Growth Mindset

Growth mindset is a concept which refers to the ability of learners to achieve by believing that they can get smarter through optimum effort.

This was developed by Carol Dweck, a psychology professor, through her longitudinal research on young learners. Dweck aptly said, "If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning. That way, their children don’t have to be slaves of praise. They will have a lifelong way to build and repair their own confidence."

Results from her studies showed that children who were praised because of their innate attributes by statements such as “Very good! You’re so smart!” were more likely to shy away from challenges and were less likely improve their current states while those who were praised because of their hard work with statements such as “Great effort! I can see you excellently worked on this!” were more likely to embrace challenges and showed significant improvements. Dweck cautioned that growth mindset should not be simply equated with effort; the learner should understand his present progress, be mindful of the gaps in his skills, and then optimistically work towards achievement.