Associations between maths ability mindset, maths task preference and physiological responses to feedback during an...

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Student mindsets, feedback responses, and learning behaviors are crucial for academic success.
• Little is known about the development of these factors in primary school.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the longitudinal associations between students' mindsets, physiological responses to performance feedback, and task preference in mathematics.
• To examine how these associations develop across two primary school years.

Main Methods:

• Followed 89 students from 3rd to 4th grade.
• Assessed mindsets via questionnaire, recorded skin conductance during an arithmetic task with feedback, and observed task preference (challenging vs. easy).
• Utilized mixed-effects models to analyze developmental associations.

Main Results:

• Growth-minded students consistently preferred challenging tasks.
• Mindset did not correlate with overall physiological feedback responses.
• Task preference showed marginal associations with initial physiological responses, with those preferring challenging tasks exhibiting smaller, faster-habituating reactions.

Conclusions:

• Mindset and physiological responses uniquely relate to task preference, underscoring their importance in learning.
• Subtle temporal changes in physiological reactions, particularly initial responses and habituation, are significant.
• Supporting students in regulating performance-related arousal at task onset may be crucial for academic engagement.