Reading Struggle Stories of Role Models Can Improve Students' Growth Mindsets

Frontiers in Psychology

Ying Liu¹  Xu Du¹  Sheng Yuan¹  Xuejun Bai³ 

[1] Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China;Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China;Tianjin Social Science Laboratory of Students' Mental Development and Learning, Tianjin, China;

关键词: growth mindset;    struggle story;    perseverance;    role model;    intervention;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2021.747039

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Previous studies have suggested that reading stories of role models can improve the growth mindsets of students. The current study aimed to investigate the types of stories that can increase the growth mindsets of high school students, undergraduates, and graduates and how many specific stories undergraduates with low and high perseverance need to read to improve their growth mindsets. In study 1, high school students, undergraduates, and graduates were assigned to read either five struggle stories or five achievement stories of role models. Their mindsets were measured before and after reading the stories. The results showed that reading struggle stories rather than achievement stories of role models increased the growth mindsets of undergraduates and graduates. In study 2, undergraduates with high and low perseverance were assigned to read five struggle stories or five achievement stories of role models. Their mindsets were measured before reading stories and after reading each story. The results showed that the growth mindsets of undergraduates with low perseverance increased after reading two struggle stories of role models, and increased further after reading five struggle stories of role models. More importantly, the level of growth mindsets of undergraduates with low perseverance was equal to that of undergraduates with high perseverance after reading five struggle stories of role models. These findings reveal that reading struggle stories of role models can improve the growth mindsets of undergraduates and graduates. The personality of students affects the effectiveness of story-based mindset intervention.

【 授权许可】

Unknown