EXAMINING THE EFFECT€¦ · theories I became interested in was Carol Dweck’s theory of implicit...

THEJOURNALOFTEACHERACTIONRESEARCH 2

JournalofTeacherActionResearch- Volume4,Issue1,2017,<practicalteacherresearch.com>,ISSN#2332-2233©JTAR.AllRights

EXAMININGTHEEFFECTOFFEMALESTUDENTS’MINDSETONTHEIRAPPROACHTOCHALLENGESWHENLEARNINGMATHEMATICSCaitrionaO’SullivanNationalUniversityofIrelandGalway

Má ireNí Ríordá inUniversityCollegeCork

AbstractStudents’capabilitytopersistwhenchallengedisaprominentissueinmanymathematicsclassrooms.Students,inparticularfemalestudents,oftendonotpersistwithchallengesbecausetheyholdthebeliefthattheyarenotintelligent.Inthispaper,aBachelorinMathematicsandEducationstudentinvestigatesifteachingfemalestudentsabouttheimplicittheoryofintelligence,knownasmindset,changeshowstudentsfacechallengeswhenlearning.Thisactionresearchprojectwasundertakenaspartofateachereducationprogrammeandconductedwithfemalestudentsaged15-16yearsoldinapost-primaryclassroominIreland.Overall,findingssuggestwhenfemalestudentslearnaboutthemalleablenatureofintelligenceand,inparticular,aboutgrowthmindset,theypersistwithchallengesandusethemasareasinwhichtheycanlearn.

Keywords:intelligence,growthmindset,post-primarylevelmathematicseducation,effort,challenges

Introduction

Thereisacommonmisconceptionthatachievementinmathematicsisoftenbasedonaninnateabilityinthesubjectandnotlinkedtoeffortputinbyastudent(Ernest,1996).WoodandSmith(1993)highlightthatstudentsinpost-primaryschoolsviewmathematicsasthemostdifficultsubjectinschool,asaresultofthistheymaybelieveonlyhighlyintelligentstudentswillperformwellinmathematics.Whenfacedwithachallengeinthemathematicsclassroommanystudentsdonotpersist.Theybelievethattheydonotpossesstheinnate



abilityinmathematicsneededtoovercometheproblem.Thiscanbedescribedaslearnedhelplessness(Seligman,1972).

InmyteachingIhaveobservedthatmanystudents,inparticularfemales,holdthemselvesbackwhenstudyingmathematics.Studentslimitingthemselvescouldbeexplainedbytheirbeliefthattheyarenotintelligentenough.Thisisalearnedbehaviourwhichhasshowntoaffectmotivationandeffortwhencompletingataskthatisperceivedtobedifficult(Seligman,1972).Iwantedtodevelopteachingskillstocounteractthis.OneofthemaintheoriesIbecameinterestedinwasCarolDweck’stheoryofimplicitviewofintelligenceandthegrowthmindsetorincrementaltheoryofintelligence(Dweck,2000).Dweck(2007)foundthatthisattitudecouldbecounteractedbyteachingstudentsaboutmindset.Shetaughtagroupofstudentsaboutthenatureofintelligencefocusingontheincrementaltheoryofintelligenceandthegrowthmindset,whichpromotestheideathatintelligenceisnotfixed.Herresearchsuggeststhatwhenstudentslearnaboutintelligenceandmindsettheytacklechallengesasanareawheretheycanlearn.Thishasbeenseentoimproveacademicperformance.

Accordingly,thepurposeofmyresearchwastochangehowstudentsfacechallengesbychanginghowtheyperceiveintelligence.Iwantedtodeduceifyoucanchangeastudent’sviewofthenatureofintelligenceandifthishasaneffectonhowtheyapproachchallengesintheirmathematicslearning.Thisledmetotheresearchquestion;CanI,byteachingmystudentsaboutthenatureofintelligenceand,inparticular,agrowthmindset,encouragemystudentstoapproachmathematicalchallengesasareasinwhichtheycanlearn?ThemainreasonforchoosingthistopicwasthatIwantedtodevelopteachingandlearningskillsthatwillleadmystudentstoachievetheirpotentialinmathematics.Theresearchwascompletedinaninnercityall-girlsschool.Afour-weekcourseonthenatureofintelligencewascompletedwithagroupofelevenTransitionYearstudents(age15-16yearsold),fromalowersocio-economicbackground.Thispaperexaminesliteraturerelatingtothenatureofintelligence,inparticular,mindsetandtheeffectthishasonfacingchallengesinmathematicslearning.Amixed-methodsapproachwasutilisedanddatatriangulatedinordertoenhanceinterpretationsofthefindings.Analyseswereconductedandrelevantfindingsarepresented.Adiscussiononhowthefindingsoftheresearchrelatetothecurrentresearchonthetopicisincluded.Thisisfollowedbyaconclusionwhichoutlinesimplicationsofthisresearch,futureactionforfurtherresearchandconsiderationforprofessionalpractice.

LiteratureReview

Intelligencehaslongbeendebated,andthereiscurrentlynoformaldefinition.Manyacademicshaveresearchedintelligenceandproposeddefinitionswhichvarybetweendisciplines.OneoftheearliestideasonintelligencewasdevelopedbyGaltonin1883.Hedevelopedatheorybasedontheideathatpeopleunderstoodtheworldaroundthemthroughtheirsenses(Kaufman,2000).LaterBinetdevelopedtheconceptthatintelligencewasa‘singleglobalability’(Kaufman,2000,p.445).Hisresearchwasthebasisforthe



developmentoftheIntelligenceQuotientandsubsequentlytheIntelligenceQuotienttest(IQtest;Kaufman,2000).SinceBinettherehavebeenmanytheoriesabouttheconceptofintelligence.Manyofthesetheoriessuggestthatintelligenceisan“ability”.Sternbergproposes“intelligenceascomprisingthementalabilitiesnecessaryforadaptationto,aswellasselectionandshapingof,anyenvironmentalcontext”(1997,p.1030).TheideathatintelligenceisanabilityhasbeenfurtherexploredbyGardner.HesuggeststhatintelligenceisnotasingleglobalabilityaspreviouslythoughtbyBinet,butacollectionofabilities.HeintroducedthetheoryofMultipleIntelligences(MI).ThistheoryexpandsintelligenceintosevenseparateintelligenceswhichincludeVerbal/Linguistic,Visual/Spatial,Interpersonal,Musical/Rhythmic,Logical/Mathematical,Intrapersonal,Bodily/Kinaesthetic(Gardner,1983).

DweckandLeggett(1988)developedtheimplicittheoryofintelligence.Thistheoryreferstoaperson’sunderlyingbeliefaboutthenatureofintelligence.Therearetwomainbeliefsaboutthenatureofintelligence.Thesearetheentityandincrementalbeliefs.Theentityviewpromotestheideathatintelligenceisfixedandcannotorwillnotchangeovertime(Rattan,Good&Dweck,2012).Conversely,theincrementalviewsuggeststhatintelligenceismalleableandcanbemouldedandchangedovertime(Butler,2000;Heslin,Latham,&Vandewalle,2005;Plaks,Stroessner,Dweck,&Sherman,2001).Dweck(2007)suggeststhatastudent’simplicitviewofintelligenceaffectstheirattitudetowardslearning.Sheresearchedstudentswithbothanentityviewandanincrementalviewofintelligenceandtheirattitudetowardslearning.Fromthisresearch,shedevelopedthetheoryofmindset.Thisconsistsoftwoconceptsofhowpeopleviewintelligence;TheFixedMindsetandTheGrowthMindset.

Ifastudentadoptstheentityviewofintelligence,believingintelligenceisfixed,theyhavearigidviewoftheirownintelligence,afixedmindset(Dweck,2007;2012).Dweckproposesthatthesestudentsseeafailureasaknocktotheirego.Asaresult,theyarelesslikelytoexaminefailuresorseethemasareaswherelearningcouldbeachieved.Dweckobservedthatthestudentswithafixedmindsetwerelessconcernedwithlearning.Shesuggeststhatthesestudentsattributeefforttoalackofabilityandbeinglessintelligent.Iffailinginmathematics,thesestudentstendtobelieveoneofthemanymythsaboutmathematics,suchas“somepeoplehaveamathematicalmindandsomedon’t”(Lane,2012,p.32).DweckalsonotesthatstudentscanadoptaSeligman’s(1972)‘helplessnessattitude’towardslearning.Ahelplessnessattitudeisalearnedbehaviourwhichhasshowntoaffectmotivationandeffortwhencompletingataskthatisperceivedtobedifficult.Ahelplessnessattitudeisseeninstudentswhobelievetheyarenotsmartenoughtocompleteatask(Dweck,2007).IncontrasttothisDweck(2007)suggests,ifastudentadoptstheincrementalviewofintelligence,believingthattheirintelligenceismalleable,theywillbemoremotivatedandtendtoapplymoreeffortandachievebetter.Theincrementalviewsuggeststhatstudentshaveabetteroutlookonlearning.Thebeliefthattheycanimproveorenhancetheirintelligencehelpsthemtoseefailuresasopportunitiesto



improvetheirknowledgeandunderstandingandnotasaknocktotheirego.Thesestudentstypicallyholdagrowthmindset(Dweck,2012).LucasandClaxton(2010)alsoadopttheconceptofmalleableintelligence.Theyproposethatintelligenceislinkedto‘learningdispositions’whichcanbelearned.

Table1:FixedMindsetvGrowthMindset

FixedMindset GrowthMindset

Perceptionofownintelligence

Rigid.Cannotchangeovertime. Fluid.Canchangeovertime.

Perceptionoffailure Knocktoego.Personaldefeat. Areatobeimproved.Strivetodobetter.

Perceptionofmistakes Reafirmslackofability. Opportunitytolearn.

PerceptionofEffort Showslackofability. Apathtosuccess.

FromTable1itisevidentthatstudentswithagrowthmindsetseeobstaclesintheirlearningasachallengeandstrivetodobetter.Thesestudentsseesuccessasstretchingthemselves.Whereasstudentswithafixedmindsetseefailureasapersonaldefeat.Theydonotbelievethattheycanlearnfromfailureandareinterestedinsucceedingorlookingliketheyhavesucceeded(Dweck,2012).Theseideascanbeseeninthemathematicsclassroomas“students’self-efficacyformathematicsmaybedefinedastheirjudgementsabouttheirpotentialtolearnthesubjectsuccessfully”(Tait-McCuthcheon,2008,p.512).Itisimportanttoteachstudentstoseeobstaclesasareasofimprovement.Toachievethis,teachersmustpromotetheideathatfailureinatopicisanareawhereyoucanlearnandnotsolelyanegativeoutcome(Dweck,2012).Topromoteagrowthmindset,theteachershouldencourageandpromoteeffortandnotsolelyachievement.TannerandJones(2003)suggestthatthedevelopmentofastudent’sself-conceptinmathematicsshouldbereinforcedandencouragedbythestudent’smathematicsteacher.Withoutthispositivereinforcementandencouragement,thestudentwilldevelopalackofself-efficacy.Theirstudyshowedadirectcorrelationbetweensuccessinmathematicsandself-efficacyinmathematics.However,Dweck(2016)isquicktohighlightthatitisnotjustaboutpraisingeffort.Itisimportantthatstudentstrynewstrategiesandaresupportedbyothers(e.g.theteacher,peers)whentheyencounterchallengesintheirlearning.Accordingly,itisimportantthatstudentsaremadetofeelgoodbutanemphasisalsohastobeplacedonlearning/improving.Therefore,itisimportantthatasturcturedprogrammeisinplacetosupportstudentsinthedevelopmentofarepertoireofapproacheswhenfacedwithchallengesinlearning(Dweck,2016).

Researchdemonstratesthatwhenfemalesareinformed,andagrowthmindsetframeworkisutilised,thattheycandoaswellasothersinmathematicsandothersubjectareas(Good,Rattan,&Dweck,2012).Thisisparticularlyimportantintermsofdecreasingachivement



gapsbetweenmalesandfemales.Specifically,researchhashighlightedtheimportanceofsupportingfemalesindeconstructingconceptionsrelatingtoinnatetalent,asrelatingtomathematicsandscience,ademphasisingtheimportanceofeffortandself-imporvement(Good,Rattan,&Dweck,2012).Thisisparticularinimportantinthecontextofthisstudygiventhatitwasdesignedandundertakenwithagroupof11femalesfromalowersocio-economicbackground.

Therehavebeensomecriticsoftheimplicittheoryofintelligence.Furnham,Chamorro-PremuzicandMcDougall(2003)didnotfindasignificantrelationshipbetweenentitiesversusincrementalbeliefandacademicperformance.Therehasalsobeensomediscussiononwhetherthechangeinmindsetcanbemaintainedbythestudentlongterm.Otherstudieshighlightthebenefitsofteachingaboutthegrowthmindsetbuttheyalsonotethatfurtherinterventionmaybenecessaryforlongtermeffects(Aronson,Fries&Good,2001;Blackwell,Trzesniewski&Dweck,2007).In-factDweckherselfhasraisedthispoint.

Astudent’sperceptionofintelligenceand,inparticular,theirownintelligenceisanimportantfactorintohowtheyapproachlearning.IthasbeennotedfromDweck’sresearchthatstudentswithagrowthmindsetapproachdifficultieswhenlearningasachallengeandaremoremotivatedtolearn.Inparticular,whenthegrowthmindsetispromotedintheclassroomthisencouragesstudentstobemoremotivatedtolearn.Dweckhasshownthebenefitsofteachingstudentsaboutthenatureofintelligenceandthegrowthmindset.WiththisinmindIhavedevelopedmyresearchquestion:CanI,byteachingmystudentsaboutthenatureofintelligenceand,inparticular,agrowthmindset,encouragemystudentstoapproachmathematicalchallengesasareasinwhichtheycanlearn?

Methodology

Elevenfemaleparticipantsintotaltookpartintheresearch.AlloftheparticipantswereinTransitionYear(TY-year4ofpost-primaryeducationinIreland)inasmall,inner-city,allgirlspost-primaryschoolinIreland.DEISstatushasbeenawardedtotheschool.

Thisactionresearchwasconductedusingamixedmethodsapproach,withbothquantitativeandqualitativemethodsofdatacollection.Iutilisedvarieddatacollectioninstrumentswhengatheringmydata.Multipleperspectivesweresoughtinordertofacilitatetriangulationofdataandinterpretationoffindings(Pine,2009).Thedatacollectiontoolsarediscussedbelow.

CourseImplementation.Theresearchwasconductedoversixweeks.Thestudentswereencouragedtoexploretheirideaofintelligenceandhowtheyapproachchallenges.Throughoutthesixweeks,astudent-centredapproachwasutilisedtoteachmathematics.



Thefollowingarethespecificsimplementedinrelationtoteachingaboutthenatureofintelligenceanddevelopingthestudents’mindset.

Week1–Questionnaireandpuzzle(discussedbelow).

Week2–Introductiontothenatureofintelligence.

Week3–WatchedCarolDweck’sTEDtalkandexploredDweck’sideaofMindset.

Week4–Completedpuzzlesindividually,discussedhowtopersistwhenchallenged.

Week5–Examplesofpeoplewithagrowthmindsetandwhattheyhaveachieved.

Week6–Questionnaire,puzzleandinterview(discussedbelow).

DataCollectionTools:

Questionnaire:Thequestionnaireassessedeachstudent’sviewofthenatureofintelligenceandmindsetatboththebeginningandtheendofthecourse.ThequestionnaireutilisedDweck’sonlinequestionnairetoassessmindset(Dweck,2006).Eightofthesequestionsassessedparticipants’implicittheoryofintelligence(4growthmindsetand4fixedmindset).Toanswerthesequestionsstudentsrankedtheiropinionfromstronglyagreetostronglydisagree.Ahighscorerepresentedabetterunderstandingoftheideaofthenatureofintelligence.AlongwithDweck’squestionnaire,Iusedqualitativequestions,suchas“Whatisintelligence?”,toassesstheparticipant’sideaofthenatureofintelligence.Thequestionnairecollectedbothquantitativeandqualitativedata.

Puzzle:Apuzzlewasusedasmyartefact,thisassessedhowthestudentsfacedchallenges.Thestudentscompletedtwodifferentpuzzlesoneatthebeginningandoneattheendoftheresearchtomonitorchangesinhowtheyapproachchallenges.Thiswasachievedbymeasuringthetimethestudentsspentatthepuzzle.EachpuzzlewasamathematicsquestionsetatthesamelevelaccordinglyinlinewiththeIrishmathematicscurriculumandstandards.Thiscollectedquantitativeandqualitativedata.

Criticalfriend:Anobservationbymycriticalfriend,amathematicsteacherwithfiveyearsexperience.Sheprovidedaninsightintothevalidityofmyteachingstrategies.Thisisqualitativeinnature.

Interview:Theinterviewwasconductedafterthecoursewascompleted.Theinverviewconsistedof13questions,seeappendix1.Thesequestionsaimedtoevaluateachangeinthestudents’ideaofthenatureofintelligence,mindsetandhowtheyapproachchallenges.Iinterviewedtwostudents,onefromthehighermathematicsstreamandonefromthelowermathematicsstreaminordertogetarepresentationfrombothlevelsofmathematics.Thisinterviewcollectedqualitativedata.



DataAnalysis

OncollectingthedataIorganizeditinacoherentmanner.Afterthis,Ianalyzedthedata.WhenanalyzingthequalitativedataIfollowedtheconstantcomparativemethod(Wellington,2015).InitiallyIdividedthedataintocodes.Thesecodeswerethengroupedintocategories.ToassimilatethedataIrevisitedit.AfterthisIensuredthatIhadgroupedthedatacorrectly.FollowingthisImadesurethecategorieswereexhaustiveandmutuallyexclusive.Finally,Iintegratedthecategories(Wellington,2015).

Whenanalyzingthequantitativedata,IinsertedallofthenumericaldataintoMicrosoftExcelanddescriptivestatisticswereutilisedtopresentthedata.Thegrowthmindsetquestionswerescoredasfollows;StronglyAgree6,Agree5,MostlyAgree4,MostlyDisagree3,Disagree2,StronglyDisagree1.Thefixedmindsetitemswerereversescored.Ascorefortheparticipants’ideaofthenatureofintelligencewascalculatedfromtheitems.Ascoreof8(i.e.8xscoreof1foreachofthequestions)indicatesaFixedMindsetandascoreof48(i.e.8xscoreof6foreachofthequestions)indicatesaGrowthMindset.Therefore,whenanalyzingthequestionnaires,ahighscoreindicatedagrowthmindsetandalowscorewasrelatedtoafixedmindset.

Throughouttheresearchalleffortsweremadetoensurereliability,validityandethicalconsiderationsinlinewiththeNationalUniversityofIreland,Galway(NUIGalway)codeofconduct.

Results

ViewoftheNatureofIntelligenceandMindset.Ananalysisofthegroup’spreandpostcourseideaofthenatureofintelligencewascarriedout.Allstudents’scoreswereaddedupandthendividedby11inordertocalculateagroupmeanscoreonthemindsetquestionnaire.Overalltherewasanincreaseinthegroup’sideaofintelligencefromaprecoursemeanof29.18toapostcoursemeanof35.Thisincreaseindicatesasmallincreaseinthegroup’sideaofthemalleablenatureofintelligence.Figure1belowdisplaysstudents’answerstofourofthequestionsaskedinthepreandpost-coursequestionnairetoidentifytheirideaofintelligence,withthemeangroupresponseindicated.



Figure1:Changeingroupsoverallideaofthenatureofintelligence.

Inthegraphaboveascoreofameanof1indicatesthegroupstronglydisagreedwiththestatementandascoreof6indicatesthegroupstronglyagreedwiththestatement.Theabovegraphindicatesthatstudentschangedtheirideaofthenatureofintelligenceaftercompletingthecourse.Forexample,inquestionone‘Youhaveacertainamountofintelligenceandyoucan’treallydomuchtochangeit’,thestudentsdisagreedmorewiththisstatementoncompletionofthe6weekprogram.

Someofthestudents’pre-courseanswerstothequestion,“whatisintelligence,”areasfollows.StudentAdescribedintelligenceas“everyoneisbornwithadifferenttypeofintelligence,it’stheareawheretheystandoutinsuchas,music,art,numbers,physics.”WhileStudentBdescribedintelligenceas“everybodyisintelligentbutindifferentwayssomepeopleareintelligentatmathsbutterribleatmusic.”StudentCdescribedintelligenceasameasurementof“howmuchyouknow.”Manyofthestudentsexpressedtheviewthatintelligenceissmartness.StudentD’sdescriptionwas“Ithinkintelligenceiswhensomeoneissmarterthansomeoneelse.”

InthepostcourseinterviewStudentEdescribedherideaofintelligencepre-course.

Interviewer:Whatdidyouthinkaboutintelligencebeforethecourse?



StudentE:Thatit’saboutbeingsmart,andthatyoujustkindaknoweverythingwithouteventrying.

Responsesfromthepost-coursequestionnairereflectedamoreincrementalorgrowthviewofintelligence.StudentCdescribedintelligenceas“aformofknowledgeandtalent…everyonewithdifferentaspectsofintelligenceanditexpands.”

InthepostcourseinterviewStudentEdescribedherideaofintelligencepost-course.

Interviewer:Whatdoyouthinknow(afterthecourse),hasit(yourviewofintelligence)changed?

StudentE:Yeahitdefinitelyhaschanged.Intelligenceisn’tjustaboutbeingsmart.It’sabouttryingtolearnmore.Iguess,liketoexpandyourmindtobeopentootherthingsaswell.Evenifyoudon’tlikesomethingtotryandunderstandit.

Table2indicatesthenumberofstudentsdisplayingagrowth,mixedorfixedmindset..Itisworthnotingthatthepost-courseshowsnomemberofthegrouphadafixedmindset.Overall,thefindingssuggestthatpost-courseresultsindicatethestudentsheldmoreofanincrementalviewofthenatureofintelligenceandthattherewasalsoapositivechangeinmindset.Thismayraisesomequestionsaroundthesampleofstudentswhoparticipatedinthiscourse.Thesestudentswereinadisadvantagedinnercityschoolanditmaybethatthiswasthefirsttimethattheyparticipatedinsuchaninitiativefocusedontheirmathematicaldevelopment.Also,thesestudentswereinTYoftheirpost-pirmarystudieswhichaffordsthemanopportunitytoengagewithbotheducationalandworkexperiencesthroughouttheyear.Moreover,itisdesignedtobeanon-exmainedyearandemphasisisplacedonabroadeducationalexperience.

Table2:Mindsetofgrouppre-courseandpost-course

GrowthMindset MixedMindset FixedMindset

Pre-course 8 1 2

Post-course 10 1 0

Challengeswhenlearning:

Howstudentsapproachchallengesintheirlearningwasmeasuredpreandpost-course.



Figure2belowshowsthelengthoftimethestudentsspentonthepuzzlegivenpre-courseandpost-course.Anincreaseinthelengthoftimespentatthepuzzleisseeninthepost-coursetime.

Figure2:Timespentonpuzzle

Thestudentswhocompletedtheinterviewcommentedonhowtheywillnowfacechallengeswhencompletingthestateexaminationsorduringtheirlifeingeneral.

StudentF:Yeahyouwon’thaveanegativemindaboutthequestionbeforethat,youwon’tgiveuphalfaseasyasyougothroughthenextquestion.

StudentE:Iamaverynegativepersonanyway,soIthinkthatthiswillchangemyperspectivetobemorepositiveandjustinsteadofsayingIcanneverdothisistoohardI’lljustsayI’lltry.Ican’tdothisnow.

Figure3below,showsstudentG’spostcoursepuzzle.ThissampleofstudentworkshowshowstudentGdidnotstopwhentheymadeamistakeandpersistedwiththequestion.

Figure3:StudentG’sworkonpuzzle2

Thesefindingssuggestthatpost-courseresultsindicatethestudentsmayhaveapproachedchallengesasareaswheretheycanlearnaftercompletingthecourse.



TeachingStrategies.Mycriticalfriendhighlightedareasofstrengthandareasthatcouldbeimprovedinmyteaching.Shenotedthestudent-centredteachingapproachthatIimplementedintheclassroom.Inparticular,myuseofdiscussionofthetopiccommentingthat“theuseofdiscussionandquestioningintheclassroomhashelpedthestudentsunderstandthetopic”(16/11/2015).

InthepostcourseinterviewsbothStudentEandFagreedthattheyenjoyedtheteachingmethodsusedthroughoutthecourse.

Interviewer:Whatwasgoodaboutthecourse?

StudentE:Watchingthevideo,Ithinkitwasoneofthefirstones,explainingwhatthedifferencewasbetweengrowthmindsetandfixedmindset.ThatwasreallygoodIlikedthatvideo,Idunnobecauseitwassolikeinformativebutnotinaboringway,Iguess.

StudentF:Ilikedtheending,youknowwhenyoulikedotheproblemjustlikeyouknowwhenlikewhenyoudotheproblematthestartitwouldannoyyouthenyoucouldn’tdosomethingbutthenwhenyoudoitintheendyoucouldjustmoveonitdoesn’tbotheryouhalfasmuch

Thedatasuggestthattheuseofstudent-centredlearninghelpedthestudentstolearnaboutthenatureofintelligence.

LongevityoftheEffectsoftheCourse.Mycriticalfriendhadaconcernaboutthelongtermbenefitsofthecourse,suggestingthatthepremiseofthecoursemaybeforgottenovertime,ifnotreinforced.Thiswasalsonotedinthepost-courseinterviewwithStudentEandF.

Interviewer:Didyoufindthecoursehelpful?

StudentF:Yep.

StudentE:Yeahdefinitely.

Whenaskediftheyhadtackledchallengesdifferentlytheanswerswereasfollows.

StudentE:MaybeIhavewithoutknowing,butrightnowno.

StudentF:Ihavenot,apartforthechallengeattheend.Likeitdoesn’tbothermehalfasmuchifImissaquestionnow.

Thesefindingssuggestthatthestudentsfoundthecoursehelpfulbuttherearequestionsaboutthelongtermbenefits.



Discussion

Thisresearchinvestigatedwhetherlearningaboutintelligenceand,inparticular,mindsetthroughastudentcenteredapproachwouldencourageagrowthmindset.Italsostudiedifmindsetimpactedstudents’approachtochallenges,specificallyiftheyapproachedchallengesasareasinwhichtheycanlearn.Thefindingsfromthequestionairreandthepuzzlesuggestthatlearningaboutthenatureofintelligenceandmindsethasledthestudentstoapproachchallengesasareasinwhichtheycanlearn.ThesefindingsareinlinewithDweck’sresearchontheconnectionbetweenstudent’sadoptingtheincrementaltheoryofintelligenceandtheirattitudetoeffort(Dweck,2007).

Myresearchsuggeststhatthestudents’pre-courseviewofintelligencetendedtowardsSternberg(1997)andGardner’s(1983)theory,thatintelligenceisanability.IfindthisresultinterestingasIwasexpectingthestudentstohaveaclassicalviewthatintelligenceasameasureofmentalability.Thisaspectofthestudents’viewofintelligencedidnotchangeoverthecourseoftheresearch.

Findingsfromtheresearchshowachangeinthestudents’perceptionsofthenatureofintelligenceandstudents’mindset.Thequalitativedatashowedachangeinthestudent’sideaofthenatureofintelligence,fromanentityview,describingtheideathatintelligencewas“howmuchyouknow”,totheincrementaltheory,describingintelligenceas“…everyonewithdifferentaspectsofintelligenceanditexpands”.Thissuggeststhatthestudentshaveadoptedtheincrementaltheoryofintelligence,thatintelligenceismalleableandcanchangeovertime(Butler,2000;Heslin,Latham,&Vandewalle,2005;Plaks,Stroessner,Dweck,&Sherman,2001).Withthischangeinhowtheyviewthenatureofintelligencecameachangeinthestudents’mindset.Moreovertherewasnotalargechangeinthestudent’smindsets,butinthepost-courseanalysisofmindsettherewerenostudentswithafixedmindset.ThesefindingsareinlinewithDweck’s(2007)findings.Also,giventhatthiswasundertakenwithanentirelyfemalesample,andinthecontextofmathematicseductaion,thismayhaveasignificantimpactonhowstudentsperceivetheirmathematicsabilityforfuturestudies(Good,Rattan,&Dweck,2012).Withthisinminditisimportanttorecoginisethelimitationsofthisstudysuchasthesmallsamplesizeof11andtheshorttimeframeofthestudy.

Theresearchfoundthattherewasachangeinhowthestudentsapproachedchallenges.Thiscanbeseenthroughoutpre-courseandpost-courseanalysisofthefindingsandthestudents’descriptionofchallengesintheinterview.Bothstudentsagreedthathowtheywillfacechallengeshaschanged.Onestatingshe“won’tgiveuphalfaseasy.”Thisresultisalsoseeninthechangeinthelengthoftimethestudentsspentonthepuzzlepreandpost-course.Fromtheexampleofthestudentsworkinfigure3,youcanseethatthestudentlearnedfromhermistakes.FromthesefindingsIbelievethatthestudentswerestretchingthemselvesandseemedtoapproachchallengesasareasinwhichtheycanlearn.This



correlatestoDweck’sfindingsthatstudentswithagrowthmindsetbelievetheycanlearnfrommistakes(Dweck,2012).

IaimedtoresearchifIcouldteachstudentsaboutthenatureofintelligence.Thefindingssuggestthatthestudentschangetheirideaaboutthenatureofintelligence.Iimplementedstudent-centredteachingapproachesoverthecourse.Thedatasuggeststhattheseteachingmethodswereeffective.Thiswashighlightedbymycriticalfriendandinthepost-courseinterviewwiththestudents.TheimportanceofteachingstudentsaboutthenatureofintelligenceiscentraltoDweck’stheoryofmindset(Dweck,2012).OverallthefindingssuggestthatIhavetaughtstudentsaboutthenatureofintelligecneusingastudent-centredteachingapproach.

Theresearchfoundthatthestudentschangedtheirmindsetbutitisnotclearifovertimethestudentswillrevertbacktotheiroriginalviewofintelligence.Observationsfrommycriticalfriendquestionediftherewouldbelongtermeffectsofthecourse.FromAronsonetal.’s(2001)studyandBlackwelletal.’s(2007)weseethevalueofteachingthegrowthmindsetbutitalsohighlightstohavealonglastingeffectfurtherinterventionmaybenecessary.

Conclusion

Thisresearchaimedtoidentifyifteachingstudentsaboutthenatureofintelligenceand,inparticular,agrowthmindset,encouragedmystudentstoapproachmathematicalchallengesasareasinwhichtheycanlearn.ThisresearchwasinspiredbyCarolDweck’s(2007)workonmindsetanditsbenefitsforlearningintheclassroom.Thefindingsofmyresearchsuggestthataftercompletingacourseonthenatureofintelligencethestudentsapproachedchallengesasareasinwhichtheycanlearn.Althoughthiswasapositiveresultweareawareofthelimitationsoftheresearch;thesizeofthesample,anallfemalesampleandtheshorttimeframeoftheresearch,andwouldquestioniftheseresultswouldbemaintained.

Ihavelearnedthebenefitsofteachingstudentsabouttheimplicittheoryofintelligenceandmindset.FrommyresearchIsawtheimpactthishadonhowstudentsapproachedchallengesintheirlearning.Ibelievethatchanginghowfemalestudentsapproachchallengesiskeytohelpingthemtoachievetheirfullpotentialinmathematics.Theresultsoftheresearchhaveshownmethatitisimportanttoteachstudentsaboutmindset.Ithasalsoshownmethebenefitsofknowingthesepsychologicalconcepts.Ihaveagreaterappreciationoftheimportanceofeducationalpsychologyintheclassroom.AlthoughtheresultshavelimitationsIcanconcludethatteachingaboutthenatureofintelligenceisanimportantaspectofprofessionalpractice.Itwouldbebeneficialtoconductfurtherresearchtoseeifgrowthmindsethasthepotentialtohelpstudentslearninallsubjects,notonlyin



themathematicsclassroom.Whiletheresultsofthisshorttermresearcharepromising,furtherresearchneedstobeconductedtoascertainthelongtermeffectsoflearningaboutmindsetinthemathematicsclassroom.

AbouttheAuthors

CaitrionaO’SullivanisateacherofMathematicsandAppliedMathematics.SheundertookthisactionresearchstudyasastudentoftheBachelorofMathematicsandEducation(BME)programmeattheNationalUniversityofIrelandGalway.Email:[email protected]

Má ireNí Ríordá in,Ph.D.isaSeniorLecturerattheSchoolofEducationatUniversityCollegeCork.SheworkedwithCaitrionaO’Sullivanonheractionresearchprojectandresearchpaperdevelopmentasheruniversitytutor.Email:[email protected]



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AppendixA

InterviewQuestions

1. Whatdidyouthinkintelligencewasbeforewestartedthecourse?2. Didyoulearnanythingaboutintelligence,arethereanyspecificthingsyouhavelearned?3. Whatdidyouthinkaboutabilitybeforewestartedthecourse?4. Didyoulearnanythingaboutability,arethereanyspecificthingsyouhavelearned?5. HadyouheardofMindsetbeforethecourse?6. DidyoulearnaboutMindset,arethereanyspecificthingsyouhavelearned?7. DoyouthinkyouhavechangedyourMindset?8. Doyouthinkyouhaveusedithasithelpedyouwithanychallengesoverinthelastsix

weeks?9. Doyouthinkthatthecoursewashelpful?10. Doyouthinkthecoursewillhelpasyoucompleteyourleavingcert?11. Whatwasgoodaboutthecourse?12. Whatwasbadaboutthecourse?13. Wouldyourecommendittoyourfriends?



AppendixB

Questionairre(Dweck,2006)

Pleaseshowhowmuchyouagreeordisagreewitheachstatementbelowbytickingtheoptionthatcorrespondstoyouropinion.

Strong

lyAgree

Agree

Mostly

Agree

Mostly

Disagree

Disagree

Strong

lyDisagree

Q1.Youhaveacertainamountofintelligence,andyoucan’treallydomuchtochangeit.

� � � � � �

Q2.Yourintelligenceissomethingaboutyouthatyoucan’tchangeverymuch.

� � � � � �

Q3.Nomatterwhoyouare,youcansignificantlychangeyourintelligencelevel.

� � � � � �

Q4.Tobehonest,youcan’treallychangehowintelligentyouare. � � � � � �

Q5.Youcanalwayssubstantiallychangehowintelligentyouare. � � � � � �

Q6.Youcanlearnnewthings,butyoucan’treallychangeyourbasicintelligence

� � � � � �

Q7.Nomatterhowmuchintelligenceyouhave,youcanalwayschangeitquiteabit.

� � � � � �

Q8.Youcanchangeevenyourbasicintelligencelevelconsiderably. � � � � � �

Whatisintelligence?Answerthisquestioninthespacebelow.

EXAMINING THE EFFECT€¦ · theories I became interested in was Carol Dweck’s theory of implicit...

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