Development Studies-Dweck's Theory Flashcards
What is Dwecks theory?
Mindset is the set of beliefs we all have about our ability to succeed in education and other areas. Mindset theory suggests that children who think they can improve will continue to put in effort whereas those who think they do not have a particular ability tend to stop trying. It tells us that children with a fixed mindset can change to a growth mindset.
The effect of praise
When a child is praised for being good at something, they may draw the conclusion that ability is fixed at birth.
If a child is not praised for something, the child may assume they do not have the ability and conclude that it is pointless to work hard to achieve it.
It is better to praise children for effort as they then believe they can achieve something if they carry on trying
Fixed vs Growth mindset
Children can develop a fixed mindset about a particular ability they think they do not have and give up, fearing they will not be successful because they do not currently posses the ability.
With a fixed mindset a person can become depressed and stop trying.
A growth mindset allows for the idea of effort bringing success. Challenges become worthwhile and feedback is taken notice of.
Teachers can also have growth or fixed mindsets which can affect the way they respond to a child
A teacher with a fixed mindset can see children as lacking a particular ability whereas a teacher with a growth mindset sees that the child can improve with perseverance.
Mueller and Dweck
In one of Dweck’s experiments (Mueller and Dweck, 1998) it found praising students ability led them to a fixed mindset and they were vulnerable to issues such as coping with setbacks. On the other hand, praising students effort led to a growth mindset and persevering more
Strength of Dweck’s mindset theory
it has practical applications. Teachers and parents can now focus on praising effort rather ability to encourage a growth mindset
Weakness of Dwecks mindset theory
Many of the studies that look into mindset have been experiments and so have artificial settings. This is a weakness as the results may not represent real life which would mean that the data lacked ecological validity.
