Using Growth Mindset Messaging for First-Generation Student Success

As I think back to my early days of college as a first generation college student, I think of how overwhelmed I was by this new world I found myself in. I made mistakes because I didn't know what I didn't know; and, it never occurred to me that there were services available to guide me. I felt like it was all up to me. Fortunately, a couple of faculty saw some potential and reached out to encourage me and give me some advice.  That made all the difference.

- Kevin Cocoran, OU interim provost

As Kevin put it, it’s easy for anyone to be overwhelmed by college processes, coursework, and expectations, especially if few to none in your circles are familiar with them. First generation (FG) college students (those for whom neither parent or guardian have obtained a bachelor’s degree) can experience more challenges navigating and succeeding in college when compared to their continuing-generation college students. A simple way we can help FG students (and all students!) persist is by communicating to them that they can succeed by holding high aspirations, and that effort in learning matters.

Growth Mindset

A growth mindset, a concept developed by Carol Dweck, is the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication, effort, and perseverance. This contrasts with a fixed mindset, where talents are seen as innate and unchangeable (Dweck, 2006). Mindsets influence our responses to experiences, decision-making, and self-perception. This means that as our students experience our courses, their mindset impacts their ability to learn effectively, which can influence their success in college and life. For example, an individual with a growth mindset would likely value what they learn over what grade they receive, believe that effort leads to positive growth, and persevere through challenges by learning from mistakes. On the other hand, an individual with a fixed mindset may care more about looking “smart,” believe that if you have to put in effort you must not have the ability to succeed, and give up in response to failure.

Instructors Communicating Mindset

Instructors can communicate their own mindset beliefs in the classroom through their content delivery, interactions with students, and communications. The type of messaging used by instructors, in turn, influences student success. In classrooms where the instructors used fixed mindset messaging, students experienced less motivation, more negative experiences, and higher achievement gaps in classes (Canning, 2019). Other studies (Leenkenecht, 2020; Cavanagh, 2018) further suggest both trust and instructor communication of mindset beliefs play an important role in student learning and success.

Messaging Matters: Research on Growth-Focused Instructor Communication

While all students will experience mindsets somewhere on a continuum, studies on mindset in higher education highlight the importance of a growth mindset in the success of underrepresented minority (URM) and first generation college students. Canning et al. (2019) explain that instructor use of growth mindset messages “shape the motivation and achievement of students in their classes, and these beliefs matter especially for URM students in their classes.”

In addition, a recent study from Washington State University found that a simple growth mindset intervention improved grades on average for all students, and was especially effective for FG learners (Canning et al., 2024). Importantly, this intervention consisted of both the right message, and the right timing of the message. Students received emails containing growth mindset (or control) messaging at key points during the semester, after the first and second exams, when they are likely to use exam grades to gauge their ability to succeed in the course. For example, learners using a fixed mindset lens, a poor exam grade may be equated to an innate lack of ability, which may result in the student dropping the class, cheating, or giving up. However, if instructors support and coach a growth mindset, students may instead perceive a poor exam grade as an opportunity to change their learning habits and make improvements. The intervention group email messages used in this study communicated three key ideas grounded in mindset theory:

1. Students’ abilities can improve over time. In a mindset message, this might look like:
“I believe that every student … can improve their skills, learn from their mistakes, and be successful in this course.”
“Learning is a process and often occurs over time”
“You don’t need to ‘be smart’ to perform at a high level”

2. Experiencing struggle and mistakes as a part of learning is normal. In a mindset message, this might look like:
“don’t worry, you aren’t alone”
“I have worked with multiple students every semester who performed poorly on Exam 1, but then turned things around”

3. Students can overcome challenges by changing your behavior. In a mindset message, this might look like:
“You can work hard and work effectively to master the material.”
“Here’s what students have told me about how they made… improvements.”
The goal of growth mindset messages is to provide motivation for students to make a change. When coupled with concrete strategies they can use to improve their study and learning habits, the hope is that students will tap into their growth mindset, engage more with the material, and take advantage of resources you provide. One major advantage to this intervention, is that unlike other larger, costly university-level interventions used to support student success, email messaging is low effort and comes at  little to no cost. 

Using mindset messaging with students at key points in the semester, like after the first few exams (Example from Canning, et al, 2024)  is a great first step to helping students develop a growth mindset. 

Additional ways you can encourage a growth mindset

• Foster connections with your students. Introduce yourself early.
• Create an environment where students feel empowered to take intellectual risks and develop resilience.
• Explain how we learn, for example this video on neuroplasticity.
• Let students try & make mistakes. Use formative assessment to provide feedback so they can make improvements.
• Discuss different learning strategies.
• Encourage and normalize asking for help. (e.g., Asking for Help Shows Strength, Not Weakness: Learning Tip, Normalizing and Promoting Academic Success Support: Teaching Tip)

Additional References

• The Power of Believing that You can Improve-Carol Dweck
• Self-theories | Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development

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About the Author

Sarah Hosch is the Faculty Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and a Special Instructor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Oakland University. She teaches all levels of biology coursework and her interests include evidence-based teaching practices to improve student learning gains and reduce equity gaps in gateway course success. Sarah loves exploring nature, cooking, and exercising. 

Others may share and adapt under Creative Commons License CC BY-NC.

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