeparticularconnectionbetweentheIBLearnerProfileandacademicmindsets,whilealsoacknowledgingthatthespecificitemsintheprofiledidnotoverlaptoasignificantdegreewiththefourfocaldimensionsofacademicmindsets.1Inaddition,wewereinterestedinwhetherarelativelynewinitiativewithinIBOentitledtheApproachestoTeachingandLearning(IB)2wouldbelikelytopromotepositiveacademicmindsets,inparticularwithregardtotheself-managementskills,oneoffiveareasemphasized.Finally,webelievedthataspectsoftheDPdesigncouldleadtopositiveacademicmindsetssuchasCreativity,ActionandService(CAS),theextendedessay,andtheTheoryofKnowledgeCourse(IBO,2016).Ineachof1TheIBLearnerProfilequalitiesareinquirers,knowledgeable,thinkers,communicators,principled,open-minded,caring,risk-takers,balanced,reflective.Seehttp://www.ibo.org/benefits/learner-profile/2Thesearethinkingskills,communicationsskills,socialskills,self-managementskills,andresearchskills.Seehttp://www.ibo.org/globalassets/digital-tookit/flyers-and-artworks/approaches-to-teaching-learning-dp-en.pdf

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thesecases,wehypothesizedthatstudentswouldbeexposedtoexperiencesthatrequiredthemtoconsider–andpossiblydevelop–beliefinthemalleabilityofintelligence,asenseofbelonging,self-confidenceandasensethatlearningwasrelevant.

Thereisconsiderabledifferenceofopinionregardingwhethernon-cognitiveassetsareinnateorcanbelearned.Iftheyareindeedlearned,inwholeorpartially,thentheycanbetaughtineducationalsettings.Whilethereisreasontobelievethatpeoplemaybebornwithpersonalitytraitssuchasconscientiousnessthatareassociatedwithgoodacademicoutcomes(Noftle&Robins,2007),thereisalsoconsiderableevidencethatnon-cognitiveassetscanbeinfluencedbyteachersandschools(Farringtonetal.,2012).

YeagerandWalton(2015)positthatworktopromotepositiveacademicmindsetsmaybelessaboutteachingcontentthanaboutinterveninginsocial-psychologicalterms.Theynotethatrelativelysmallinterventionsmayhaveanoutsizedeffectwhentheytargetkeymentalprocessesthatcandeterstudentachievement.Conversely,Shechtmanetal.,(2013)suggestthatopportunitiestolearnacademicmindsetsbeintroducedintotheacademiccoresothatstudentscanexplicitlylearnandpracticetheminacademicsituationsandunderstandhowtheycaninfluencetheiracademicachievement.Farnsworthetal.(2012)foundresearchevidencethatpositiveacademicmindsetsmaybefosteredbothinrelationtoinstructioninspecificcontentareasaswellasincontextsthatspancontentareas.

Studieshaveshownwaysthatthedevelopmentofpositiveacademicmindsetscanbeadvancedthroughthecurriculum(Bailey,Heape,&Shields,2009),throughstudentsupports(Cassen,Feinstein,andGraham,2008)orthroughsocio-culturalapproachesthatinvolveschool-widewaysofthinkingaboutstudentcapacity(Duckworth,Kamentz&Keene,2012).Classroomteacherscanhelpstudentsdevelopastrongacademicmindsetbypresentingtasksinwaysthatseemattainableaswellasbyofferingthesupportandtoolsneededtobesuccessful(Dweck,Walton&Cohen,2014).

ResearchDesignandMethodology

OverviewNCRESTemployedamixedmethod,multiplecasestudydesignforthisstudy.EachIBschoolselectedforinclusioncomprisedacaseorunitofanalysis.AmultiplecasestudydesignwasselectedtoenableNCRESTtostudyanddescribetheschoolandclassroom-levelfactorsthatcontributedtostudents’developmentofpositiveacademicmindsetsateachoftheschoolsinoursample,aswellastoexploreanddescribecommonanddivergentthemesthatemergedacrosstheIBstudyschools.Weusedbothquantitative(surveyadministrationandanalysis)andqualitative(guidedinterviewsandclassroomobservations)methodstoanswertheresearchquestions.

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Toframeourresearch,wedevelopedthefollowinglogicmodel,basedontheresearchliteraturethatwereviewedandourunderstandingoftheDPmodel.Inourstudy,wefocusedonthefirstthreeboxes;thefourthonecouldnotbeexploredwithinthetimeframeorresourcesavailable.

Figure1:LogicModel-ResearchonAcademicMindsets

Thefollowingquestionsguidedtheresearch:

1. HowdoDPschools’structures(philosophy,structure,leadership)andclassroompractices(curriculumandintendedandenactedinstruction)contributetostudents’positiveacademicmindsets?

2. TowhatextentdoDPstudentsandteachersperceivethattheIBprogrammeandtheschools’structure,curriculumandinstructionsupportthedevelopmentofpositiveacademicmindsets?

3. WhatoutcomesdoDPstudentsobtainonstandardizedmeasuresofacademicmindset?Howdotheseoutcomescompareacrossschools,especiallythoseindifferentcountries?Whatschool-basedfactorsmightcontributetothisvariation?

4. WhatlinkagescanbeobservedbetweenpositiveacademicmindsetsandpositiveacademicbehaviorsinDPschools?

5. WhatstrategiesmightIBOuseorstrengthentodeveloppositiveacademicmindsetsamongDPstudentsinthefuture?

DPschools/programsimplement-

Positiveschoolenvironment

Positiveclassroompractices

Studentsdeveloppositiveacademicmindsetsincluding:

- Malleableintelligence

- Relevance- Self-confidence- Belonging

Studentsexhibitpositiveacademicbehaviors

StudentssuccessfullycompleteDPcoursesandprograms

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SampleselectionOurresearchfocusedonfourschoolslocatedintwocountries.Tomakedecisionsaboutwhichcountriestoworkin,weprioritizedthosewithaconsiderablenumberofIBschoolsanddecidedthatoneofthesecouldbetheUnitedStates(ideallyNewYorkState)tokeepcostsincheck.WeconsideredonlycountrieswhereEnglishorSpanishisspokenasthesearethetwoIBlanguagesinwhichourresearchteamisfluent.Inselectingschools,wedevelopedasetofcriteriaintendedtoidentifythosewithwellestablishedDPprogramsaswellasconditionsthatmightbefavorabletothisresearch.WewereassistedintheidentificationofschoolsbyrepresentativesofIBObasedonourselectioncriteria,asfollows:

1. Timeinexistence(authorizedafter2008).2. EvidenceoffullimplementationofDPwithapreferenceforschoolsrecognizedfortheir

useoftheLearnerProfile.3. Somediversity(intheUS,with20%ormorestudentsfromminoritygroupsoreligiblefor

freeorreducedlunch).4. AsubstantialproportionofstudentswhowereDPexamtakers(over25%inpublic

schools;over50%inprivateschools).5. Aninterestexpressedbyschoolpersonnelinparticipatinginastudyofthiskind.

Thefollowingfourschoolswereselected:Table1.SampleSchoolCharacteristics

School Location Control Grades/forms

No.ofstudents DPparticipants

SchoolA NY,USA Public 9-12 1100AllstudentstakeDPcourses;abouthalfworktowardtheDiploma

SchoolB NY,USA Public 9-12 1400AllstudentstakeDPcourses;5-20worktowardtheDiploma

SchoolC Peru Private Pre-KthroughFormVI 1200girls

AllsecondarystudentstakeDPcourses;abouthalfworktowardtheDiploma

SchoolD PeruPrivate,parent

cooperative

Pre-KthroughFormV 1400

AllstudentstakePYP,MYPorDPcourses;abouthalfworktowardtheDiploma

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DatacollectionmethodsTocollectdata,two-dayvisitsweremadetoeachschool.Duringeachvisit,interviewswereconductedwiththeDPcoordinator,theschoolheadorprincipal,thepersoninchargeofCASandtheextendedessay,selectedteachers(includingtheTOKteacher),andotherschoolleaders.Inaddition,weconductedobservationsinarangeofclassroomsandsomeCASactivities.Duringorjustpriortoourvisit,astudentsurveywasadministeredtostudentsparticipatinginDP.Inpreparationforourvisits,weconductedaninterviewwithJennyGillett,SeniorCurriculumStrandManageratInternationalBaccalaureateinTheHague,tolearnabouthowtheIBcurriculumintegratesanyofthefourdimensionsofacademicmindsetsofinterestinourresearch.

Thefollowingsummarizestheresearchactivitiesundertaken:

Table2.SummaryofDataCollectionActivitiesintheSampleSchools

School Location Dateofvisit Interviewees(#)

Observations(#)

Studentssurveyed

(#)SchoolA NY,USA Nov2016 9 4 454SchoolB NY,USA Nov2016 18 4 406SchoolC Peru Oct2016 5 4 44SchoolD Peru Oct2016 12 4 162Total 43 16 1066

Morespecifically,thefollowingactivitieswerecompletedateachschool.AllinstrumentsandprotocolsweredevelopedinEnglishandtranslatedintoSpanishforuseinPeru.TheseareincludedinAppendixA.Consentformsandprocedureswerealsodevelopedinbothlanguages.

1. SchoolLeaderandIBCoordinatorInterviews.NCRESTdevelopedprotocolsforandconductedsemi-structuredinterviewswithschoolleadersandDPCoordinators.Theinterviewsweredesignedtocollectdataontheschoolandprogram-levelstructuresandpracticesthatdevelopandsupportstudents’positiveacademicmindsets.WewerealsointerestedinhowIBandDPresourcessuchastheLearnerProfileandtheTheoryofKnowledgecurriculummightpromotepositiveacademicmindsets.

2. TeacherInterviews.Theteacherinterviewguidesweredesignedtocollectdataonteachers’understandingsofacademicmindsetsaswellasinstructionalpracticesthatsupportstudents’developmentofpositiveacademicmindsets.Theyalsoaddressedteachers’perceptionsofthewaysinwhichtheIBprogramaswellasotherschoolandclassroomfactorssupportthedevelopmentofpositiveacademicmindsets,inthecontextoflocalculturesandnorms.

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3. StudentSurvey.NCRESTdevelopedatwo-partquestionnairethatwasadministeredtoDPstudentsinthestudyschools.ItemsinthefirstpartweredevelopedbyNCRESTandwereusedtocollectstudentdemographicinformationaswellasdataonstudents’perceptionsofschoolenvironmentsandclassroompracticesthatmaysupporttheformationofpositiveacademicmindsets.Tofacilitatelateranalysis,weconstructedscalesinwhichitemsrelatedtoschoolenvironmentandtoclassroompracticewereclustered.ThefinalscalesusedareincludedinAppendixBalongwiththeirvalidity(Cronbach’salpha)values.

Thesecondsectionofthestudentquestionnairecontaineditems/scalesdesignedtoassessstudents’academicmindsetsandacademicbehaviors.Forthese,wedrewonexistingscalesthathadbeenpreviouslyvalidated.AnimportantsourcewastheMotivationandEngagementScale(MES),developedinAustralia,whichmeasuresbehavioral,emotionalandcognitivedimensionsofstudentengagementandhaselevensubscales(Martin,Yu,Papworth,Ginns,&Collie,2015).TheMES-HighSchool(MES-HS)wasdesignedforstudentsage12-19andhasstrongpsychometricproperties;itwasnormedon21,579studentsin58highschoolsinAustralia.Cronbach’salphafortheelevensubscalesis0.79fortheMES-HS(0.77–0.82forindividualscales).3FromtheMES,weusedscalesforacademicbehavior,relevanceandself-confidence.

WealsoincorporatedoneversionofDweck’s(n.d.)mindsetscaletomeasurestudents’perceptionsofmalleableintelligence.4Tomeasurebelonging,weadaptedascaledevelopedbyHurtadoandCarter(1997)foruseinresearchconductedwithLatinocollegestudents.

AllitemsusedclosedresponseoptionsandallitemsthatenteredscalesusedaLikertscalerangingfrom1forstronglydisagreeto5forstronglyagree.

4. ClassroomObservations.Duringourvisits,theresearchersspenttimeinclassroomsandCASactivities,whenpossible.Theobservationswereguidedbyanobservationprotocolthatfocusedourattentiononteacherinteractionswithstudentsthatwerelikelytogenerate/supportpositiveacademicmindsets.TheobservationguideusedinthisresearchisincludedinAppendixD.

5. ReviewofSchoolDocuments.NCRESTalsocollectedandreviewedrelevantschooldocuments,suchasmissionstatements,policies,curriculumdocuments,etc.relevanttoourresearchquestions.

3TheMESwasdevelopedbyDr.AndrewJ.MartinoftheUniversityofSydney,andispublishedbytheLifelongAchievementGroup.Sampleitemsandinformationonconstructsmeasured,psychometricproperties,administrationandscoringarecanbefoundat:http://www.lifelongachievement.com/the-motivation-and-engagement-scale-mes-i8/

4https://mindsetonline.com/testyourmindset/step1.php.ItshouldbenotedthatthiswastheonescalethatweusedwithalowCronbach’salphavalue.Despitethis,wedecidedtogoaheadanduseitinitsoriginalformbecauseithasbeenusedextensivelyinpreviousstudies.

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DataanalysisTheanalysisofinterviewdatawasdoneusingdetailednotestakenduringeachinterview;recordingswerealsomadeandusedtoverifythenoteswhenneeded.Thesenoteswereanalyzedbyfirstorganizingthemaccordingtotheresearchquestionsandthenclusteringtheresponsesintocategoriesbyemergenttheme.ThesurveyresponsesweredownloadedinExcelandtransferredtoSPSSforanalysis.Wefirstgeneratedsimpledescriptivetablesandchartsshowingaveragestudentresponsestoeachitemandforeachscale.Wenextlookedforcorrelationalrelationshipsbetweenthedifferentscalesincludedinthelogicmodel.SeeAppendixBformoredetails.

Findings

SchoolEnvironmentandClassroomPracticesthatFosterPositiveAcademicMindsets

Inthissectionweaddressourfirsttworesearchquestions.Theseare,“HowdoDPschools’philosophy,structure,leadership,curriculumandintendedandenactedinstructioncontributetostudents’positiveacademicmindsets?”and“TowhatextentdoDPstudentsandteachersperceivethattheIBprogrammeandtheschools’structure,curriculumandinstructionsupportthedevelopmentofpositiveacademicmindsets?”Becauseourinterviewandsurveyquestionsfocusedonbothofthesetopicsatthesametime,itwasdifficulttodisentanglethetwo;thereforeweaddressthetwoquestionstogether.Inkeepingwithourlogicmodel,ourdiscussionisseparatedintoschoolenvironmentandclassroompracticessections.

Schoolenvironment

Schoolenvironmentandmalleableintelligence

Emergingandcompellingresearchthatsuggestsnon-cognitivefactorsassociatedwithpositiveacademicoutcomesandschoolsuccess,suchaspro-academicmindsets,arelargelycreationsofschoolandclassroomcontextsratherthanthepersonalcharacteristicsthatstudentsbringwiththemtoschool(Farrington,et.al,2012;Hamedani,Zheng&Darling-Hammond,2015).Forthemostpart,wefoundthattherewaswidespreadbeliefinthefourschoolsvisitedthatintelligenceismalleable,althoughitwasoccasionallyquestionedtosomedegree.Inmanycases,respondentstoldusthatallgoodteachersbelievethatintelligencecanbebuiltwitheffortandgoodteaching.Moststudentssurveyed(79%)agreedwiththestatementthattheirIBprogramemphasizedhardworkasawaytosucceed.Sixtytwopercentofstudentsagreedwiththestatement,“Nomatterhowmuchintelligenceyouhave,youcanalwayschangeitagooddeal.”However,fewer-52%-agreedthattheyweregenerallypraisedforeffortwhile46%saidthattheywerepraisedfortheirintelligence,suggestingthatperceptionsofadultsonthistopicvary.

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Inanumberofcases,beliefinthemalleabilityofintelligencewasseenasrelatedtobothfamilyandschoolculture.Inseveraloftheschools,thepointwasmadethatstudents’familiesencouragedthemtobelievethattheycouldlearnwitheffort.

Weliveinacommunitywheresuccessisveryimportanttofaculty,studentsandhome.Parentspushthemathome.IBisrigorous.Youreallyhavetoworkinordertobesuccessful.Studentsjusthavethatmindsetcomingin.

Inothercases,theemphasiswasontheclimateandphilosophyofeducationwithintheschoolitself:

Theschoolitselffostersthat.Wehaveaclimatewhere[students]arechallengedanditisnotcooltotaketheeasypath…Theideathateverybodycandoitisfosteredfromthedaytheywalkinin9thgrade.

Ingeneral,schoolleadersexpressedacommitmenttohavingallstudentsgoingasfarastheycanintheirlearningandwefoundthatpoliciesencourageprogressionthroughtheDPcurriculuminallofthefourschools.AtSchoolB,theprincipalnotedthat“IBforall”isamottoandmessageattheschool.Theschoolencouragesstudentstoconsiderthemselvesascapableofachievingathighlevels,andtotrythingsthataredifficult.Structurally,theschoolrequiresall11thgraderstotaketheDPEnglishandHistorycourse.Theprincipalexplainedthatit'sawayforstudents“tolearnwhatisinvolvedandlosethefearofmorerigorouscoursework.”TheschoolhasanominimumrequirementforentryintoahigherlevelDPcourseand,astheprincipalnoted,ifastudentiswillingtotry,theyarenotdiscouraged.

Wealsofoundthatmeasuresaretakentohelpstudentstobuildaconvictionthattheycanengageinrigorousandchallengingacademicwork.AtSchoolA,staffworktocreateanenvironmentinwhichstudentsarechallengedbutalsofrequentlypraisedandsupported.Theseeffortsarepartoftheschool’slong-termcommitmenttode-trackingandengagingstudentsinrigorouscoursework.Aspartofitsde-trackingefforts,theschooloffersvariedIBoptionsrangingfromtakingoneclass,totakingseveral,toearningtheDPdiploma.Inaddition,theschoolhassupportclassesforstudentswithspecialneedsaswellasstaffresources(e.g.guidancecounselors,socialworkersandpsychologists)tohelpstudentstacklemorechallengingcoursework.

AtSchoolD,policiesandstructurescommunicateanunderlyingbeliefthatallstudents,includingspecialneedsstudents,cansucceedintherigorousDPacademicprogram.StudentscompletetheDPcourseworkbytheequivalentoftheUS11thgrade,anearlieragethanistypicalforDPstudents.Theschoolisconcernedwithboostingstudents’confidenceandacademicself-efficacy.Theyhavestartedadepartmentoflearningsupport,whichincludesbothacademicsupportsandsocial-emotionalcounseling.Anotherthemethatemergedwashelpingstudentstogrowtheirintelligencebyprovidingtherightmixtureofchallengeandsupportor,asoneprincipalsaid,“therightamountofdissonance–strugglewithoutdeflation.”

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Inaddition,anumberofschoolsusedsystemsthatprovidesystematicwaystohelpstudentsthroughrigoroustasks,likelytoinfluencetheirbeliefthattheirintelligenceisgrow-able.Thethinkingisthatstudentswillbenefitfromasetofstructuredexperiencesthatwouldallowthemtogrowintellectually.Forexample,ateacheratSchoolDtalkedabouthowIB’sExtendedEssayprocesshelpsstudentstobuildabeliefthattheycantackleadifficultproject.

It’saprogressive2-yeareffort.Foryear2theypickthetopicorcoursewheretheywillbedoingtheirresearch.Theymeetwiththeirsupervisorattheendofyear1tobeginresearch.Beforeyear2thereisanothermeetingtomakesurethereissomemovement….Atthebeginningofyear2thereisareview.Thereisaformwherestudentsandsupervisorstracktheirprogresssotheycanfinishontime.

Leadershipattitudesappearedtobeveryimportantinaddressingquestionsaboutmalleableintelligence,particularlywhetherallstudentsarecapableofengaginginrigorouscoursework.ThiswasespeciallysalientintheUSpublicschoolsthatwereenrollingprogressivelymorestudentsinDPcourses.Oneprincipalinparticularwaseloquentonthistopic.

Howdoteachersreact?Teachersarecautiousatfirst.Guarded.Thisissecondorderchange.Changeishardforanyone….It’sabigshifttobelievethiscanbedoneforall.Themajoritynowbelievethatallstudentscandothisbutit’snoteasy.Leadershavetokeepupthepress.

Atthesametime,weencounteredexampleswheredoubtwasexpressedbyschoolpersonnelthatintelligenceisfullymalleable.Onequestionedwhetherallstudentsshouldbepreparedforcollege,believingthat“notallstudentsarewiredthatway.”Anotherintervieweebelievedthatgirls’andboys’brainslearndifferentlyandthatgirlsbenefitedfrombeinginclassroomssegregatedbygender.

Schoolenvironmentandasenseofbelonging

Students’senseofbelongingisfosteredandexhibitedwhentheyformasenseofidentitywithandfeelthattheyaregenuinemembersofanacademicandlearningandsocialcommunity—attheschool-leveland/orclassroomlevel.(Snipes,et.al.,2012).Asenseofbelongingwasdescribeddifferentlyineachschool.Sometalkedaboutschoolspirit,whileotherstalkedaboutschoolpride,orasenseofbeingpartofacomfortablefamilyenvironment.Amongstudentssurveyed,overhalf(54%)agreedwiththestatement“Ifeelasenseofbelongingtotheschoolcommunity.”

InthetwoPeruvianschools,asenseofbelongingwaswellestablishedbythetimestudentswereintheDPprogramme.Inbothcases,moststudentsenteredattheageofthreeorfourandstayeduntilgraduationfromsecondaryschool.Asoneschoolleadersaid,

Herethekidscomeinatnurserysothespiritisthereandtheygrowuptogether.Thestudentsarecomfortablewithoneanother.Thereareveryfewinstancesofbullyingandstudentsseemtohavearespectforoneanother.

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Inaddition,thepopulationsoftheseschoolsarewelloffeconomicallyandfairlyhomogeneous,reducingthedifferencesamongstudentsthatcancausetensions.Thus,theschoolsdidnotneedtomakeasmuchefforttoengenderasenseofbelongingamongstudents.However,SchoolCexplicitlyaddressedtheimportanceofasenseofbelongingontheirwebsite:

Wevalueeachandeverystudent,theiruniqueness,andthediversityofourcommunity,andthe commitment and skills of our staff. Building a strong sense of community is veryimportantforus;webelievethatwhenpupilsfeeltheybelongtheyaremorelikelytobecomeacademicallymotivated,toactethicallyandtodevelopsocialandemotionalcompetencies.

SchoolCalsofosteredstudents’senseofbelongingthroughstructuresthatcreatestudentidentitygroups.Allstudentsareassignedtoahomeroomatthebeginningoftheirsecondaryschoolyearsandtoaleadteacherwhostayswiththestudentcohortthroughgraduation.Theymeetbrieflyatthebeginningofeachdayandalsoonceaweekforapersonaldevelopmentclass.Theleadteacherkeepstrackofhowindividualstudentsaredoingbothsociallyandacademicallyandinterveneswhennecessary.Inaddition,theschoolhasahousesystem,inwhichstudentsareassignedtooneoffourhousesinthe2ndgradeinwhichtheyremainuntilgraduation.Thehousesystemaimstopromoteschoolspirit,teamworkandhealthycompetitionamonghousesinacademicsportsandspecialprojects.

IntheUSschools,studentswerelesslikelytohavegrownuptogetherandparticularlyinoneschool,studentswerelesswell-off.However,expliciteffortsweremadetopromoteasenseofbelongingamongstudents.BothUSschoolsencouragedstudentstoparticipateinactivitiesandorganizationssuchasfishingorlanguageclubsthatwouldpromoteaconnectiontotheschoolandeachother.AtSchoolA,theschoolencouragedparticipationintheir56studentclubsandactivities,someofwhichcouldbeusedbyDPstudentstofulfilltheirCASrequirements.InSchoolB,aschoolleadertalkedabouteffortsmadetoengenderasenseofbelongingacrosstheyears.

Expliciteffortsforbelonging?New9thgradersgetatour.Wehavespiritweek….clubs…backtoschoolnight…juniorgala…homecoming.

AtSchoolB,theprincipalnotedthathemakesitaprioritytosupportstudentsandstafftodevelopasenseofbelongingandprideintheschool,andnotesthathefrequentlyhearsstudentssaywithpride,“I’manIBstudent.”Inaddition,theprincipalperceivesthatthestudentswhostrivetoearntheDPdiplomafeelasenseofkinshipandprideinundertakingrigorouswork.

Acrossallschools,warmrelationshipsbetweenstudentsandteacherswerementionedasespeciallyimportanttodevelopingasenseofbelonging.

Ican'treallyascribehappinesstoanythingtheschooldoesinparticular.Theschoolisafairlyfriendlyplacebecausestudentsalreadyknowthestaffandwho'sgoingtobetheirteacherfromyeartoyear.

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Studentshavelotsofaffectionfortheteachers.Therearegreatrelationships.Teachersgotoweddingsofformerstudents,knowthefamily.Therearealwaysthingsgoingoninstudents’families.

Atthesametime,therewerecaseswherethesenseofbelongingcouldbeweakenedbythedivisionofstudentsintoDPdiplomastudentsandthosewhowerenot.Studentsworkingtowardthediplomaweresometimesconsidereddifferentorofhigherstatusintheschool,somethingthatcoulddiminishthesenseofbelongingtoaschoolcommunity.

Schoolenvironmentandself-confidence

AscitedinFarringtonetal.(2012),Bandura(1986)notedthatstudentsaremostlikelytoengageinlearningactivitiesthattheyfeelabletocompletesuccessfullyandtoavoidthosethattheydonotfeelconfidentaboutundertaking.Accordingtoourinterviewees,IBcourseworkcanseemdauntingtostudentsand,especiallyinthetwoUSschools,effortsweremadetopromotestudents’self-confidenceinundertakingthesecourses.Inaddition,therewereexamplesofmoregeneraleffortstobuildstudentself-confidence.

Therewasevidencethatseveralschoolsworkedtohelpstudentsfindarenasinwhichtheycouldshineasawaytobolstertheirself-confidence.Thissometimestooktheformofencouragingexplorationofdifferentinterestsand“selves”throughinvolvementinCASwithitsemphasesoncommunityservice,thearts,andsports.AteacheratSchoolDpointedoutthatmanyoftheseopportunitiesareun-gradedsoitencouragesstudentstotakemorerisksanddevelopconfidenceintryingnewendeavors.OneCAScoordinatorsaid,“Weencouragethemtostepoutsideoftheircomfortzone.”

Inothercases,studentswereofferedleadershipopportunitiesthatappearedtocontributetotheirself-confidence.InoneofthePeruvianschools,studentscouldbeleaderswithinstudentgovernment,in“houses”similartothoseintheBritishschoolsystem,orinvarioussports,clubs,andactivities,allowingthemtogainconfidenceindifferentroles.Intheoneall-girlsschoolthatwevisited,aschoolleadertalkedabouthowasinglegenderenvironmentencouragesthedevelopmentofleadershipandself-confidenceamongtheirstudents.Therewasnodeferencetoboysorassumptionsthatgirlsarelimitedtocertainareasofaccomplishment.

Withanall-girlsschool,girlsareabletorecognizeandseethemselvesasscientistsandmathematicians….Becausethisisanall-girlsschool,girlsbelievetheycanthriveanywhere.

Therewasalsothoughtgiventohelpingstudentstakechargeoftheirowneducation.Atoneschool,anexternalreviewerhadquestionedwhetherstudentsweregiventoomuchsupport.Theschoolwasindiscussionsaboutwhethertoreducetheamountof“spoonfeeding”andincreasestudents’opportunitiesto“thinkforthemselves.”

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Finally,insomeschools,therewasexplicitconcernwithstudents’self-conceptandsupportisprovidedtobolsterit.Asoneleadersaid,therigoroftheprogramcanmakeithardforstudentstomaintaintheirconfidenceandtheschooloffersvariousresources.

Thepsychologistisalwaysinvolvedwithsupportingthekidswithsocialemotionalproblems.Shedoeslotsofcoachingforkidswhoneedit.SomestudentswereshockedwhentheirgradeswentdownbecauseoftherigoroftheIBprogram.

TheDPcoordinatorswereanotherresourceforstudentswhoseself-confidenceneededbolstering.Acrossalloftheschools,theywereinvolvedinencouragingfalteringstudentsandhelpingthembelievethattheycouldsucceedinchallengingclassesandaspiretobecomeaDPdiplomaholder.

InoneoftheUSschools,theprincipalmadeaparticularefforttobuildasenseofprideandabeliefthatstudentsatthatschoolcouldbeasgoodasstudentsanywhere.Infact,theuseoftheIBcurriculumhasplayedaroleinconvincingstudentsthattheycansucceedinlife.

WhenIstartedhere27yearsago,therewaslowself-esteemandthebeliefthat[SchoolD]studentsaredumb.Ikepttellingthemthatthey’regreat.Istartedbymakingtheschoollookbettertoreinforcetheideaofself-pride.IBhasbeenabigpartofthatalso.

Schoolenvironmentandrelevance

Schoolwidestructuresandpracticesthatpromoteandfosterstudentadoptionofacademicmindsetsincludelearningopportunitiesandexperiencesthatstudentsenjoyandperceivetoberelevantandvaluabletothemselves,theircommunitiesand“therealworld”(Snipes,et.al,2012).Inthefourcasestudyschools,weconsistentlyfoundthatschoolfacultyidentifiedstructuresandpracticesthatbuildstudents’beliefthateducationisrelevant.Ofstudentssurveyed,60%agreedthat“I’mabletousesomeofthethingsIlearnatschoolinotherpartsofmylife,”onemeasureofrelevance.

Developingaschoolenvironmentinwhichstudentsfindtheircourseworkrelevanthadmuchtodowithemphasizingtheimportanceoflearningandachievementfortheattainmentoffuturegoals,especiallysuccessincollege.Themajorityofstudentsinallfourschoolswerebroughtupwiththeideathattheyshouldtakethestepsnecessarytoattendandgraduatefromagoodcollege;94%ofthosesurveyedexpectedtogotocollegerightafterhighschool.Accordingtoschoolstaff,thismessageisoftendrivenhomebyparents.Inaddition,schoolstookmeasurestoreinforcetheideathatschoolsuccessleadstocollegesuccess.Atoneschool,alumniwereregularlyinvitedintospeakwithstudentsaboutthevalueofstudyinghard.

Howdoyouconvincestudentsit’sworththeeffort?Bringinformerstudentstoconnecthowthiswillberelevantandhelpful.BringtheminforschooleventstoremindthemthatDPisastrugglebutthatonceyougettouniversity,it’sacakewalk.

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Insomecases,studentstookcoursesthatwererelevanttotheirfutureplans.IBcoursesofferedatSchoolAsuchasbusinessmanagementandartsallowedstudentstolearnabouttopicstheyfoundengagingoruseful.FacultyatSchoolBdiscussedwaysthatotherDPcomponentssuchasCASandtheExtendedEssayofferlearningexperiencesthatareintrinsicallyenjoyableandrelevant,asstudentareencouragedtofocusontopicsandexperiencesthataremeaningfultothem.

Inaddition,weobservedthatschoolleadersandstaffwereoftencommittedtomakingthelearningrelevanttostudents’currentlivesandinterests.AtSchoolA,recentfacultyprofessionaldevelopmenthadfocusedondifferentiatingcoursesinwaysthattakeintoaccountstudentchoiceandinterests,includingstudentselectionofresearchandstudytopics,waysoflearning,andsometimesmeansofassessment.AtSchoolD,connectingstudentlearningopportunitiesandexperiencetostudentinterestsisfosteredthroughthestructureforcourseselection.Studentsandparentsdecidewhatcoursesshouldbetakenbasedontheirinterestsandgoals.

CASactivitieswereoftenstructuredtogivestudentsaconnectionwiththerealworld.Inmanycases,serviceprojectsbroughtstudentsintocontactwithpeopleandplacestheywouldnothaveotherwiseknown;theyalsoprovidedstudentswithopportunitiestobeusefultoothers.ThisappearedtobeespeciallytrueinthePeruvianschoolswheremanystudentshadledshelteredlives.Forexample,atoneschool,studentsweretutoringyoungerchildrenfromalow-incomeschool.Inanother,studentsorganizedgamesandsocialactivitiesforspecialeducationstudents.CASactivitiesalsoallowedstudentstobecreativeinrealworldsettings.Onegroupofstudentswasworkingwithasmalllocalmuseumtosetupinteractivedisplaysthatwouldengagethepublicandhelpthemtolearnaboutancienttextiles.Atthesametime,onlyhalf(50%)ofstudentssurveyedagreedthattheylearnskillsinCASactivitiesthatarerelevantintherealworld,suggestingthatmorecouldbedonetoconnectCAStostudentinterests.5

Finally,mostoftheschoolsinvolvedatleastsomestudentsintripstoplacesthatbroadenedtheirhorizonsandunderstandingoftheworld.AtoneoftheUSschools,studentsgoonafieldtriptoNicaraguaalmosteveryyeartocarryoutserviceactivities.Studentsformedcloserelationshipswiththeirhostfamiliesandgainedinsightsintoadifferentculture.Thisschoolalsoregularlytookgroupsofstudentstoconductresearchinthelibraryatalocalcollegetoexposethemtothecollegeenvironmentandresources.AtoneofthePeruvianschools,therewasanannualtriptothejungletostudyecologyaswellastodoserviceprojects.

Inaddition,itwasclearthatstudentswereoftenconcernedwithmakingtheadultsintheirlivesproudofthem,anattitudethatmadesuccessinschoolrelevantinapersonalway.Thisconnectionwasstrengthenedwithinschoolsbythededicationthatteachersshowedtoeducatingandsupportingtheirstudents.

5Althoughtherangewasfrom89%agreeingatSchoolCto28%atSchoolB.

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ClassroompracticesFarringtonet.al.(2012)statethat“Classroomconditionshavepowerfulinfluencesonstudents’feelingsofbelonging,self-efficacy,andvaluationofschoolworkandcanalsoreinforceorundermineagrowthmindset(p.32).”Unfortunatelytheresearchislimitedwithregardtospecificclassroomstrategiesthatdirectlytranslateintothedevelopmentofacademicmindsets.However,multiplestudieshavefoundthereareinterventionsthathaveapositiveeffectinpromotingpositiveacademicmindsets(Snipes,2012).ThesefindingsservetohighlightthewaysthatIBteacherpracticesinfluenceacademicmindsetsinthefourcasestudyschools.ClassroompracticesandmalleableintelligenceClassroompracticesthatsupportamalleableintelligencemindsetarecomplicatedtoidentifyandassess.Inmanyways,theyareembeddedinongoingteacherpracticeanddailycommunicationswithstudents.Researchsuggeststhatmuchdependsonhowteacherscommunicateandvaluestudenteffortaswellashowstudentsinternalizethemessage.Inthisstudywefoundthatteachersoverwhelminglyexpressedabeliefthatintelligenceismalleable,yetstudentsingeneraldidnotscoreashighinthemalleableintelligencemindsetastheydidfortheotheracademicmindsetmeasuresinthestudentsurvey(seeFigure2onpage25anditem-levelsurveyresultsinAppendixB).Most,ifnotall,teacherscommunicatedthattheybelievedthatallstudentscouldlearnrigorouscoursematerialandthatstudenteffortintheclassroomwaskeytoacademicsuccess.Insomecases,theassessmentsystemreflectedeffortaswellasmasteryofknowledgeandskills.SchoolB’steachersgive“goodhousemarks”tostudentswhoareexcellingacademicallyandstudentswhodemonstratepositivebehaviorintheclassroom.ADPcoordinatoratSchoolDstatedthat,“studentsearnbothacademicandattitudinalgrades.Professorsmayrecognizeextraeffort.”Inaddition,attentionwaspaidtobolsteringstudents’willingnesstoinvesteffortintheirstudies.InSchoolB,ateachertalkedaboutwaystomakesurestudentmoraleishigh.Forinstance,ifshehasastudentwhoisnotproficientinEnglishshemayprovideanalternativeassignmentoravoidaskinghimorherquestionsinfrontofthewholeclasstoavoidembarrassment.Similarly,teachersfromSchoolsBandDmentionedtheimportanceofprovidingstudentswithpositivefeedbackandtheeffectithasontheiracademicsuccess.InSchoolB,teacherswerespecificinstatingthattheyhavegravitatedawayfromhighlightingstudentfailuresormishaps.Onestated,

Intheolddaysifyouwereintrouble,youlostpointsorloweredyourgrade.Nowweemphasizeareasyouareabletodowell.‘Ifyouaddthesepiecestoyourwritingthenyouwillbehereorthere.’Studentsunderstandwhatisneededtothriveandtheeffortneeded.

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Thisisaclearindicationofateacher’sefforttogravitatetowardsastyleofteachingalignedwithpromotingpositiveacademicmindsets.Thisteacherwentontoexplainthatshehelpsstudentunderstandtheneedforperseverancebyexpressingherselfhonestlyandshowingstudentsherownstruggles.Shesometimesmodelsherownprocessofconqueringherweaknessesandhelpedstudentsrealizethat,althoughthecourseworkmaybedifficult,itisachievable,andtheyarecapableofachievingherrigorousstandards.Inaddition,wenotedthatteacherstookadvantageofthecharacteristicsofseveralDPcoursesandactivitiestopromoteamalleableintelligencemindset.TheseincludedtheTheoryofKnowledge(TOK)course,theExtendedEssay,andtheCommunity,ActivityandService(CAS)program.Teachersacrossschoolspointedoutthatthesearesettingsinwhichstudentsarerequiredtoapplyskillsetsthatmaybeneglectedintypicalacademicclassrooms.InacourselikeTOKstudentsmayspendmoreclassroomtimethinkingdeeplyandcriticallyaboutacademicandlifeissuesandstretchingthemselvesasintellectuals.OneteacherfromSchoolDstated,

Theyareencouragedtoquestionthingsintheirlives.Itgetsthemconnectedtoreallifeandaseriesofrelevanttopics.It’snotonlyaboutaskingquestions,butalsofindinganswers.Thinkingaboutdifferentwaystoanswerbasedondifferentkindsofframing.

TOKcoursesallowteacherstoprobecomplexissueswithstudentsandtograntstudentstheacademicspacetochallengethemselvesandvalidatetheirperceptionsabouttheirownintelligence.AsanotherSchoolDleadteacherputit:

Inquiryisanotherareathatencouragesgrowthmindsets.Whenthereisnorightorwronganswer[totheseopen-endedquestions].It'snotabouttherightorwronganswerbutratherhowdidyougetyouranswer.Thispromotesmindset.

ManyCAScoordinatorsfeltsimilarlythattheiroverallgoalistoencourageinquiryandreflection.Forinstance,aCASteacheratSchoolAstatedthatafter18monthsofworkingwiththeirpeersandinthecommunity,students’writtenreflectionsshowagrowthinmaturityandincomplexityofthought.Thesestudentreflectionsplayasignificantroleingradingandallowteacherstoprovidepositivefeedbackandpromotepositiveacademicmindsets.Teachersoverseeingstudents’ExtendedEssaysalsopracticestrategiesthatpromoteabeliefinmalleablemindsets,particularlyhelpingstudentslearnhowtohandlechallengingprojects.ClassroompracticesandbelongingHumanshaveabasicneedtobelongintheworld(Mazlow,1943)and,formanystudents,theclassroomisamajorpartoftheirlife.Teacherpracticesthatpromoteastudentsenseofstudentbelongingdependonaclassroomculturethatisestablishedbyteacher.Studentsupportsmustbe

27

inplacesostudentsmayproductivelystrugglewiththeiracademicworkandyetpersistandthriveintheiracademicenvironment.Soisateacher'sabilitytopromotetrustintheclassroom(Farringtonetal.,2012).Asenseofbelongingintheclassroominvolvesrelationshipswithandamongbothteachersandpeers.Almostallschoolleadersspokehighlyoftheirteachers’effortstopromotestudents’senseofbelongingbysupportingthemandshowingthemthattheywereimportant.Onewaythiswascommunicatedacrossschoolswasthroughteachers’willingnesstostayafterschoolorcometoschoolearlytohelpstudentswhorequestedtheirassistance.AschooladministratoratSchoolCstated:

Teachersareverywillingtogivetheirfreetimetohelpstudents.Studentsrarelysaythatateacherdoesnotwanttohelpthem.

Beyondbeingavailable,teachersusedotherstrategiestopromoteclassroomcohesivenessandasenseofbelonging.TeachersatSchoolsAandDarrangedtheirclassroomsinwaysthatencouragedasenseofcommunity(e.g.,organizingdesksincirculargroupsorclusters).Similarly,providingstudentswithopportunitiestoworkingroupsallowedteacherstoencourageinteractionamongstudentswithdifferentacademicandnon-academiccharacteristics,facilitatingpeerbonding.AsoneSchoolDteachernoted:

Kidsformconnectionsthataren’tnecessarilybasedonacademiclevels;they’rebasedonotherkindsofaffinities.Butbotharegood.Inmanygroups,studentsdivideuptheworkdependingontheirdifferentstrengths.

Thesestrategicclassroompracticesfacilitatedialogue,whichSchoolCteachersfeltwasimportanttopromoteasenseofbelongingintheclassroom.Ateacherstatedthathedemanded“gooddiscussion”andavoidedstructuringtheclassroominawaythatemphasizedtheroleoftheteacherasalecturer.Thisteacherpreferredtobeginclasseswithsmallgroupdiscussion.

Anotherimportantpieceincreatingaclassroomenvironmentthatpromotesastudentsenseofbelongingisassigningtasks/projectsthatencouragebondingamongstudents.SchoolCsentitsstudentstotherainforesttoconductresearchonlocalecology.Anotherschooltookgroupsofstudentstovisittheirlocaluniversitywheretheywereguidedbyuniversitylibrariansinconductingresearch.Oneschooltookitsstudentstovisitanotherschoolinamountainousregionfamousforitsarcheologicalsites.Theseexperiencescreated,asoneSchoolAteacherputit,an“allinthistogethermentality.”However,students’senseofbelongingintheclassroomoftencamebacktotheirrelationshipandsenseofconnectionwithteachers.AteacherfromSchoolDsaid,

28

It’sabouttherelationshipwiththeteacher…..Studentswillcomeandsaythattheyusedtobereallyscared—bothexcitedandscared—feltunabletobesuccessful…..Soyouneedtoshowstudentsthatyoubelieveinthem.Thatmakesabigdifference.

Insomecases,therewereothermotivationsforconnectingwithstudents,however.AteacherfromSchoolDstatedthatclassroomswouldbeemptyiftheydidnothavepositiverelationshipswiththeirstudents.Teachersofclassesthatarelessintrinsicallypopularneedtocreateaclassroomenvironmentthatisbothacademicallychallengingandfunsothatstudentswilltaketheirclasses.

Classroompracticesandself-confidenceManyteachersinthefourschoolsstudiedbelievedthattheirstudentswerequitemotivatedandconfident,buttookmeasurestoreinforcethisintheclassroom.OneSchoolBteacherusedtalkingpointstoremindstudentsthattherearemultipleopportunitiesforsuccessinschoolandinlife.Teachersfromseveralschools(SchoolsA,BandD)mentionedthatstudents’writtenreflectionswereveryimportantinidentifyingtheirweaknessesandstrengths,allowingthemtoassiststudentstoharnessareasofstrength,whilepushingthemselvestoimproveinareasofweakness.InSchoolD,ateachertalkedaboutusingdifferentiatedinstructionasatoolforhelpingstudentstogainconfidenceaslearners(e.g.,auditory/visuallearners).Opportunitiesforautonomousdecision-makingwereseenasawaytobuildstudentself-confidence.TheoryofKnowledge,CAS,andExtendedEssayteacherstendedtogivetheirstudentsconsiderableautonomyinchoosingwhatprojectstoworkon.OneschoolleaderfromSchoolCsaidthat,acrosscoursesandactivitiesattheschool,"studentshavethefreedomtochoosetheprojectstheywanttoworktowards."Theopportunitytomakethesedecisionscontributedtotheirfeelingthattheworkwasrelevantandalsobuilttheirself-confidenceastheychosetopicsofinterestandthencouldbuildacademicskills.Thissentimentwasechoedthroughoutourconversationswithadministratorsandteachingstaff.ASchoolDteacherexplainedwhygivingstudentsthefreedomtochooseishelpful:

Ithelpsraiseself-esteembecausetheprojectsforcethemtobeleadersandmakethembespeakers.Thishelpsraiseself-esteemandmakesthemlessintroverted.

ASchoolCteacherechoedthisviewintalkingabouthowCAS’semi-structuredcurriculumallowsstudentstohaveavoiceinwhatactivitieswillbeundertaken.LikeotherCAScoordinators,sheconductsindividualinterviewswithstudentsthroughoutthecourseoftheprogramwheresheencouragesstudentstoreflectonhowCAShelpsthemtobuildskillsandconfidence.Thisteachersaid,

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Thisisthevalueoftheindividualinterviews.Studentstalkabouttheirfearsandworries.Onegirldecidedtoovercomeherfearsbypushingherselftoparticipateintheschoolplay;thenshegotinvolvedinthefundraisingwalk.

However,therewereconstraintstohowmuchautonomyteacherswillgivetheirstudents.Forinstance,SchoolCandDteacherssupervisingtheExtendedEssaywilltypicallynotletastudentworkonaprojectifinstructorsarenotwellversedinthetopicordonotthinkthatitwillgarneragoodassessmentfromDP.Assessmentpracticescanalsoinfluencestudentself-confidence.SometimesassessmentguidelinescomefromIBintheformofcomprehensiverubricsthatteachersusetoclarifywhatisneededtoearnsuccessfulgradesonDPprojectsandproducts.Incourseswhereteacherswereaffordedmoreassessmentautonomy,theytendedtobeveryexplicitabouttheirgoalsfortheclassroom.Forinstance,oneSchoolDartteachermentionedassessingherstudentsatthebeginningoftheyearandadaptingherpracticetofittheneedsofherstudents.Shestated,

Theinstructionbecomesveryindividualized—startingwithformativeassessmentandthenworkingfromtheirstrengths.Gettingstudentstotakeresponsibilityfortheirlearning.Lettingthemfail;showingthemwheretheycouldbestronger.Showingsuccesses—oncetheyfeelsuccessfultheyjustgo.Inarttherearemanywaystobestrong.Studentscanfindthemselves.

Thisteacher’swillingnesstoadapttoherstudentneedsshowedherinterestinusingassessmentandindividualizedinstructiontobuildstudents’self-knowledgeandself-confidence.ClassroompracticesandrelevanceItiswidelyunderstoodthatstudentsare,"naturallymotivatedtolearnwhentheyperceiveatasktobeinherentlyinteresting."(Farringtonet.al,2012,pg.29).TheresearchofLeeetal.asdiscussedinSnipes(2012)emphasizestheimportanceofgivingstudentsauthentic,relevanttasksthatcanbeappliedtorealworldsettingsandalsomakingeffortstoincorporatestudents’culturalknowledgeinclassroomdiscussions.Teachersinourstudyschoolswereoftenobservedtobemakinganefforttoengagestudentsbecausetheyrecognizedthatstudentswillputmoreeffortintoworkthattheyviewasrelevant.Mostteachersstatedthattheybuildrelevanceintheirclassroombypushingstudentstoengagewithquestionsthataskthemtoexaminetheirlivedexperiences.Forinstance,duringasingleTheoryofKnowledgeclassinSchoolC,therewereanumberofdiscussiontopicsthatallowedstudentstoreflectontheirownexperiencesandexploretheirvalues.

30

• TherewasadiscussionofEudaimonia,onewayofknowingthatemphasizeshumanwelfare.Theclasstalkedaboutthesocialconsequencesofminingusingthisframing.

• Theteacheraskedwhatstudentswoulddoifstoppedbyapolicemanandaskedtopayabribetoavoidalargefine.Heasked,“Whichisbetter?Doesrespectforthepoliceofficerrequireyoutopaythefine?Ifyoupaythefine,willitbeusedforcorruptpurposes?”

• Therewasadiscussionaboutwhetherpeoplewithmentalillnesseshavetobehaveethically.AstudentaskedaboutpeoplewithAsperger’s.Anothertalkedaboutsomeonesheknewwithschizophrenia.

Teachersatallschools,especiallyTheoryofKnowledgeteachers,similarlyarticulatedaclassroomnormwheretheirstudentsconnecttheirlearningwiththeirlivedexperiences.ASchoolDteachergaveafewexamplesofthetypesofpromptsheusedtofacilitatemeaningfuldiscussion:

IntheTOK,thereareaseriesoftoolsthathelpyouteach.Themannerofaskingquestionsiskey—Whatarethelimitsofknowledge?What’sthebasisfortheknowledgethatwehave?Thishelpskidstoaskgoodquestionsanddigintodifferenttopics.Theyareencouragedtoquestionthingsintheirlives.Itgetsthemconnectedtoreallifeandaseriesofrelevanttopics.

Anotherpracticethathasalreadybeenmentionedinprevioussectionsisteachers'willingnesstoallowstudentstopicktheirownprojects,specificallyforTheoryofKnowledge,ExtendedEssay,andCAS.Givingstudentsthatautonomyincreasesthepossibilitythatthestudentwillchoosetoexploreanareaofcontenttheyarepassionateaboutandinturnbetterengagewiththematerial.OneSchoolBadministratorinparticularemphasizedtheimportanceofmakinglearningrelevant.Hestated,"Studentsdon’twanttojustsitanddobusyorboringwork.”Hechallengestheteachertobeengaging,usingtechnologyandflippedclassrooms.AschoolleaderatSchoolAwaspromotingdifferentiatedinstructionasawaytoengagestudentsandmakesurethattheyconnectwiththematerialtaught.Professionaldevelopmentonthistopichasbeenofferedanumberoftimesinthepastyear.Ingeneral,wenotedthatleadershipsupportservestomotivateteacherstocontinuetofigureoutwaysofmakinglearningrelevant.TeachersatSchoolsAandBnotedthatthereareaspectsoftheDPprogramthatinterferewithateacher'sabilitytomakelearningandcontentrelevant.BothteachersstatedthattheDPguidelinesaretoorigidandoverly“academicallybased.”Theybelievedthattheguidelinesdonotallowteacherstoexploreideasthatgobeyondtherequiredcontent.MeasuresofStudents’AcademicMindsets

Inthissection,weexaminethefindingsofourstudythataddressresearchquestion3:WhatoutcomesdoDPstudentsobtainonstandardizedmeasuresofacademicmindset?Howdothese

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outcomescompareacrossschools,especiallythoseindifferentcountries?Whatschool-basedfactorsmightcontributetothisvariation?Weprimarilyusetheresultsofthestudentsurveytoaddressthesequestions.Asectionofthesurveyasksstudentstoagreeordisagreewithscaleitemsdesignedtoindicatetheirstrengthoneachofthesedimensionsofacademicmindset.EachscaleiscomprisedofmultipleitemsasshowninAppendixB.Figure2,showseachschool’saverageresponsesoneachofthefourdimensionsofacademicmindsetsona1-5scalewhere5indicatedstrongagreement.6Acrossallschools,studentswerelesslikelytoembodyamalleableintelligencemindsetascomparedwiththeotherthreemindsetdimensions.Students’averageratingsplacethembetween“disagree”and“neitheragreenordisagree”onthemalleableintelligencemindset.Itisworthnotingthatthereliabilityofthescaleusedtomeasuremalleableintelligencewasquitelow(Cronbach’salphaof.56)indicatingthattheresultsshouldbeinterpretedwithcaution.Withregardtotheirsenseofbelonging,students’averageresponsesplacethembetween“neitheragreenordisagree”and“agree,”exceptinSchoolCwheretheywereconsiderablyhigher.Thesamepatternisfoundonstudents’sensethatschool/courseworkwasrelevant.Students’self-confidencewassomewhathigherwithaveragesfallingbetween“agree”and“stronglyagree”atallschools.Figure2:AverageResponsestoMeasuresofAcademicMindsetsbySchool

Weexamineddifferencesonthefourdimensionsofacademicmindsetacrossthefourschools.Significantdifferenceswerefoundoneachdimension.However,aposthocScheffetestrevealedthatthedifferencesamongschoolswerenotconsistentinanyparticulardirectionandwereleast

61=stronglydisagree,2=disagree,3=neitheragreenordisagree,4=agree,and5=stronglyagree.Itemswerereversecodedwhereappropriate.

2.82

3.664.06

3.63

2.88

3.44

3.993.59

2.83

4.324.52

4.30

2.99

3.60

4.083.87

1

2

3

4

5

Malleableintelligence SenseofBelonging Self-confidence School/Courseworkrelevance

SchoolA SchoolB SchoolC SchoolD

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likelytobesignificantinregardtothemalleableintelligencemindset.Noparticularconclusionsaredrawnfromthisanalysis.Wealsocomparedaverageacademicmindsetsscoresbycountry.AsTable3showswefoundsmallbutstatisticallysignificantdifferencesoneachofthefourmindsetdimensions—withstudentsinthetwoPeruvianschoolsconsistentlyscoringhigher,onaverage,thanstudentsintheUSschools.Thelargestdifferencesfoundwereinthedimensionsofrelevanceandbelonging.Therecouldbemanypossibleexplanationsforthis.ThetwoPeruvianschoolswerebothprivatewithrelativelyhighsocio-economicstatusamongtheirstudents.Bothenrolledstudentsfromnurseryschoolthroughhighschool,givingthemmoretimeinwhichtoestablishnormsandrelationshipsassociatedwithpositiveacademicmindsets.Atthesametime,thesampleofschoolsstudiedisextremelysmall,limitingourabilitytodrawinferencesfromthisfinding.Table3.AverageDifferencesinStudentAcademicMindsetbyCountry

Average Difference

Malleableintelligence

Peruvianschools 2.95.11*

USschools 2.84

SenseofBelonging


USschools 3.55

Self-confidence


USschools 4.02

RelevancePeruvianschools 3.96

.35*USschools 3.61

*Significantatthep<.05levelorless.Toprovidefurtherinsightintostudents’statusonacademicmindsetsacrossschools,wealsodisplayresponsestooneortwoquestionsrelatedtoeachmindsetdimension.Thesewereselectedasitemsthatareparticularlyrepresentativeofeach.MalleableIntelligence:Twospecificsurveyitemsprovideadditionalinsightintostudents’statusonmalleableintelligence.Figure3showsthepercentageofstudentswhoagreedorstronglyagreedwithtwoitemsthatcapturethecoreconceptsassociatedwithmalleableintelligence(i.e.growthversusafixedmindset).Ascanbeseen,therewasconsiderablevariationbyschoolinthepercentageofstudentswhoagreedwiththesetwoitems.InSchoolsBandDamajorityofstudents(61%and78%respectively)respondedinawaythatreflectsamalleableintelligencemindset.Incontrast,responsesofthemajorityofstudentsinSchoolA(57%)reflectedafixedmindset.Itis

33

interestingthat,despitethefactthattheresponsestothesetwostatementsshouldbedifferent,somestudents(especiallyatSchoolD)appearedtoagreewithboth.Figure3:ResponsestoMalleableIntelligenceKeyItems(%whoagreedorstronglyagreed)

Belonging:Figure4providesstudents’responsesacrossschoolstooneitempertainingtotheirsenseofbelonging.Thereisconsiderablevariationbyschoolonthisdimension.Figure4:ResponsestoSenseofBelongingKeyItem(%whoagreedorstronglyagreed)

49%

61%

51%

78%

57%

36%

51% 52%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%


NomaQerhowmuchintelligenceyouhave,youcanalwayschangeitagooddeal.

Youcanlearnnewthings,butyoucannotreallychangeyourbasiclevelofintelligence.

65%

53%

83%

60%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%


IfeelthatIamamemberoftheschoolcommunity

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Self-confidence:Similarly,Figure5showsthelevelofstudentagreementwithanitemthatrevealstheirself-confidence.Responsesonthisitemwerehighacrossschools,althoughtherecontinuedtobeconsiderablevariation.Figure5:ResponsestoSelf-ConfidenceKeyItem(%whoagreedorstronglyagreed)

Relevance:InFigure6,weseelowerlevelsofagreementwiththeselecteditemontheperceivedrelevanceofwhattheyarelearningtotheirfutureplans.Considerablevariationacrossschoolsisfoundhereaswell.Figure6:ResponsestoSchoolWorkRelevanceKeyItem(%whoagreedorstronglyagreed)

84%78%

98%

83%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%


IfItryhard,IbelieveIcandomyschoolworkwell.

44% 41%

65%58%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%


WhatIlearnatschoolwillbeusefulinthefuture.

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StudentPerceptionsofSchoolCultureandClassroomPracticesTocontextualizeourexaminationofstudents’statusonmeasuresofacademicmindset,welookedatstudentresponsestomeasuresofschoolcultureandclassroompracticespositedtobeassociatedwithpositiveacademicmindsetsinstudents.Theresultsreflecttheextenttowhichstudentsagreedthatschoolswerestrongonthesedimensions.7EachscaleiscomprisedofmultipleitemsasshowninAppendixB;thesescaleshadgoodreliabilityindicators.Figure7showsaverageschoolresponsesonthetwodimensionsofschoolcultureandclassroompracticesona1-5scalewhere5indicatedstrongagreement.TheresultsonschoolculturewerefairlyuniformacrossschoolswiththeaverageresponseinSchoolsA,BandDfallingbetween“neitheragreenordisagreeand“agree,”butgenerallycloserto“agree.”SchoolChadanaverageresponseof“agree.”Onstudents’ratingsofclassroompractices,theaverageresponsesateveryschoolweremorepositivewithSchoolsAandCbeingratedat“agree”oraboveandSchoolsBandDratedatslightlybelow“agree.”Figure7:SchoolCultureandClassroomPracticesAverageResponsesBySchool

7Studentsindicatedtheextenttowhichtheyagreedwiththesestatements.Schoolcultureitems:Myclassmatesshowrespectforpeoplewithacademicability;TeamworkisencouragedinmyIBprogram;StudentsinmyIBprogramtendtosupportoneanother;InmyIBprogram,adultsbelievethatallstudentscansucceed;Iconsidermyschooltohaveahealthy,supportiveculture;IfeelsafeinmyschoolandIBcourses;TeachersinmyIBprogrambelievethatstudentslikemecansucceed.Classroompracticeitems:InmyIBprogram,scholarshipisrespected;IconsidermyIBcourseworktobechallenging;IwouldsaythatmyIBteachershavehighexpectationsfortheirstudents;IwouldsaythatmyIBassignmentsarechallengingbutachievable.

3.794.11

3.49 3.644.09

4.43

3.69 3.84

1

2

3

4

5

Schoolculture ClassroompracUces


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Figure8showsstudentresponsestocoreitemsontheschoolcultureandclassroompracticesscales.Althoughamajorityofstudentsacrossthefourschoolshavepositiveperceptionsoftheschool-andclassroom-levelfactorspositedbytheresearchtobeimportanttogrowthmindsetdevelopment,thefindingsalsodemonstratethattheremaystillberoomtostrengthenschoolcultureandpractices.Figure8:ResponsestoSchoolCultureandClassroomPracticeKeyItems(%whoagreedorstronglyagreed)

Wewerealsointerestedincorrelations–orrelationships–betweenthedimensionsstudied.Weranstatisticalteststhatshowthestrengthoftherelationshipbetweenanytwofactorssuchasschoolcultureandeachoftheacademicmindsets.Apositivecorrelation(expressedasanrvalue)indicatesthatasstudentperceptionofschoolculturebecomesmorepositivesomaytheiracademicmindset.8

InTable4,weseetheresultsofthisanalysis.Asaruleofthumb,acorrelation(rvalue)of.3to.5isconsideredmoderateandacorrelationof.5andaboveisconsideredstrong.9Wecanseethat,forexample,studentswhobelievedthattheschoolculturewaspositivewereespeciallylikelytofeelastrongsenseofbelonging(anrvalueof.589,astrongrelationship).Similarly,studentswhobelievedthatthereweregoodclassroompracticeswereespeciallylikelytofeelasenseofself-confidence(anrvalueof.469,amoderaterelationship).

.

8Theoppositemayalsobetrue.Asastudent’smindsetbecomesmorepositive,theirperceptionofthecultureoftheschoolmaybecomemorepositive.9Fromhttps://explorable.com/statistical-correlation

80%

69%

64%

58%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%100%

IwouldsaythatmyIBteachershavehighexpectaUonsfortheirstudents.

IwouldsaythatmyIBassignmentsarechallengingbutachievable

InmyIBprogram,adultsbelievethatallstudentscansucceed.

Iconsidermyschooltohaveahealthy,supporUveculture.

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Table4.RelationshipBetweenSchool/ClassroomFactorsandAcademicMindsetsRelationships Correlation(rvalue)

Schoolculturewith….

Malleableintelligence .261*Senseofbelonging .589*Selfconfidence .508*Relevanceofschoolwork .559*

Classroompracticeswith….


*Statisticallysignificantatthep<.05levelorless.RelationshipsBetweenPositiveAcademicMindsetsandPositiveAcademicBehaviors

Wealsousedstudentsurveydatatoaddressresearchquestion4:WhatlinkagescanbeobservedbetweenpositiveacademicmindsetsandpositiveacademicbehaviorsinDPschools?Tolookattheserelationships,wefirstlookedatwhetherstudentsinschoolswithmorepositiveschoolenvironmentsandstrongclassroompracticeswouldalsohavemorepositiveacademicmindsets.Subsequently,welookedattherelationshipbetweenpositiveacademicmindsetsandpositiveacademicbehaviors.Figure9presentsstudents’averageresponsesonthescaleonacademicbehaviors(seeAppendixBformoreinformationonthisscale).Theitemsinthisscalefocusedmainlyonstudyhabitssuchas:a)BeforeIstartanassignment,IplanouthowI’mgoingtodoit,andb)WhenIstudy,IusuallystudyattimeswhenIcanconcentratebest.Aswiththepreviousitems,responseswereona1-5scalewith5beinghigh/positive.Ascanbeseen,students’responsestothesekindsofquestionsfellsquarelyinthemiddlebetween“neitheragreenordisagree”and“agree.”Therewaslittlevariationbyschool.Figure9:StudentAcademicBehaviors,AverageResponsebySchool

3.58 3.47 3.61 3.48

1

2

3

4

5


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Toexaminewhetherthereanyassociationsexistbetweenstudents’academicbehaviorsandtheiracademicmindsets,weconductedcorrelationanalysesbetweenthesescales.AsTable5shows,therewerepositiveandsignificantrelationshipsbetweenstudents’academicmindsetsandtheiracademicbehaviors.Positiveacademicmindsetsamongstudentsareassociatedwiththepracticeofgoodacademicbehaviors.Thisrelationshipwasstrongestbetweenasenseofrelevanceandgoodacademicbehaviors(rvalueof.381);itwasweakestbetweenthemalleableintelligencemindsetandgoodacademicbehaviors(.225).

Table5.RelationshipBetweenAcademicBehaviorsandAcademicMindsetsRelationships Correlation(rvalue)

Academicbehaviorswith….


*Statisticallysignificantatthep<.05levelorless.

ConclusionsandImplicationsforIBO

Inthissectionwesummarizeourfindingsandalsoaddressourfinalresearchquestion:WhatstrategiesmightIBOuseorstrengthentodeveloppositiveacademicmindsetsamongDPstudentsinthefuture?SummaryoffindingsOurresearchprovidesevidenceinsupportoftherelationshipspositedinthelogicmodelonpage7.Thestudentsurveyresultssuggestthatschoolenvironmentsandclassroompracticesareindeedassociatedwithpositiveacademicmindsets;further,studentswithpositiveacademicmindsetsaremorelikelytopracticegoodacademicbehaviorsfoundintheresearchliteraturetoleadtogoodstudenteducationaloutcomes.Thestudentsurveyresultsalsosuggestthat,whilemalleableintelligence(orgrowthmindset)getsmoreattention,sensesofrelevance,belongingandself-confidencearemorecloselyassociatedwithpositiveacademicbehaviorsintheIBschoolsstudied.Theywerealsopresentinhigherlevelsamongstudentsatallfouroftheschoolsparticipatinginourresearch,increasingtheirpotentialimpactonacademicbehaviors.Furthermore,wefoundthatschoolleadersandteachershaddevelopedmorewaystopromoteself-confidence,belonging,andrelevancethantheydidmalleableintelligence.

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Themostimportantfindingsrelatedtoschoolenvironmentsandpracticesthatpromotepositiveacademicmindsetswereasfollows:Malleableintelligence:Attitudesvariedwithregardtothemalleabilityofintelligenceamongbothadultsandstudentsinthefourschoolsstudied.Severalschoolshadadoptedpracticesthatbuiltonthisconceptbyemphasizingpoliciessuchasde-tracking.However,othersweremorelikelytoseekoutdifferentwaysforstudentstobeshine(e.g.throughtheartsorleadership).Inbothcases,therewasintenttohelpstudentsbesuccessful,howeverthefirstismorelikelytoadvancetheideathatallstudentscangrowtheirintelligence,whilethesecondismorelikelytomakestudentsfeelthatit’sOKnotbeanintellectualstarifyoucansucceedinotherways.Similarnumbersofstudentssaidthattheywerepraisedforintelligenceandforeffort.Thissuggeststhatsomepracticesconsidereddetrimentaltoamalleableintelligencemindset(i.e.praiseforintelligence)arewidelyused.Atthesametime,schoolleadersexpressedacommitmenttohavingallstudentsgoingasfarastheycanintheirlearningandwefoundthatpoliciesencourageaccesstotheintellectuallychallengingDPcurriculuminallofthefourschools.Inallschools,everyone,includingspecialeducationstudents,tookatleastoneDPcourse,andmostlearnedthattheywerecapableofsucceedinginrigorousandchallengingcourses.Inaddition,schoolleadersandteacherswereabletodescribeinstructionalpracticesthattheybelievedwouldstrengthenstudents’malleableintelligencemindset.Theseincludedseekingtherightblendofchallenge/highexpectationsandsupport/scaffoldingor,asoneprincipalsaid,“therightamountofdissonance–strugglewithoutdeflation.”Most,ifnotall,teacherscommunicatedthattheybelievedthatallstudentscouldlearnrigorouscoursematerialandthatstudenteffortintheclassroomwaskeytoacademicsuccess.Anumberofteachersalsosoughtwaystoputinplacestructurestohelpstudentsthroughthestepsinvolvedinchallengingthemselvesintellectually.Theybelievedthatstudentswouldbemorelikelytoinvesttheeffortindifficultassignments,forexample,iftheprocesswasclearlylaidout.Belonging:Asenseofbelongingwasdescribeddifferentlyineachschool,withsomeemphasizingschoolspirit,whileotherstalkedaboutschoolpride,orasenseofbeingpartofacomfortablefamilyenvironment.Amongstudentssurveyed,overhalf(54%)agreedwiththestatement“Ifeelasenseofbelongingtotheschoolcommunity.”ThedevelopmentofasenseofbelongingseemedtobeeasierinthePeruvianschoolswherethestudentshadattendedthesameschoolsinceagethreeorfour.Acrossallschools,warmrelationshipsbetweenstudentsandteacherswerementionedasespeciallyimportanttodevelopingasenseofbelonging.Insomecases,teachersshowedtheirconcernforstudentsspendingextensiveout-of-classtimewiththem.

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Schoolsuseddifferentmethodstofosterasenseofbelongingincludingstructuressuchashomeroom,houses,andarangeofactivitiesinwhichstudentscouldengageinout-of-schooltime.Teachersatsomeschoolsarrangedtheirclassroomsinwaysthatencouragedasenseofcommunity(e.g.,organizingdesksincirculargroupsorclusters)orprovidedstudentswithopportunitiestoworkingroups,facilitatingpeerbonding.CASactivitieswerealsosettingsinwhichstudentsbondedwitheachotheranddevelopedasenseofbelonging;theywerealsocitedashelpingstudentsdevelopself-confidenceandseetheirlearningasrelevant.Self-confidence:EspeciallyintheUSschools,effortsweremadetopromotestudents’self-confidenceinundertakingchallengingDPcourses.Intervieweesstatedthatstudentsoftengainedconfidenceintheirabilitytobesuccessfulinschoolfromtheexperienceofsucceedinginthesecourses.Inaddition,therewereexamplesofmoregeneraleffortstobuildstudentself-confidence,oftenthroughleadershipopportunitiesintheclassroom,inclubs,sports,etc.Intheoneall-girlsschoolinthestudy,aschoolleadertalkedabouthowasinglegenderenvironmentencouragesthedevelopmentofleadershipandself-confidenceamongstudents,astheydonothavetocompetewith–ordeferto–boys.

Therewasevidencethatseveralschoolsworkedtohelpstudentsfindarenasinwhichtheycouldshineasawaytobolstertheirself-confidence.Thissometimestooktheformofencouragingexplorationofdifferentinterestsand“selves”throughinvolvementinCASwithitsemphasesoncommunityservice,thearts,andsports.Inaddition,someteachersemphasizeddevelopingself-confidencethroughself-knowledgeandprovidedopportunitiesforthemtousewrittenreflectionstoconsidertheirareasofstrengthandtoembraceworkingonareasofweakness.Opportunitiesforautonomousdecision-makingwerealsoseenasawaytobuildstudentself-confidence.TheoryofKnowledge,CAS,andExtendedEssayteacherstendedtogivetheirstudentsconsiderableautonomyinchoosingwhatprojectstoworkon.

Relevance:Developingaschoolenvironmentinwhichstudentsperceivedtheircourseworkasrelevanthadmuchtodowithemphasizingtheimportanceoflearningandachievementfortheattainmentoffuturegoals,especiallysuccessincollege.Thiswasahighpriorityforthemajorityofstudentsineachoftheschools.Insomecases,thiswasreinforcedbythecourseworkavailablethroughIB.Whilemoststudentstookcorecollegepreparatorycourses,somealsotookDPcoursessuchasbusinessmanagementandmusicthatallowedstudentstolearnabouttopicstheyfoundengagingorworthconsideringascareeroptions.

Teachersinourstudyschoolswereoftenobservedtobemakinganefforttoengagestudentsbecausetheyrecognizedthatstudentswillputmoreeffortintoworkthattheyviewasrelevant.MostteachersstatedthattheybuildrelevanceintheirclassroombypushingstudentstoengagewithquestionsthataskthemtoexaminetheirlivedexperiencesinTheoryofKnowledgeandotherclasses.Inothercases,teacherssoughtoutwaystokeeplearningconnectedtolifebygivingstudentschoicesonresearchpapertopicsorinselectingCASorclassroomprojectsofinterestto

41

them.CASprojectsandrelatedtravelwereoftencitedasimportanttoconnectinglearningtolifeexperiences.

ImplicationsforIBOConsiderableresearchsuggeststhatpositiveacademicmindsetslayanimportantfoundationforotherkindsoflearning.Further,thereisemergingandcompellingresearchsuggestingthatthemosteffectivewayforschoolstohelpstudentsdevelopthesemindsets(andothernon-cognitiveskills)istosupportchangesineducators’instructionalpractices(Farrington,etal.,2012).Inmanycases,schoolsattemptshort-term,isolatedinterventionsthatfocusonnon-cognitivefactors,e.g.academicmindsets.However,theresearchpointsoutthatnon-cognitivelearningismosteffectivewhenintegratedcomprehensivelyacrosskeycomponentsoftheschool(Hamedani,etal.,2015).Infact,Farringtonetal.,(2012)concludedthat,“Theessentialquestionfordevelopingstudentsaslearnersisnothowtochangestudentstoimprovetheirbehaviorbutratherhowtocreatecontextsthatbettersupportstudentsindevelopingcriticalattitudesandlearningstrategiesnecessaryfortheiracademicsuccess”(p.74).

Shechtmanetal.,(2013)furtherassertthatopportunitiestolearnacademicmindsetsandrelatednon-cognitiveskillscanbeintroducedintotheacademiccoresothatstudentscanexplicitlylearnandpracticetheminacademicsituationsandunderstandhowtheycanaffecttheiracademicachievement.Weobservedinanumberofsettingsthatinstructionthatsupportedthedevelopmentofacademicmindsetswasalreadyinplaceinanumberofschools;however,itispossiblethatthiscouldbemoreintentionalandbetterintegratedwithinexistingIBcourses.Clearly,theTheoryofKnowledgecoursecameuprepeatedlyasoneinwhichstudentswerelikelytodeveloppositiveacademicmindsets,asdidCAS.Butcouldmorebedone?

OneopportunityappearstoemergeinrelationtoIB’sApproachestoTeachingandLearning(ATL),launchedinearly2015.Thisframeworkincludesanexplicitfocusonself-management,includingpracticalaspectsliketimemanagement(alignedwith“academicbehaviors”inourlogicmodel)andemotionalaspectssuchasresilienceandperseverance(alignedwith“academicmindsets”inourlogicmodel).Inaddition,thesocialdimensionoftheATLincludesopportunitiesforstudentstodevelopasenseofbelonging.AnATLself-reflectiontool(IBO,2015)developedforusebyteachersinauditingtheirownpracticesincludesitemsalignedwithacademicmindsetssuchas:

• askstudentstolookforpersonalrelevanceinthesubjectmatter;• createanatmospherewherestudentsdonotthinktheyhavetogeteverythingrightthe

firsttime;• helpstudentstoseethe“bigpicture”relevanceofwhattheyarestudying;• explorecontemporaryglobalconcernssuchasdevelopment,conflict,rights,andthe

environment;• encouragestudentstofeelcomfortableaskingquestionswhentheydon’tunderstand;

42

• setatasktogaininsightintostudents’particularstrengthsandweaknesses.

ItcouldbeworthwhiletoreviewandreflectonthisandotherATLdocumentsinlightoftheresearchcitedinthispaper-aswellasourfindings-toseeiftheymightbestrengthened.Inaddition,itappearsthatATLisonlybeginningtobeknownandusedbyIBschools.Furthereffortstodisseminatetherelatedresourceswouldbeusefultoteachersthinkingabouthowtoincorporatebuildingofacademicmindsetsintotheirlessons.Similarly,whenrevisingtheIBOstandardsandpractices,curricula,andtheLearnerProfile,itwouldmakesensetoreviewtheresearchonacademicmindsetstomakesurethattheseconceptsaretakenintoaccount.ThisalignswellwithIBO’sinterestinmakingsurethatteachersarehelpedtobe“teachersoflearners,notjustcontent”(IBO’sSeniorCurriculumStrandManager,personalcommunication,May2016).

Thefindingsofthisresearchsuggestthatthereisroomforgrowthondevelopingpositiveacademicmindsetsamongstudents.Theyalsoprovidesomeareasforreflectiononhowtodothis.Somehintsareinstudents’responsestoresearchquestions.Forexample,while78%ofrespondentsagreethattheirIBcourseworkinchallenging,33%saythattheyfindithardtogethelpiftheyarestrugglingwithadifficultassignment.Lessthanhalfofstudents(46%)agreethatwhattheylearninschoolwillbeusefulinthefuture.Alittleoverhalf(56%)agreethattheylikeworkthatthey’lllearnfromeveniftheymakealotofmistakes,aproportionthatcouldideallybehigher.TimespentanalyzingtheresultsofthestudentsurveycouldprovidehintstowaystofurtherstrengthentheIBcurriculumandapproach.Otherapproachestostrengtheningacademicmindsetsemergefromtheliterature.Thefollowinglistwasgleanedfromourearlyreviewofresearchandusedtoinformourresearchdesignandanalysis.FurtherworkcouldbedonetoincludethefollowingelementsintoIBOprovidedprofessionaldevelopmentanddiscussiongroups.Schoolculturethatencouragespositiveacademicmindsets

a. Atmosphereofrespectforscholarship(AchievementGapInitiative,2001;inSnipesetal,2012)

b. Atmosphereofteamwork(AchievementGapInitiative,2001;inSnipesetal,2012)c. Systemofrewardsandpunishments(Snipesetal,2012)d. Assumptionsthatallstudentscansucceed(CarrandWalton,2011;inSnipesetal,2012)e. Extendedtimewithteachersandpeers(e.g.blockscheduling,looping;Osterman,2000;in

Snipesetal,2012)f. Overallstrong,“healthy”organization(Snipesetal,2012)

Classroompracticesthatencouragepositiveacademicmindsets

43

a. Messagesaboutvalueofeffort(Snipesetal,2012)b. Praiseforhardworknotintelligence(Dweck,2007;inSnipesetal,2012)c. Transparentgradingpractices(Marzano,2000;inSnipesetal,2012)d. Regularfeedbackfromteachersongoalattainment(Marzano,2000;inSnipesetal,2012)e. Challengingbutachievableassignments(NationalResearchCouncil,2004;inSnipesetal,

2012)f. Highexpectationsofteachersconveyingrespect(variousinSnipesetal,2012)g. Availabilityofsupportsforlearning(Gordon&Bridgall,inFarringtonetal,2012)h. Authentic,relevanttasksappliedtorealworldsettings(Leeetal.,1993;inSnipesetal,

2012)i. Incorporatingstudents’culturalknowledge(Leeetal.,1993:inSnipesetal,2012)j. Givingstudentschoice,cognitiveautonomy,ownershipoflearning(NRCinSnipesetal,

2012)k. Chancetocontributetothegreatergood(Snipesetal,2012)l. Encouragementofgoodrelationships(Snipesetal,2012)m. Leveloftrustandsafetyintheclassroom(BrykandDriscollinFarringtonetal.2012)

AreasforFutureResearchAddedresearchcouldprovidefurtherinsightsintotheschoolenvironmentsandclassroompracticesmostconducivetothedevelopmentofpositiveacademicmindsets.Individualschoolsmaywishtousethestudentsurveydevelopedbythisprojecttoconducttheirownanalysesoftheirstudents’statusonmindsetsandwaysthattheirschoolsfacilitateorhindertheirdevelopment.IBOcouldidentifythemostpromisingschoolenvironmentsandclassroompracticesandconductprofessionaldevelopmenttosupporttheirimplementation;accompanyingresearchcouldbeconductedtoevaluatetheextenttowhichtheyleadtoimprovedstudentmindsets,academicbehaviors,andoutcomes.FinalThoughtsIBschoolsareclearlysettingsinwhichthereisconsiderableinterestinhighqualityeducationandindevelopingtheenvironmentsandclassroompracticesmostconducivetostudentsuccess.TheIBOworkshardtoprovidestrongmaterialsandprofessionaldevelopmenttosupportthem.Inourresearch,weobservedacommitmenttoinnovativepracticesandprocessesforcontinuousimprovementintheschoolswevisitedandintheIBOoverall.Wecommendthemforthesequalitiesandhopethatthisresearchonacademicmindsetsservesasafurthersourceofinspirationgoingforward.

44

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Bailey,R.,Heape,T.,&Shields,A.(2009).Athematicunitaboutperseverance.Retrievedfromhttps://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=Renee+Bailey%2C+Tracy+Heape%2C+Ashley+Shields

Bandura,A.(1986)Socialfoundationsofthoughtandaction:Asocialcognitivetheory.EnglewoodCliffs,NJ:PrenticeHall.

Bunnell,T.(2011).TheInternationalBaccalaureateintheUnitedStates:Fromrelativeinactivitytoimbalance.TheEducationForum,75:66-79.

Carr,P.&Walton,G.M.(2011).Workinghardertogether:Asenseofworkingwithothersincreasesintrinsicmotivation.Unpublished

Cassen,R.,Feinstein,L.,&Graham,P.(2008).Educationaloutcomes:Adversityandresilience.SocialPolicy&Society8:1,73-85[CambridgeUniversityPress].

Durlak,J.A.,Weissberg,R.P.,Dymnicki,A.B.,Taylor,R.D.,&Schellinger,K.B.(2011).Theimpactofenhancingstudents’socialandemotionallearning:Ameta-analysisofschool-baseduniversalinterventions.ChildDevelopment,82(1),405-432.

Dweck,C.S.(2006).Mindset:Thenewpsychologyofsuccess.NewYork:BallantineBooks.

Dweck,C.S.,Walton,G.M.,andCohen,G.L.(2011).Academictenacity:Mindsetsandskillsthatpromotelong-termlearning.WhitepaperpreparedfortheGatesFoundation.Seattle,WA.

Dweck,C.S.(n.d).Testyourmindset.RetrievedonJuly2016fromhttps://mindsetonline.com/testyourmindset/step1.php

Duckworth,A.,Kamentz,D.&Keene,L.(2012).Exploringhowtomeasureandbuildstudents’non-cognitiveskillstoincreasecollegepersistence[presentation].Denver,CO:NACACNationalConference.

Farrington,C.A.,Roderick,M.,Allensworth,E.,Nagaoka,J.,Keyes,T.S.,Johnson,D.W.,&Beechum,N.O.(2012).Teachingadolescentstobecomelearners.Theroleofnoncognitivefactorsinshapingschoolperformance:Acriticalliteraturereview.Chicago:UniversityofChicagoConsortiumonChicagoSchoolResearch.

Hamedani,M.G.,Zheng,X.,&Darling-Hammond,L.(2015).Learningfromsuccessfulpractice:Socialemotionallearninginthreediverseurbanhighschools.Stanford,CA:SCOPE.

Hurtado,S.,&Carter,D.F.(1997).EffectsofcollegetransitionandperceptionsofthecampusracialclimateonLatinocollegestudents’senseofbelonging.SociologyofEducation,70,324-345.

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IBO(2008).IBlearnerprofilebooklet.Cardiff,Wales,GB:InternationalBaccalaureateOrganization.

IBO(2015).ApproachestoteachingandlearningintheDiplomaProgramme:Reflectiontool.Cardiff,Wales,GB:InternationalBaccalaureateOrganization.

IBO(2016).KeyfactsabouttheDP.RetrievedJanuary2017fromhttp://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/what-is-the-dp/key-facts-about-the-dp/

Lee,V.E.,Smith,J.B.(1999).SocialsupportandachievementforyoungadolescentsinChicago:Theroleofschoolacademicpress.AmericanEducationalResearchJournal36:907-945.

Levin,H.M.(2012).Morethanjusttestscores.Prospects,42(3),269-284.

Martin,A.J.,Yu,K.,Papworth,B.,Ginns,P.,&Collie,R.J.(2015).MotivationandengagementintheUnitedStates,Canada,UnitedKingdom,Australia,andChina:Testingamulti-dimensionalframework.JournalofPsychoeducationalAssessmentApril2015vol.33no.2103-114

Marzano,R.J.(2000).Transformingclassroomgrading.Aurora,CO:Mid-continentResearchforEducationandLearningInstitute.

Mazlow,A.H.(1943).Atheoryofhumanmotivation.PsychologicalReview,50,370-396.

Muijs,D.(2004).DoingquantitativeresearchineducationwithSPSS.ThousandOaks,CA:SagePublications.

Noftle,E.E.,&Robins,R.W.(2007)Personalitypredictorsofacademicoutcomes:BigfivecorrelatesofGPAandSATscores.JournalofPersonalandSocialPsychology.93(1):116-30.

Porchea,S.F.,Allen,J.,Robbins,S.,&Phelps,R.P.(2010).Predictorsoflong-termenrollmentanddegreeoutcomesforcommunitycollegestudents:Integratingacademic,psychosocial,socio-demographic,andsituationalfactors.JournalofHigherEducation,81,750–778.

Robbins,S.B.,Allen,J.,Casillas,A.,Peterson,C.H.,&Le,H.(2006).Unravelingthedifferentialeffectsofmotivationalandskills,social,andself-managementmeasuresfromtraditionalpredictorsofcollegeoutcomes.JournalofEducationalPsychology,98,598–616.

Robbins,S.B.,Lauver,K.,Le,H.,Davis,D.,Langley,R.,&Carlstrom,A.(2004).Dopsychosocialandstudyskillfactorspredictcollegeoutcomes?Ameta-analysis.PsychologicalBulletin,130,261–288.

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Snipes,J.,Fancsali,C.,&Stoker,G.(2012).Studentacademicmindsetinterventions:Areviewofthecurrentlandscape.Columbia,MD:ImpaqInternational.

Trapmann,S.,Hell,B.,Hirn,J.O.W.,&Schuler,H.(2007).Meta-analysisoftherelationshipbetweentheBigFiveandacademicsuccessatuniversity.JournalofPsychology,215,132–151.

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AppendixA:Instruments

LeadershipInterviewProtocol

Introduction/ConsentScriptThankyoufortakingtimeoutofyourscheduletomeetwithustoday.Mynameis________________(andthisis_____________),andwe’rewithNCREST.NCRESTisaresearchanddevelopmentcenteratTeachersCollege,ColumbiaUniversity.Thepurposeofthisinterviewisforustounderstandhowstudents'academicmindsetisnurturedatyourschoolandtheroleyouplayincreatingaconduciveenvironmentforpositiveacademicmindsetdevelopment.Academicmindsetsarethe“beliefs,attitudes,orwaysofperceivingoneselfinrelationtolearningandintellectualworkthatsupportacademicperformance”Academicmindsetisespeciallyaboutthebeliefthatsuccessismainlyaproductofeffort.Thisconversationwilltakeapproximately45minutesandiscompletelyvoluntary.Ifyoudonotfeelcomfortableansweringanyofourquestions,youcanchoosenottoanswerthem,orendtheinterview.Alltheinformationwecollectinthisinterviewwillbekeptconfidential.Wewouldalsoliketoaudiorecordtheinterviewtomakesurewecaptureyourresponsesaccurately,andsowecanfocusontheconversationwithyou.Pleasenotethatonlytheresearchteamwillhaveaccesstothenotes,recordings,andtranscriptscollectedduringthisinterview.Alloftheinformationisstoredsecurelyandcanonlybeaccessedbytheresearchteam.Also,wewillnevermentionyournameinourreport,andwewillmakeeveryefforttopreventanyoneoutsideoftheprojectteamfromconnectingyourindividualresponseswithyouridentity.Doyouhaveanyquestionsforme?DoIhaveyourconsenttomoveforwardwiththeinterview?Introduction

1. Tostart,pleasetellmealittleaboutyourselfandtheroleyouplayintheschool,specificallywithregardstoDP?

2. CanyoutellusabitabouttheschoolandtheDPprogramme(Probe:whereDPfitsinthe

school;coursesoffered;numberofstudents;accomplishments)3. Whatschoolgoals,ifany,arebeingemphasizedthisyear?

4. Howwouldyoudescribeyourschoolculture?(vii,f)

CoreAcademicMindsetQuestions

1. WouldyousaythatmostDPteachersatthisschoolbelievethatintelligencecanbebuiltorincreased?Pleasediscuss.(MI)

48

2. WouldyousaythatyourDPteachershelpstudentstoappreciatethevalueofeffort?Ifso,

howdoesthishappen?(MI)

3. TowhatextentisaneffortmadeinyourDPprogrammetomakelearninginterestingtostudents?Inwhatways?(R)

4. Whatkindsofthingsaredonetomakelearningrelevant?(R)

5. DoyourstudentshaveasenseofbelongingtotheDPprogramme?Totheirschool?Please

describe.(B)

6. Areanyparticulareffortsmadetobuildasenseofbelonging?

7. Arethereeffortsmadetobuildstudents’self-confidence?Ifso,pleasedescribe.(SC)FacilitatingaPositiveAcademicMindset

8. CouldyoutalkabouttheextenttowhichDPteachersareencouragedtoworktogether?

How/whendoesthishappen?(ii)

9. HowwouldyoudescribeDPteacher-studentrelationshipsingeneral?Aretherenormsaboutthekindsofteacher-studentrelationshipsthatareencouraged?(l)

10. Wouldyousaythatthereisaschoolculturethatencouragesattentiontostudiesamong

students?Howso?(i,iv)

11. Howiscourseschedulingdoneforeachstudent?Whatfactorsaretakenintoaccountindevelopingacourseschedule?(vi,j)

12. Ingeneral,whatarethegradingpoliciesintheDPprogramme?Howmuchofthegrade

dependsontheDPexamvs.otherkindsofworkoreffort?(c,d,e)

13. Whatkindsofsupportsareavailableforstudentswhoarestrugglingintheircourses?(g)

14. Ingeneral,howcomfortabledostudentsfeelaboutexpressingdifferingopinions?Abouttalkingabouttheirownculturaltraditions?(m,i)

15. HowisCAShandledatyourschool?(Probefor:leadershipopportunities,chancestodo

good,involvementinauthentictasks,havingchoices)(k,j,h)

16. Arethereanyotherwaysthattheschoolpromotespositiveacademicmindsetsthatwehaven’tdiscussedyet?

ClosingQuestions

49

1. Whathavebeenthebiggestchallengesatyourschoolasitrelatestostudentsuccess?

2. WhatelseshouldweknowaboutyourschoolorDPprogramme?

Thankyouforparticipatinginthisinterview!

50

TeacherInterviewProtocolIntroduction/ConsentScriptThankyoufortakingtimeoutofyourscheduletomeetwithustoday.Mynameis________________(andthisis_____________),andwe’rewithNCREST.NCREST[insertsentenceaboutNCREST]Thepurposeofthisinterviewisforustounderstandhowstudents'academicmindsetisnurturedatyourschoolandtheroleyouplayincreatingaconduciveenvironmentforpositiveacademicmindsetdevelopment.Academicmindsetsarethe“beliefs,attitudes,orwaysofperceivingoneselfinrelationtolearningandintellectualworkthatsupportacademicperformance”Academicmindsetisespeciallyaboutthebeliefthatsuccessismainlyaproductofeffort.Thisconversationwilltakeapproximately60minutesandiscompletelyvoluntary.Ifyoudonotfeelcomfortableansweringanyofourquestions,youcanchoosenottoanswerthem,orendtheinterview.Alltheinformationwecollectinthisinterviewwillbekeptconfidential.Wewouldalsoliketoaudiorecordtheinterviewtomakesurewecaptureyourresponsesaccurately,andsowecanfocusontheconversationwithyou.Pleasenotethatonlytheresearchteamwillhaveaccesstothenotes,recordings,andtranscriptscollectedduringthisinterview.Alloftheinformationisstoredsecurelyandcanonlybeaccessedbytheresearchteam.Also,wewillnevermentionyournameinourreport,andwewillmakereasonableeffortstopreventanyoneoutsideoftheprojectteamfromconnectingyourindividualresponseswithyouridentity.Doyouhaveanyquestionsforme?DoIhaveyourconsenttomoveforwardwiththeinterview?Introduction

1. Tostart,pleasetellmealittleaboutyourselfandtheroleyouplayintheschool,specificallywithregardstoDP?

2. CanyoutellusabitabouttheschoolandtheDPprogramme(Probe:whereDPfitsinthe

school;coursesoffered;numberofstudents;accomplishments)

3. Whatschoolgoals,ifany,arebeingemphasizedthisyear?

4. Describethetypeofcultureyouliketoseeinyourclassroom?(vii,f)CoreAcademicMindsetQuestions

1. YoufeelthatmostDPteachers,includingyourself,atthisschoolbelievethatintelligencecanbebuiltorincreased?Pleasediscuss.(MI)

51

2. Whatinstructionaltools/strategiesdoyouusetoencouragestudentstobelievethatacademicsuccessistiedtotheireffortnottotheirinherentintelligence?(MI)

3. Whatareexamplesofwaysthatyouhelpstudentsappreciatethevalueofeffort?(MI)

4. Howaretheseeffortsincorporatedintoyourin-classassignmentsand/assessmentofstudentwork.(MI)

5. OneofthegoalsofDPistohelppreparestudentswithvaluesandlifeskillstoliveafulfilled

andpurposefullife.TowhatextentisaneffortmadeinyourDPclassestomakelearninginterestingtostudents?Inwhatways?(R)

6. Whattypesoftasksdoyouassignthatrequirethemtoapplytheirlearningtotheirlivedexperience?(R)

7. Doyourstudentsfeelasenseofbelonginginyourclassroom?(B)

8. Whateffortsaremadetobuildasenseofbelonging(e.g.,Teambuildingactivities,groupactivities,DPinstructionaltools,DPcurriculum,DPprojects)(B)

9. Arethereeffortsmadetocreateaclassroomenvironmentwherestudents'self-confidence

isnurturedanddeveloped?(SC)FacilitatingaPositiveAcademicMindset

1. Howwouldyoudescribeyourexperienceworkingatthisschool?(ii)

2. HowoftenareyouabletoworkwithotherDPteachers?(ii)

3. Howwouldyoudescribeyourrelationshipwithotherteachers(l)

4. Howwouldyoudescribeyourrelationshipwithstudents?Whattype(s)ofstudent/teacherrelationshipsareencouraged?(l)

5. Wouldyousaythatthereisaschoolculturethatencouragesattentiontostudiesamong

students?Howso?(i,iv)

6. Whatteachingstrategiesdoyouutilizetopromoteanenvironmentwherestudentsfeeltheyhavecontroloverwhattheyarelearning?(J)

7. Dostudentsdecidethetypesofactivitiestheywillparticipateinordotheyhaveasayinthecreationofclassroomnorms/goals?(J)

52

8. Ingeneral,whatarethegradingpoliciesintheDPprogramme?HowmuchofthegradedependsontheDPexamvs.otherkindsofworkoreffort?(c,d,e)

9. Howdoyouengageandsupportstudentswhomaybestrugglingacademically(g)

10. Arethereanyearlyinterventionsystemsforstudentswhobegintoshowsignsofstruggle(g)

11. Howdoyoukeephighachievingstudentsengaged?(g)

12. Ingeneral,howcomfortabledostudentsfeelaboutexpressingdifferingopinions?Abouttakingabouttheirownculturaltraditions?(m,i)

13. HowisCAShandledatyourschool?(Probefor:leadershipopportunities,chancestodo

good,involvementinauthentictasks,havingchoices)(k,j,h)

14. Arethereanyotherwaysthattheschoolpromotespositiveacademicmindsetsthatwehaven’tdiscussedyet?

ClosingQuestions

1. Whathavebeenthebiggestchallengesatyourschoolasitrelatestostudentsuccess?

2. WhatelseshouldweknowaboutyourschoolorDPprogramme?Thankyouforparticipatinginthisinterview!

53

ObservationProtocol

è DistrictandSchoolName:_________________________________

è ClassGrade&Title:_________________________________

è Numberofadultsinclassroom:_______ Numberofstudentsinclassroom:_______

è Whatpartoftheperiod:beginningORmiddleORend

è Observer:__________________________Date:____________________

Instructionthatinfluencesacademicmindsets

Topic or Activity What is teacher doing or saying related to academic

mindsets

4 aspects of academic

mindsets

(circle all that apply)

B MI SC R

B MI SC R

B MI SC R

B MI SC R

B MI SC R

B MI SC R

54

Classroom/schoolstructuresthatinfluenceacademicmindsetsClassroom/school structures Explain how they do so

B MI SC R

Classroomvisualsthatprovideinsightintothe4AcademicMindsetcomponents:

Visual Cues Explain how they exemplify

B MI SC R

è Timespentteacherleadlecture:______

è Timespentstudentindependentwork:________

è Timespendstudentgroupwork________

è Othercommentsorobservations:

___________________________________________________________________________

55

StudentSurvey

[StudentAssent]

DearIBStudent,

WeareinvitingyoutoparticipateinaresearchstudybeingconductedbyTeachersCollege,ColumbiaUniversityabouttheInternationalBaccalaureate(IB)DiplomaProgramatyourschool.ThepurposeofthisstudyistohelpuslearnmoreaboutIBstudentexperiences,yourIBcoursesandyourschool.

Yourparticipationinthisstudyinvolvescompletingthisonlinesurvey.Thesurveyisnotatest.Therearenorightorwronganswers.Thesurveywilltakeabout30minutestocomplete.

Yourparticipationisvoluntary,andyoucanstopparticipatinginthesurveyatanytimebyclosingthewebbrowser.Youcanskipaquestiononthesurveyifyoudonotwanttoanswerit.Ifyoudecidenottoparticipate,youwillnotbeinanykindoftrouble.HowyouanswerthesequestionsandwhetherornotyoucompletethesurveywillNOTaffectyourgradesinanyway.

Wewillnotaskyoutoprovideyournameonthesurvey,andyourresponsestothequestionswillbesentdirectlytotheresearchers.Yourindividualresponseswillbekepttotallyprivateandwillnotbesharedwithyourschooladministratorsorteachers.

IfyouhaveanyquestionsaboutthesurveyyoucancallDr.ElisabethBarnettat646-745-8228

Pleasechecktheboxbelowtoindicatewhetherornotyouagreetoparticipateinthissurvey.Thenclickthe“Continue”buttonbelow.

o Yes,IagreetoparticipateintheIBDPAcademicMindsetStudyStudentsurvey.IunderstandthismeansthatIwillfilloutthissurveyonetimeonly.Myanswerswillbekepttotallyprivate;nooneelsebesidestheresearcherwilleverseethem.IunderstandIdon’thavetoansweranyquestionifIchoosenotto.

o No,IdonotagreetoparticipateintheIBDPAcademicMindsetStudyStudentsurvey.<filtertoendofsurveymessage:Thankyouforyourtime>

[CONTINUEbutton]

1. Whatisthenameofyourschool?_________

2. Whatgradeareyouin?___________

3. AreyoucurrentlytakingorhaveyoualreadytakenanyIBclasses?o Yeso No<Filtertoendofsurvey;“Thankyouforyourtime,thesurveyisforstudentswhoareinthe

IBprogram”>

56

4. Intotal,howmanyIBcourseshaveyoutakensofar(includingtheclassesyouarecurrentlytaking)?_______

5. DoyouexpecttoearntheIBdiploma?o Yeso No

ABOUTYOURSCHOOLANDIBPROGRAM

6. Pleaseindicateyourlevelofagreementwiththefollowingstatements St

ronglyagree

Agree

Neitheragree

nordisagree

Disagree

Strongly

disagree

Notapplicable

a) InmyIBprogram,scholarshipisrespected. ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

b) Myclassmatesshowrespectforpeoplewithacademicability.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

c) TeamworkisencouragedinmyIBprogram. ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

d) StudentsinmyIBprogramtendtosupportoneanother.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

e) InmyIBprogram,adultsbelievethatallstudentscansucceed.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

f) IseemanyIBclassmatesinmorethanonecourseeachyear.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

g) StudentsintheIBprogramarepraisedforeffort. ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

h) ItiscleartomewhatIneedtodotoearngoodgradesinmyIBcourses.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

i) Iconsidermyschooltohaveahealthy,supportiveculture.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

j) InmyIBprogram,thereisanemphasisonhardworkasthewaytosucceed.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

k) TeachersinmyIBprogrambelievethatstudentslikemecansucceed.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

l) Iampraisedformyintelligence. ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

m) IgetregularfeedbackfrommyIBteachersonmyacademicperformance.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

n) IconsidermyIBcourseworktobechallenging. ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

57

o) Ihaveanadult,otherthanmyteacher,whocanhelpmewithmyIBcoursework.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

p) IwouldsaythatmyIBteachershavehighexpectationsfortheirstudents.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

q) ItishardformetogethelpifIamstrugglingwithadifficultassignment.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

r) TherearefewtopicsthatIstudyinmyIBclassesthatarerelevanttome.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

s) IhavedrawnonexperiencesfrommyfamilyandcommunitylifewhencompletingIBassignments.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

t) Ioftengettochoosewhattowriteaboutwhendoingwritingassignments.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

u) InmyCASactivities,Ilearnskillsthatarerelevantintherealworld.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

v) IwouldsaythatmyIBassignmentsarechallengingbutachievable

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

w) IfeelcomfortablestatingunpopularpointsofviewinmyIBclasses.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

x) WeseldomhavediscussionsaboutsocialjusticetopicsinIBclasses.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

y) IhaveparticipatedinaCASprojectthatwasdesignedtoimprovesociety.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

z) IfeelsafeinmyschoolandIBcourses. ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

aa) Ifrequentlymissdaysofschool. ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

YOURSTUDYHABITS


ronglyagree

Agree

Neitheragree

nordisagree

Disagree

Strongly

disagree

a) WhenIstudy,IusuallystudyinplaceswhereIcanconcentrate.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

b) WhenIstudy,Iusuallyorganizemystudyareatohelpmestudybest.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

c) BeforeIstartanassignment,IplanouthowI’mgoingtodoit.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

58

d) WhenIstudy,IusuallystudyattimeswhenIcanconcentratebest.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

e) IgetitclearinmyheadwhatI’mgoingtodowhenIsitdowntostudy.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

f) Iusuallysticktoastudytimetableorstudyplan. ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

YOURVIEWSABOUTSCHOOLANDLEARNING


ronglyagree

Agree

Neitheragree

nordisagree

Disagree

Strongly

disagree

a) Nomatterhowmuchintelligenceyouhave,youcanalwayschangeitagooddeal.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

b) Youcanlearnnewthings,butyoucannotreallychangeyourbasiclevelofintelligence.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

c) I’mabletousesomeofthethingsIlearnatschoolinotherpartsofmylife.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

d) Iusuallyturninmyassignmentsontime. ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

e) It’simportanttounderstandwhatI’mtaughtatschool. ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

f) Iseemyselfasapartofthisschool ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

g) IfIworkhardenough,IbelieveIcangetontopofmyschoolwork.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

h) Ilikemyworkbestwhenitmakesmethinkhard. ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

i) WhatIlearnatschoolwillbeusefulinthefuture. ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

j) IlikemyworkbestwhenIcandoitreallywellwithouttoomuchtrouble.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

k) IlikeworkthatI'lllearnfromevenifImakealotofmistakes.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

l) IlikemyworkbestwhenIcandoitperfectlywithoutanymistakes.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

m) IfeelthatIamamemberoftheschoolcommunity ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

n) IfItryhard,IbelieveIcandomyschoolworkwell. ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

o) Whensomethingishard,itjustmakesmewanttoworkmoreonit,notless.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

59

p) Totellthetruth,whenIworkhard,itmakesmefeelasthoughI'mnotverysmart.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

q) Ifeelasenseofbelongingtotheschoolcommunity ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

r) IfIdon’tgiveup,IbelieveIcandodifficultschoolwork. ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

s) Learningatschoolisimportant. ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

t) IfIhaveenoughtime,IbelieveIcandowellinmyschoolwork.

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

MOREABOUTYOU

9. Whatisyourgender?o Maleo Female

10. Howoldareyou?_______

11. Whatisthehighlevelofeducationofyourmotherorfemaleguardian?

o Lessthanhighschoolo Highschooldiplomao Somecollegeo Collegedegreeo Graduatedegree

12. Areyoueligibleforfreeorreducedlunch(USonly)

o Yeso No

13. Whichisthelanguagethatyouspeakathomemostoften?o Englisho Spanisho Anotherlanguage(pleasespecify)____________________

14. Whatisyourplanforafterhighschool?(checkallthatapply)

o Attendcollegeo Getajobo Other(pleasedescribe)__________________

15. Inwhatjob/careerwouldyoueventuallyliketowork?_____________

60

AppendixB:StudentSurveyDesignandResponses

DuringthemonthsofOctoberandNovemberof2016,a10-15minuteWeb-basedstudentsurveywasadministeredtoallstudentswhohadtakenorwerecurrentlytakingDPcourses.AllDPcoordinatorsattheirrespectivesiteschosetoadministerthesurveyincaptiveadministration,meaningalleligiblestudentsateachschooltookthesurveyataspecificpointintimeduringtheschoolday(typicallydoneduringanelectiveperiod).ThesurveyposedgeneralstudentcharacteristicquestionsandmoredetailedquestionsregardingstudentperspectivesabouttheirschoolandIBprogram,studentstudyhabits,andviewsaboutlearning(resultspresentedbelow).

Thefollowingtablesummarizesthescalesusedforthisreport.Aconfirmatoryfactoranalysiswasconductedonthefirstfivefield-testedscales.Thelasttwoscalesareexploratoryscalescreatedusingfactoranalysiswithvarimaxrotation.Onlyvariableswithfactorcoefficientshigherthan.30wereretainedfortheexploratoryscales.Ascalereliabilitytest(Cronbach'salpha)wascomputedforallscales.Additionally,onlyrespondentswhoansweredatleasthalftheitemsreceivedascaledscoreforbothconfirmatoryandexploratoryscales.

SurveyScaleItemsandScaleReliability

*MalleableIntelligenceDweck(n.d) α=.56

Nomatterhowmuchintelligenceyouhave,youcanalwayschangeitagooddeal.


Ilikemyworkbestwhenitmakesmethinkhard.

IlikemyworkbestwhenIcandoitreallywellwithouttoomuchtrouble.

IlikeworkthatI'lllearnfromevenifImakealotofmistakes.

IlikemyworkbestwhenIcandoitperfectlywithoutanymistakes.

Whensomethingishard,itjustmakesmewanttoworkmoreonit,notless.

Totellthetruth,whenIworkhard,itmakesmefeelasthoughI'mnotverysmart.

*SenseofBelongingHurtadoandCarter(1997) α=.92

Iseemyselfasapartofthisschool

IfeelthatIamamemberoftheschoolcommunity.

Ifeelasenseofbelongingtotheschoolcommunity

*SenseofSelf-ConfidenceMartinetal.,(2015) α=.84

IfIworkhardenough,IbelieveIcangetontopofmyschoolwork.

61

IfItryhard,IbelieveIcandomyschoolworkwell.

IfIdon’tgiveup,IbelieveIcandodifficultschoolwork.

IfIhaveenoughtime,IbelieveIcandowellinmyschoolwork.

*SenseofAcademicRelevanceMartinetal.,(2015) α=.82

I’mabletousesomeofthethingsIlearnatschoolinotherpartsofmylife.

WhatIlearnatschoolwillbeusefulinthefuture.

Learningatschoolisimportant.

It’simportanttounderstandwhatI’mtaughtatschool.

*StudentAcademicBehaviorsMartinetal.,(2015) α=.85

WhenIstudy,IusuallystudyinplaceswhereIcanconcentrate.

WhenIstudy,Iusuallyorganizemystudyareatohelpmestudybest.

BeforeIstartanassignment,IplanouthowI’mgoingtodoit.

WhenIstudy,IusuallystudyattimeswhenIcanconcentratebest.

IgetitclearinmyheadwhatI’mgoingtodowhenIsitdowntostudy.

Iusuallysticktoastudytimetableorstudyplan.

**SchoolCulture α=.86

Myclassmatesshowrespectforpeoplewithacademicability.

TeamworkisencouragedinmyIBprogram.

StudentsinmyIBprogramtendtosupportoneanother.

InmyIBprogram,adultsbelievethatallstudentscansucceed.

Iconsidermyschooltohaveahealthy,supportiveculture.

IfeelsafeinmyschoolandIBcourses.

TeachersinmyIBprogrambelievethatstudentslikemecansucceed.

**ClassroomPractices α=.71

InmyIBprogram,scholarshipisrespected.

IconsidermyIBcourseworktobechallenging.

IwouldsaythatmyIBteachershavehighexpectationsfortheirstudents.

IwouldsaythatmyIBassignmentsarechallengingbutachievable Source:IBAcademicMindsetStudentSurvey2016Notes:Allitemsareona5-pt.scale:1=stronglydisagree,2=disagree,3=neitheragreenordisagree,4=agree,5=stronglyagree.*Confirmatoryfactoranalysis**Exploratoryfactoranalysis

62

SurveyResultsbyItem

SurveyItem1 SanSilvestre Lincoln SouthSide Hilton TotalWhatIsthenameofyourschool? 44(4%) 162(15%) 454(43%) 406(38%) 1066

SurveyItem2 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th TotalWhatgradeareyouin? 1(<1%) 91(9%) 549(52%) 415(39%) 1(<1%) 1057

SurveyItem3–Questionusedtoassureaccuratestudentsurveysample.SurveyItem4 Average Minimum MaximumHowmanyIBcourseshaveyoutakensofar? 5.3 0 19SurveyItem5 Yes No TotalDoyouexpecttoearntheIBdiploma? 526(50%) 526(50%) 1052

63

SurveyItem6a-aa Strongly

Disagree

Disagree

Neitheragree

nordisagree

Agree

Strongly

Agree

Total

InmyIBprogram,scholarshipisrespected. 33(3%) 36(4%) 220(23%) 414(43%) 249(26%) 952

Myclassmatesshowrespectforpeoplewithacademicability. 35(4%) 76(8%) 155(16%) 538(55%) 182(18%) 986

TeamworkisencouragedinmyIBprogram. 31(3%) 117(12%) 238(24%) 436(45%) 157(16%) 979

StudentsinmyIBprogramtendtosupportoneanother. 39(4%) 94(10%) 249(25%) 415(42%) 184(19%) 981

InmyIBprogram,adultsbelievethatallstudentscansucceed. 51(5%) 109(11%) 191(19%) 428(43%) 208(21%) 987

IseemanyIBclassmatesinmorethanonecourseeachyear. 19(2%) 32(3%) 118(12%) 426(44%) 372(38%) 967

StudentsintheIBprogramarepraisedforeffort. 71(7%) 135(14%) 266(27%) 356(36%) 154(16%) 982

ItiscleartomewhatIneedtodotoearngoodgradesinmyIBcourses.

53(5%) 102(10%) 160(16%) 453(46%) 221(22%) 989

Iconsidermyschooltohaveahealthy,supportiveculture. 68(7%) 103(10%) 246(25%) 418(42%) 153(15%) 988

InmyIBprogram,thereisanemphasisonhardworkasthewaytosucceed.

25(3%) 52(5%) 128(13%) 482(49%) 299(30%) 986

TeachersinmyIBprogrambelievethatstudentslikemecansucceed.

26(3%) 42(4%) 158(16%) 485(49%) 270(28%) 981

Iampraisedformyintelligence. 58(6%) 148(15%) 329(34%) 311(32%) 135(14%) 981IgetregularfeedbackfrommyIBteachersonmyacademicperformance.

55(6%) 143(15%) 272(28%) 381(39%) 125(13%) 976

IconsidermyIBcourseworktobechallenging. 31(3%) 50(5%) 133(14%) 344(35%) 426(43%) 984

Ihaveanadult,otherthanmyteacher,whocanhelpmewithmyIBcoursework.

187(20%) 280(29%) 171(18%) 214(23%) 99(10%) 951

IwouldsaythatmyIBteachershavehighexpectationsfortheirstudents.

26(3%) 34(3%) 134(14%) 452(46%) 339(34%) 985

ItishardformetogethelpifIamstrugglingwithadifficultassignment.

137(14%) 270(28%) 241(25%) 219(22%) 107(11%) 974

TherearefewtopicsthatIstudyinmyIBclassesthatarerelevanttome.

66(7%) 145(15%) 293(30%) 283(29%) 193(20%) 980

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SurveyItems6a-aa(cont.)

Strongly

Disagree

Disagree

Neitheragree

nordisagree

Agree

Strongly

Agree

Total

ItishardformetogethelpifIamstrugglingwithadifficultassignment.

137(14%) 270(28%) 241(25%) 219(22%) 107(11%) 974

TherearefewtopicsthatIstudyinmyIBclassesthatarerelevanttome.

66(7%) 145(15%) 293(30%) 283(29%) 193(20%) 980

IhavedrawnonexperiencesfrommyfamilyandcommunitylifewhencompletingIBassignments.

103(11%) 195(20%) 318(33%) 261(27%) 80(8%) 957

Ioftengettochoosewhattowriteaboutwhendoingwritingassignments.

124(13%) 205(21%) 249(25%) 314(32%) 87(9%) 979

InmyCASactivities,Ilearnskillsthatarerelevantintherealworld.

76(9%) 98(12%) 246(29%) 257(31%) 161(19%) 838

IwouldsaythatmyIBassignmentsarechallengingbutachievable

55(6%) 70(7%) 178(18%) 521(53%) 157(16%) 981

IfeelcomfortablestatingunpopularpointsofviewinmyIBclasses.

85(9%) 133(14%) 283(29%) 325(33%) 148(15%) 974

WeseldomhavediscussionsaboutsocialjusticetopicsinIBclasses.

103(11%) 211(22%) 296(31%) 241(25%) 101(11%) 952

IhaveparticipatedinaCASprojectthatwasdesignedtoimprovesociety.

78(10%) 98(12%) 193(24%) 258(32%) 179(22%) 806

IfeelsafeinmyschoolandIBcourses. 43(4%) 71(7%) 192(20%) 454(47%) 214(22%) 974

Ifrequentlymissdaysofschool. 429(50%) 188(22%) 131(15%) 74(9%) 44(5%) 866

65

SurveyItems7a-f Strongly

Disagree

Disagree

Neitheragree

nordisagree

Agree

Strongly

Agree

Total

WhenIstudy,IusuallystudyinplaceswhereIcanconcentrate. 19(2%) 48(5%) 122(13%) 489(51%) 280(29%) 958

WhenIstudy,Iusuallyorganizemystudyareatohelpmestudybest.

32(3%) 110(12%) 181(19%) 405(43%) 224(24%) 952

BeforeIstartanassignment,IplanouthowI’mgoingtodoit. 53(5%) 173(18%) 239(25%) 342(35%) 160(17%) 967

WhenIstudy,IusuallystudyattimeswhenIcanconcentratebest.

36(4%) 112(12%) 204(21%) 386(40%) 218(23%) 956

IgetitclearinmyheadwhatI’mgoingtodowhenIsitdowntostudy.

36(4%) 158(16%) 212(22%) 392(41%) 163(17%) 961

Iusuallysticktoastudytimetableorstudyplan. 138(15%) 278(30%) 226(24%) 199(21%) 100(11%) 941

66

SurveyItems8a-t Strongly

Disagree

Disagree

Neitheragree

nordisagree

Agree

Strongly

Agree

Total

Nomatterhowmuchintelligenceyouhave,youcanalwayschangeitagooddeal.

39(4%) 98(10%) 223(24%) 422(45%) 161(17%) 943


67(7%) 236(25%) 219(23%) 323(34%) 97(10%) 942

I’mabletousesomeofthethingsIlearnatschoolinotherpartsofmylife.

74(8%) 113(12%) 191(20%) 442(47%) 127(13%) 947

Iusuallyturninmyassignmentsontime. 29(3%) 44(5%) 105(11%) 329(34%) 447(47%) 954

It’simportanttounderstandwhatI’mtaughtatschool. 30(3%) 32(3%) 157(17%) 443(47%) 288(30%) 950

Iseemyselfasapartofthisschool 46(5%) 94(10%) 200(21%) 399(42%) 207(22%) 946

IfIworkhardenough,IbelieveIcangetontopofmyschoolwork. 25(3%) 45(5%) 100(11%) 427(45%) 355(37%) 952

Ilikemyworkbestwhenitmakesmethinkhard. 121(13%) 211(22%) 299(32%) 226(24%) 84(9%) 941

WhatIlearnatschoolwillbeusefulinthefuture. 96(10%) 130(14%) 286(30%) 303(32%) 131(14%) 946

IlikemyworkbestwhenIcandoitreallywellwithouttoomuchtrouble.

14(1%) 44(5%) 165(17%) 389(41%) 338(36%) 950

IlikeworkthatI'lllearnfromevenifImakealotofmistakes. 45(5%) 107(11%) 259(27%) 379(40%) 155(16%) 945

IlikemyworkbestwhenIcandoitperfectlywithoutanymistakes. 23(2%) 63(7%) 225(24%) 347(37%) 291(31%) 949

IfeelthatIamamemberoftheschoolcommunity. 54(6%) 85(9%) 228(24%) 378(40%) 189(20%) 934

IfItryhard,IbelieveIcandomyschoolworkwell. 22(2%) 37(4%) 107(11%) 437(46%) 342(36%) 945

Whensomethingishard,itjustmakesmewanttoworkmoreonit,notless.

105(11%) 207(22%) 277(30%) 237(25%) 110(12%) 936

Totellthetruth,whenIworkhard,itmakesmefeelasthoughI'mnotverysmart.

99(11%) 228(25%) 241(26%) 220(24%) 136(15%) 924

Ifeelasenseofbelongingtotheschoolcommunity 64(7%) 102(11%) 261(28%) 344(37%) 161(17%) 932

IfIdon’tgiveup,IbelieveIcandodifficultschoolwork. 19(2%) 70(7%) 192(20%) 418(44%) 246(26%) 945

Learningatschoolisimportant. 26(3%) 27(3%) 151(16%) 434(46%) 313(33%) 951IfIhaveenoughtime,IbelieveIcandowellinmyschoolwork. 14(1%) 24(3%) 119(13%) 423(45%) 365(39%) 945

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SurveyItem9 Female Male TotalWhatisyourgender? 548(56%) 428(44%) 976SurveyItem10 Average Minimum MaximumHowoldareyou? 16.4 12 19SurveyItem11

Lessthan

highschool

Highschool

diplom

a

Somecollege

College

degree

Graduate

degree

Total

Whatisthehighestlevelofeducationofyourmotherorfemaleguardian?

29(3%) 113(12%) 116(12%) 337(35%) 375(39%) 970

SurveyItem12(USonly) Yes No TotalAreyoueligibleforfreeorreducedpricelunch? 128(16%) 687(84%) 815SurveyItem13 English Spanish Other TotalWhichisthelanguageyouspeakathomemostoften? 764(79%) 193(20%) 16(2%) 973

SurveyItem14 Attendcollege Getajob Other TotalWhatisyourplanforafterhighschool? 902(94%) 44(5%) 15(2%) 961

SurveyItem15–openendedresponse.SurveyScaledItems

Average Minimum MaximumMalleableIntelligence 2.87 1.13 4.63SenseofBelonging 3.60 1.00 5.00SenseofSelf-Confidence 4.06 1.00 5.00SenseofAcademicRelevance 3.68 1.00 5.00StudentAcademicBehaviors 3.53 1.00 5.00SchoolEnvironment 3.68 1.00 5.00ClassroomPractices 3.91 1.00 5.00

AN ANALYSIS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF POSITIVE ACADEMIC ... · impact on positive academic behaviors....

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