by Jennie Martow In choosing to study psychology, I thought applying these psychological principles to my own life would come naturally. But sadly, I have not found this to be the case, as I have recently faced head-on the challenge of applying the concepts I have learnt as a student researcher to myself. I am sure most reading this will know what I mean when I say math anxiety is a real thing. Anxiety as it appears specifically in relation to studying mathematics is a research field in itself because of the unique experience and pervasiveness of this phenomenon. As a tutor for the psychology statistics courses as well as a statistics minor myself, I see and experience math anxiety regularly. Many of us will relate to having had a teacher, parent, or peer at some point in our education who not only discouraged our interest in math but insisted that we were naturally unskilled in the area. We may even have heard the assertation that mathematical skill is an innate ability and you, kid, you lack that ability. Even though I tended to do well in mathematics, I too had that one teacher that for one reason or another decided I didn’t have what it takes to understand math. Those experiences can cause long lasting effects and at worst leave you with the belief that I am bad at math and I shouldn’t even try. This type of thinking is contrary to the concept of growth mindset proposed by Carol Dweck (1999). Growth mindset is the belief that if you put in the effort and adjust your strategy as needed, you can improve. Holding such a growth mindset has been linked to many positive outcomes, particularly academic achievement in quantitative subjects (Costa & Faria, 2018). Yet, in my experience, mathematical ability has been understood by teachers and students alike through a fixed mindset, the belief that you are born with a given set of abilities that are unchangeable. If you approach math with a fixed mindset, you will perceive your efforts as futile because you will never believe in your ability to improve. It is worth noting that research in neuroplasticity shows that the premise behind a fixed mindset simply isn’t true; our brains are malleable and can physically change as a result of learning (Kumar, 2018). As a member of the Resilient Youth Research Group, I have been a part of a number of projects involving growth mindset research. I have spent quite a bit of time studying the advantages of adopting a growth mindset. Although I fully believe in and trust the research I so passionately write about, I still have difficulty applying these principles in my own life. I only really noticed this discrepancy between what I preach and what I practice through being a tutor. When I would work through content with my students, I noticed some classic fixed mindset thinking from every. single. student. These thoughts can be modified to encourage a growth mindset, for example:
I tried to foster that inner voice with my students. They would say “I’m not good at this” and I would chime in with “yet!” After a moment like that with one of my students, they said, “Wow, you are so kind to yourself to have those thoughts.” That’s when it hit me. I can see how these ideas apply to other people’s lives but not to my own. Even though I am able to readily identify and counteract this fixed mindset thinking in my students, I still struggle to do the same thing for myself. I will be having difficulty understanding some statistical concept and right away my mind goes, “You’re terrible at this. Who are you trying to kid? You have to try so hard just to make a bit of progress, you should just give up.” Ever since my student helped me realize that I was not offering the same kindness, support, and words of encouragement to myself as I could to others, I have slowly but surely started to correct these thoughts. I hear myself in my own head put on my tutor voice and shout, “yet!” I think we’ve all heard the advice recently to treat yourself as you would a friend, but through this process I learnt to treat myself as I would a student: with encouragement instead of condemnation; with a love of learning, not a hatred. Jennie is an undergraduate student at the University of Guelph and is part of the Resilient Youth Research Group. Do you have a concept or topic you'd like to talk about or have a personal experience you'd like to highlight? Make sure you fill out our submission form and send it back to us by email so we can showcase your ideas! References and Other Resources
References
Costa, A., & Faria, L. (2018). Implicit Theories of Intelligence and Academic Achievement: A Meta-Analytic Review. Frontiers in Psychology, 9(829). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00829 Dweck, C. S. (1999). Self-theories: Their role in motivation, personality, and development. New York: Psychology Press. Kumar, S. (2018). Brain-based learning and brain malleability. Journal of Innovation in Education and Psychology, 5(10), 4–7. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329773834_BRAIN-BASED_LEARNING_AND_BRAIN_MALLEABILITY More Reading about the Growth Mindset
Blackwell, L. S., Trzesniewski, K. H., & Dweck, C. S. (2007). Implicit Theories of Intelligence Predict Achievement Across an Adolescent Transition: A Longitudinal Study and an Intervention. Child Development 78(1), 246–263. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.00995.x Burnette, J. L., O'Boyle, E. H., VanEpps, E. M., Pollack, J. M., & Finkel, E. J. (2013). Mind-Sets Matter: A Meta-Analytic Review of Implicit Theories and Self-Regulation. Psychological Bulletin 139(3), 655-701. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029531 Cain, K. M., Dumas-Hines, F., Dweck, C. S., Erdley, C. A., & Loomis, C. C. (1997). Relations Among Children's Social Goals, Implicit Personality Theories, and Responses to Social Failure. Developmental Psychology, 33(2), 263–272. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.33.2.263 Fraser, D. M. (2018). An exploration of the application and implementation of growth mindset principles within a primary school. British Journal of Educational Psychology 88(4), 645-658. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/bjep.12208 Limeri, L. B., Carter, N. T., Choe, J., Harper, H. G., Martin, H. R., Benton, A., & Dolan, E. L. (2020). Growing a growth mindset: characterizing how and why undergraduate students’ mindsets change. International Journal of STEM Education, 7(35). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-020-00227-2 Samuel, T. S., & Warner, J. (2019). I can math!: Reducing math anxiety and increasing math self-efficacy using a mindfulness and growth mindset-based intervention in first-year students. Community College Journal of Research and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2019.1666063 Other Resources Video - Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1CHPnZfFmU
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