Journal of Pedagogical Sociology and Psychology
Predictors for growth mindset and sense of belonging in college students
James M. Murray 1 * , Sloan Komissarov 2, Sara L. Cook 3, Brenda L. Murray 1
More Detail
1 Department of Economics, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, United States
2 Western Technical College, United States
3 College of Education, Science, and Mathematics, Viterbo University, United States
* Corresponding Author
Open Access Full Text (PDF)
ARTICLE INFO

Journal of Pedagogical Sociology and Psychology, 2022 - Volume 4 Issue 1, pp. 66-85
https://doi.org/10.33902/JPSP.202213791

Article Type: Research Article

Published Online: 30 Jun 2022

Views: 1481 | Downloads: 1395

ABSTRACT
Mindset and sense of belonging are important predictors for college student success. Mindset refers to beliefs on how or whether intelligence can grow with time and effort. Belonging refers to students' sense of being respected and supported in their college environment. We developed and administered a survey targeted to college students to measure several dimensions of mindset, belonging, and educational and demographic background information.  Survey questions measuring mindset and belonging were adapted from common survey questions used in the literature. The survey was sent in Spring 2017 to all the students at two four-year midwest universities including one public and one private university. With an approximate 20% response rate, the results are based on the responses of 2,305 students. We estimated factor analysis models to construct overall measures for each mindset and belonging, then we explored predictors for these including educational and demographic characteristics and frequency of instructor feedback to students. The results show that formative instructor feedback on writing leads to improvements in mindset, belonging, perseverance, and confidence. Frequent feedback on writing is shown even to improve students’ mindset regarding mathematics. The findings also reveal an association between mindset and the education and demographic background variables considered, including the number of semesters students have in college, parents' educational attainment, race, and students' chosen fields of study. The implication for college teaching is that including more writing experiences with formative feedback loops with the instructor can improve students’ mindset, even on subjects beyond the scope of the given assignments or courses. Taken together with a literature that shows growth mindset improves learning and student performance, creating more opportunities for instructor formative feedback on writing can lead to improved learning and student performance across the curriculum.
KEYWORDS
mindset belonging student writing feedback regression
In-text citation: (Murray et al., 2022)
Reference: Murray, J. M., Komissarov, S., Cook, S. L., & Murray, B. L. (2022). Predictors for growth mindset and sense of belonging in college students. Journal of Pedagogical Sociology and Psychology, 4(1), 66-85. https://doi.org/10.33902/JPSP.202213791
In-text citation: (1), (2), (3), etc.
Reference: Murray JM, Komissarov S, Cook SL, Murray BL. Predictors for growth mindset and sense of belonging in college students. Journal of Pedagogical Sociology and Psychology. 2022;4(1), 66-85. https://doi.org/10.33902/JPSP.202213791
In-text citation: (1), (2), (3), etc.
Reference: Murray JM, Komissarov S, Cook SL, Murray BL. Predictors for growth mindset and sense of belonging in college students. Journal of Pedagogical Sociology and Psychology. 2022;4(1):66-85. https://doi.org/10.33902/JPSP.202213791
In-text citation: (Murray et al., 2022)
Reference: Murray, James M., Sloan Komissarov, Sara L. Cook, and Brenda L. Murray. "Predictors for growth mindset and sense of belonging in college students". Journal of Pedagogical Sociology and Psychology 2022 4 no. 1 (2022): 66-85. https://doi.org/10.33902/JPSP.202213791
In-text citation: (Murray et al., 2022)
Reference: Murray, J. M., Komissarov, S., Cook, S. L., and Murray, B. L. (2022). Predictors for growth mindset and sense of belonging in college students. Journal of Pedagogical Sociology and Psychology, 4(1), pp. 66-85. https://doi.org/10.33902/JPSP.202213791
In-text citation: (Murray et al., 2022)
Reference: Murray, James M. et al. "Predictors for growth mindset and sense of belonging in college students". Journal of Pedagogical Sociology and Psychology, vol. 4, no. 1, 2022, pp. 66-85. https://doi.org/10.33902/JPSP.202213791
REFERENCES
  • Aditomo, A. (2015). Students’ response to academic setback: “Growth mindset” as a buffer against demotivation. International Journal of Educational Psychology, 4(2), 198–222.
  • Ahmadi, S., Hassani, M., & Ahmadi, F. (2020). Student- and school-level factors related to school belongingness among high school students. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 741–752. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2020.1730200
  • Anderson, P., Anson, C. M., Gonyea, R. M., & Paine, C. (2016). How to create high-impact writing assignments that enhance learning and development and reinvigorate WAC/WID Programs: What almost 72,000 undergraduates taught us. Across the Disciplines, 13(4). https://doi.org/10.37514/ATD-J.2016.13.4.13
  • 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
  • Bostwick, K. C. P., Collie, R. J., Martin, A. J., & Durksen, T. L. (2020). Teacher, classroom, and student growth orientation in mathematics: A multilevel examination of growth goals, growth mindset, engagement, and achievement. Teaching and Teacher Education, 94, 103100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103100
  • Burgoyne, A. P., Hambrick, D. Z., Moser, J. S., & Burt, S. A. (2018). Analysis of a mindset intervention. Journal of Research in Personality, 77, 21–30.
  • Burns, E. C., Martin, A. J., & Collie, R. J. (2018). Adaptability, personal best (PB) goals setting, and gains in students’ academic outcomes: A longitudinal examination from a social cognitive perspective. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 53, 57–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2018.02.001
  • Burns, E. C., Martin, A. J., & Collie, R. J. (2019). Understanding the Role of Personal Best (PB) goal setting in students’ declining engagement: a latent growth model. Journal of Educational Psychology, 111(4), 557–572. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000291
  • Chang, J., Wang, S.-W., Mancini, C., McGrath-Mahrer, B., & Orama de Jesus, S. (2020). The complexity of cultural mismatch in higher education: Norms affecting first-generation college students’ coping and help-seeking behaviors. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 26(3), 280–294. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000311
  • Chang, M. J., Sharkness, J., Hurtado, S., & Newman, C. B. (2014). What matters in college for retaining aspiring scientists and engineers from underrepresented racial groups. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 51(5), 555–580. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21146
  • DeAngelo, L., & Higher Education Research Institute (Los Angeles, C. )., Cooperative Institutional Research Program (U. S.. (2011). Completing college: assessing graduation rates at four-year institutions. Higher Education Research Institute, Graduation School of Education & Information Studies, University of California.
  • Degol, J. L., Wang, M.-T., Zhang, Y., & Allerton, J. (2018). Do Growth Mindsets in Math Benefit Females? Identifying Pathways between Gender, Mindset, and Motivation. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 47(5), 976–990. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-017-0739-8
  • Dweck, C. S. (1999). Self-theories: Their role in motivation, personality, and development. Psychology Press.
  • Dweck, C. S. (2008). Mindsets and math/science achievement. http://www.growthmindsetmaths.com/uploads/2/3/7/7/23776169/mindset_and_math_science_achievement_-_nov_2013.pdf
  • Dweck, C. S. (2015). Growth. The British Journal of Educational Psychology, 85(2), 242–245.
  • Dweck, C. S. (2016). Mindset: The new psychology of success: How we can learn to fulfill our potential: Parenting, business, school, relationships. Random House.
  • Dweck, C. S., & Yeager, D. S. (2019). Mindsets: A View From Two Eras. Perspectives on Psychological Science: A Journal of the Association for Psychological Science, 14(3), 481–496. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691618804166
  • Ekholm, E., Zumbrunn, S., & Conklin, S. (2015). The relation of college student self-efficacy toward writing and writing self-regulation aptitude: writing feedback perceptions as a mediating variable. Teaching in Higher Education, 20(2), 197–207. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2014.974026
  • Fong, C. J., Schallert, D. L., Williams, K. M., Williamson, Z. H., Lin, S., Kim, Y. W., & Chen, L.-H. (2021). Making feedback constructive: the interplay of undergraduates’ motivation with perceptions of feedback specificity and friendliness. Educational Psychology Review, 41(10), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2021.1951671
  • Freeman, T. M., Anderman, L. H., & Jensen, J. M. (2007). Sense of Belonging in College Freshmen at the Classroom and Campus Levels. Journal of Experimental Education, 75(3), 203–220. https://doi.org/10.3200/JEXE.75.3.203-220
  • Gillen-O’Neel, C. (2021). Sense of belonging and student engagement: A daily study of first-and continuing-generation college students. Research in Higher Education, 62(1), 45-71. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-019-09570-y
  • Good, C., Aronson, J., & Inzlicht, M. (2003). Improving adolescents’ standardized test performance: An intervention to reduce the effects of stereotype threat. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 24(6), 645–662. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2003.09.002
  • Good, C., Rattan, A., & Dweck, C. S. (2012). Why do women opt out? Sense of belonging and women’s representation in mathematics. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 102(4), 700–717. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026659
  • Goodenow, C. (1993). The psychological sense of school membership among adolescents: Scale development and educational correlates. Psychology in the Schools, 30(1), 79–90. https://doi.org/10.1002/1520-6807(199301)30:1%3C79::AID-PITS2310300113%3E3.0.CO;2-X
  • Han, C.-W., Farruggia, S. P., & Moss, T. P. (2017). Effects of academic mindsets on college students’ achievement and retention. Journal of College Student Development, 58(8), 1119–1134. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2017.0089
  • Hausmann, L. R. M., Schofield, J. W., & Woods, R. L. (2007). Sense of belonging as a predictor of intentions to persist among African American and white first-year college students. Research in Higher Education, 48(7), 803–839. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-007-9052-9
  • Hoffman, M., Richmond, J., Morrow, J., & Salomone, K. (2002). Investigating “sense of belonging” in first-year college students. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 4(3), 227–256. https://doi.org/10.2190/DRYC-CXQ9-JQ8V-HT4V
  • Hurtado, S., & Carter, D. F. (1997). Effects of college transition and perceptions of the campus racial climate on Latino college students’ sense of belonging. Sociology of Education, 70(4), 324–345. https://doi.org/10.2307/2673270
  • Ishitani, T. T. (2003). A longitudinal approach to assessing attrition behavior among first-generation students: time-varying effects of pre-college characteristics. Research in Higher Education, 44(4), 433–449. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024284932709
  • Ishitani, T. T. (2006). Studying Attrition and Degree Completion Behavior among First-Generation College Students in the United States. The Journal of Higher Education, 77(5), 861–885. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2006.11778947
  • Kim, M.-S., & Park, S. (2021). Growth of fixed mindset from elementary to middle school: Its relationship with trajectories of academic behavior engagement and academic achievement. Psychology in the Schools, 58(11), 2175–2188. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22583
  • Korpershoek, H., Canrinus, E. T., Fokkens-Bruinsma, M., & de Boer, H. (2020). The relationships between school belonging and students’ motivational, social-emotional, behavioural, and academic outcomes in secondary education: a meta-analytic review. Research Papers in Education, 35(6), 641–680. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2019.1615116
  • Lee, H. Y., Jamieson, J. P., Miu, A. S., Josephs, R. A., & Yeager, D. S. (2019). An entity theory of intelligence predicts higher cortisol levels when high school grades are declining. Child Development, 90(6), e849–e867. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13116
  • Leon, A. (2020). Low-stakes writing as a high-impact education practice in MBA classes. Across the Disciplines, 17(3/4), 46–68. https://doi.org/10.37514/ATD-J.2020.17.3.02
  • Mangels, J. A., Butterfield, B., Lamb, J., Good, C., & Dweck, C. S. (2006). Why do beliefs about intelligence influence learning success? A social cognitive neuroscience model. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 1(2), 75–86. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsl013
  • Martin, A. (2007). Personal bests (PBs): A proposed multidimensional model and empirical analysis. The British Journal of Educational Psychology, 76, 803–825. https://doi.org/10.1348/000709905X55389
  • Martin, A. (2011). Personal best (PB) approaches to academic development: Implications for motivation and assessment. Educational Research and Evaluation: An International Journal on Theory and Practice, 33, 93–99. https://doi.org/10.7459/ept/33.1.07
  • Martin, A., & Liem, G. (2010). Academic Personal Bests (PBs), engagement, and achievement: A cross-lagged panel analysis. Learning and Individual Differences, 20, 265–270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2010.01.001
  • Ong, M., Smith, J. M., & Ko, L. T. (2018). Counterspaces for women of color in STEM higher education: Marginal and central spaces for persistence and success. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 55(2), 206–245. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21417
  • Ostrove, J. M. (2003). Belonging and wanting: meanings of social class background for women’s constructions of their college experiences. The Journal of Social Issues, 59(4), 771–784. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.0022-4537.2003.00089.x
  • Ostrove, J. M., & Long, S. M. (2007). Social class and belonging: Implications for college adjustment. The Review of Higher Education, 30(4), 363–389. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2007.0028
  • Rhew, E., Piro, J. S., Goolkasian, P., & Cosentino, P. (2018). The effects of a growth mindset on self-efficacy and motivation. Cogent Education, 5(1), 1492337. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2018.1492337
  • Stewart, A. J., & Ostrove, J. M. (1993). Social Class, Social Change, and Gender: Working-Class Women at Radcliffe and After. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 17(4), 475–497. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1993.tb00657.x
  • Strayhorn, T. (2018). College students’ sense of belonging. Routledge.
  • Takimoto, A. G., Garcia Peraza, P. D., & Azmitia, M. (2021). “We belong here”: Identities, family, sense of belonging, and persistence in latinx first-generation college students’ educational journeys. Adversity and Resilience Science, 2(4), 303–314. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42844-021-00045-7
  • Vattøy, K.-D., Gamlem, S. M., & Rogne, W. M. (2021). Examining students’ feedback engagement and assessment experiences: a mixed study. Studies in Higher Education, 46(11), 2325–2337. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1723523
  • Willingham, J. C., Barlow, A. T., Stephens, D. C., Lischka, A. E., & Hartland, K. S. (2021). Mindset regarding mathematical ability in K-12 teachers. School Science and Mathematics, 121(4), 234–246. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssm.12466
  • Won, S., Hensley, L. C., & Wolters, C. A. (2021). Brief research report: sense of belonging and academic help-seeking as self-regulated learning. Journal of Experimental Education, 89(1), 112–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2019.1703095
  • Xu, J. (2022). Incremental intelligence matters: How l2 writing mindsets impact feedback orientation and self-regulated learning writing strategies. Assessing Writing, 51, 100593. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2021.100593
  • Xu, K. M., Koorn, P., de Koning, B., Skuballa, I. T., Lin, L., Henderikx, M., Marsh, H. W., Sweller, J., & Paas, F. (2021). A growth mindset lowers perceived cognitive load and improves learning: Integrating motivation to cognitive load. Journal of Educational Psychology, 113(6), 1177–1191. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000631
  • Yeager, D. S., & Dweck, C. S. (2012). Mindsets that promote resilience: when students believe that personal characteristics can be developed. Educational Psychologist, 47(4), 302–314. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2012.722805
LICENSE
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.