Growth Mindset Is Associated With Mastery Goals in Adulthood

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Growth mindsets, the belief that intelligence is malleable, are linked to mastery goals in younger populations.
• The association between growth mindsets and mastery goals in adults remains under-explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between growth mindset and the adoption of mastery goals in adults.
• To determine if this association extends to mathematics learning.

Main Methods:

• Two online studies were conducted with 300 adult participants.
• Data analysis included zero-order correlations, structural equation modeling, and out-of-sample predictions.

Main Results:

• A significant association was found between growth mindset and the adoption of mastery goals in mathematics.
• This correlation was consistent across various methods of measuring mindsets.

Conclusions:

• Growth mindset and mastery goal adoption are intrinsically related in adults, specifically in the context of mathematics.
• The findings support the generalization of this association across different life stages and populations.