Effectiveness of the Growth Mindset Intervention on Learning Behaviors in the Middle School Gifted Underachievers

Studies have shown that self-beliefs about intelligence and abilities play an important role in learning and academic achievement at school. A growth mindset is of particular importance for gifted students for the reason that they are at risk of both perfectionism and underachievement, which might deter them from actualizing their potential. This study considers the impact of using a growth mindset intervention during an eight-week course for gifted underachieving students. Learning behaviors were measured pre-course, post-course and three months post-course with LBS (Learning Behaviors Scale by McDermott, 1999). It was hypothesized that the experimental group who took part in the growth mindset workshop would improve their learning behaviors. The results of ANCOVA and repeated measures ANOVA showed that the mean difference between the dimensions of learning behaviors including competency motivation, attention/persistence, attitude toward learning and strategy/flexibility in the three stages of the research (pre-test, post-test, and follow-up) was significant (P <0.05). Based on this finding, the growth mindset intervention can be utilized as an appropriate method to improve the learning behaviors of underachieving gifted students.