Mindset matters: exploring the link between mindsets, learning intentions, and performance in biomedical science...

Students' "mindset" (self-beliefs and attitudes toward their abilities) can impact academic achievement, with those possessing a growth mindset more likely to succeed. It has been postulated that students with a growth mindset, who believe they can improve their abilities through dedication, effort, and learning may have deeper intentions when learning, thereby enabling a deeper understanding. However, the relationship between students' mindset and their learning intentions remains unexplored. Using a mixed-method study we examined the relationship between mindset, learning intentions, and academic performance in second-year biomedical science students (n_consent = 256). Through inductive and deductive thematic analysis of open-ended questions, we determined students' mindsets and learning intentions. Qualitative themes were then quantified to determine theme-response frequencies. Statistical analysis was then conducted to assess the relationship between mindsets, learning intentions, and academic performance. Nearly two-thirds of students held a growth mindset about their bioscience ability. Growth mindset students reported a greater number of deep learning intentions and achieved higher academic performance compared to fixed mindset students. Targeted interventions to further support growth-oriented beliefs and address fixed or mixed mindsets may facilitate positive changes in students' learning intentions.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study demonstrates that growth mindset students in biomedical science report more deep learning intentions and achieve higher academic performance compared to their fixed mindset peers. Through a mixed-method approach, it highlights the unexplored relationship between mindset, learning intentions, and performance. The findings underscore the role of mindset in shaping learning behaviors and suggest that fostering a growth mindset could improve educational outcomes in science disciplines.