Fixed intelligence mindsets predict system legitimization in educational contexts

Laura M. Brady; Arianne E. Eason; Stephanie A. Fryberg

doi:10.1007/s11218-023-09872-1

Fixed intelligence mindsets predict system legitimization in educational contexts

Laura M. Brady^*, Arianne E. Eason, Stephanie A. Fryberg

^*Corresponding author for this work

Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Growth and fixed mindsets (i.e., beliefs about whether people’s abilities can be developed) shape how people interpret and respond to events in their social worlds. The present work examines how these mindsets relate to individuals’ likelihood of legitimizing racial and socioeconomic inequities in education. Meta-analyses of 20 original studies including K-12 teachers and staff members (k = 8; N ≈ 2001), college students (k = 7; N ≈ 2725), and American adults (k = 5; N ≈ 1792) demonstrated that the belief that intelligence is an unchangeable characteristic (i.e., fixed mindset) consistently predicted greater likelihood of legitimizing educational inequities via five different measures of legitimization. These results suggest that fixed mindsets about intelligence are likely to undermine policy-driven efforts to change inequitable educational systems, and that one pathway toward educational equity involves attending to prevailing beliefs about the possibilities of growing one’s intelligence.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	1557-1594
Number of pages	38
Journal	Social Psychology of Education
Volume	27
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-023-09872-1
State	Published - Aug 2024

Funding

This work was supported by grants to SAF and LMB from the Raikes Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, National Science Foundation (NSF 1748827), and Yidan Prize; NSF Graduate Research Fellowships awarded to LMB and AEE; and a Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship, Graduate Opportunity-Minority Advancement Program Presidential Fellowship, and National Institute on Aging (NIA) Aging and Development Training Grant (T32 AG0000030) awarded to AEE.

Keywords

Education
Fixed mindset
Inequality
System legitimization

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Social Psychology
Education
Developmental and Educational Psychology
Sociology and Political Science

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1007/s11218-023-09872-1

Cite this

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title = "Fixed intelligence mindsets predict system legitimization in educational contexts",

abstract = "Growth and fixed mindsets (i.e., beliefs about whether people{\textquoteright}s abilities can be developed) shape how people interpret and respond to events in their social worlds. The present work examines how these mindsets relate to individuals{\textquoteright} likelihood of legitimizing racial and socioeconomic inequities in education. Meta-analyses of 20 original studies including K-12 teachers and staff members (k = 8; N ≈ 2001), college students (k = 7; N ≈ 2725), and American adults (k = 5; N ≈ 1792) demonstrated that the belief that intelligence is an unchangeable characteristic (i.e., fixed mindset) consistently predicted greater likelihood of legitimizing educational inequities via five different measures of legitimization. These results suggest that fixed mindsets about intelligence are likely to undermine policy-driven efforts to change inequitable educational systems, and that one pathway toward educational equity involves attending to prevailing beliefs about the possibilities of growing one{\textquoteright}s intelligence.",

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AU - Eason, Arianne E.

AU - Fryberg, Stephanie A.

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PY - 2024/8

Y1 - 2024/8

N2 - Growth and fixed mindsets (i.e., beliefs about whether people’s abilities can be developed) shape how people interpret and respond to events in their social worlds. The present work examines how these mindsets relate to individuals’ likelihood of legitimizing racial and socioeconomic inequities in education. Meta-analyses of 20 original studies including K-12 teachers and staff members (k = 8; N ≈ 2001), college students (k = 7; N ≈ 2725), and American adults (k = 5; N ≈ 1792) demonstrated that the belief that intelligence is an unchangeable characteristic (i.e., fixed mindset) consistently predicted greater likelihood of legitimizing educational inequities via five different measures of legitimization. These results suggest that fixed mindsets about intelligence are likely to undermine policy-driven efforts to change inequitable educational systems, and that one pathway toward educational equity involves attending to prevailing beliefs about the possibilities of growing one’s intelligence.

AB - Growth and fixed mindsets (i.e., beliefs about whether people’s abilities can be developed) shape how people interpret and respond to events in their social worlds. The present work examines how these mindsets relate to individuals’ likelihood of legitimizing racial and socioeconomic inequities in education. Meta-analyses of 20 original studies including K-12 teachers and staff members (k = 8; N ≈ 2001), college students (k = 7; N ≈ 2725), and American adults (k = 5; N ≈ 1792) demonstrated that the belief that intelligence is an unchangeable characteristic (i.e., fixed mindset) consistently predicted greater likelihood of legitimizing educational inequities via five different measures of legitimization. These results suggest that fixed mindsets about intelligence are likely to undermine policy-driven efforts to change inequitable educational systems, and that one pathway toward educational equity involves attending to prevailing beliefs about the possibilities of growing one’s intelligence.

KW - Education

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Fixed intelligence mindsets predict system legitimization in educational contexts

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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