| As positive psychology increasingly influences education,the importance of mindset in adolescent development has drawn widespread academic attention.The mechanisms and cultivation of a growth mindset have become hot research topics in educational psychology.Although there has been an increasing body of research on growth mindset,there is a lack of comprehensive evaluation regarding the suitability of its measurement tools for Chinese adolescents.Furthermore,previous studies predominantly employed variable-centered analysis and overlooked individual differences.This led to debates on whether a growth mindset can positively affects adolescents’ academic,psychological,and character development,with limited exploration of its influencing factors and mechanisms.Moreover,a significant aspect of a growth mindset is the positive handling of failure.However,previous studies lacked insight into the behavioral and neural responses to failure and errors among students with a growth mindset,and domestic applications of growth mindset interventions are relatively scarce.To address these gaps,four parts comprising eight studies were conducted to delve into the psychological,behavioral,and neural mechanisms of a growth mindset in Chinese adolescents,along with educational intervention strategies.The first section includes Study One and Study Two,primarily examining the applicability of the scale for measuring growth mindset and the current characteristics of growth mindset among Chinese adolescents.The first study assesses the suitability of The Mindsets of Intelligence Scale for Chinese adolescents.The results reveal a clear two-factor structure within the adolescents,demonstrating good structural validity and internal consistency reliability(Cronbach’s α = 0.79 to 0.89).Additionally,the scale showed satisfactory criterion-related validity.Thus,the scale is appropriate for evaluating the level of growth mindset in Chinese adolescents.Study Two investigates the current characteristics of growth mindset among Chinese adolescents.Data collected from 5,279 participants(M = 15.79,SD = 2.40)reveals that the overall level of growth mindset is in the middle to high range(M = 3.69,SD = 0.97).The demographic characteristics show that: boys exhibit a significantly higher level of growth mindset compared with girls;adolescents with siblings demonstrate a significantly higher level of growth mindset than those who are the only child;significant grade differences in the level of growth mindset were observed,showing a decreasing trend with the increase in grades.The second part includes Study Three,Study Four,and Study Five.It aims to explore the latent subcategories,influencing factors,and mechanisms of the growth mindset.Specifically,Study Three employs latent profile analysis to reveal the subtypes of mindset among 4,884 adolescents(M = 16.06,SD = 2.16).The results identify three latent classes of mindset: a growth mindset group(24.43%),a fixed mindset group(18.76%),and a mixed mindset group(56.84%).Study Four examines the impact of family and school factors on mindset subcategories from the perspective of ecological system theory.The findings indicate that parental support and teacher academic encouragement significantly predict mindset subcategories.The higher the level of parental support and teacher encouragement,the more likely the adolescents are to develop into the growth mindset group.Study Five,based on Dweck’s meaning systems theory,explores the mediating role of motivational factors in the relationship between mindset subcategories and adolescent psychological outcomes.The results revealed significant differences among adolescents with different mindset subcategories in terms of academic achievement,subjective well-being,and grit.Academic self-efficacy played a significant mediating role between mindset subcategories and academic achievement.Adolescents in the “growth mindset group” and “mixed mindset group”were more likely to enhance their academic self-efficacy compared with those in the“fixed mindset group”,thereby improving their academic achievements.Additionally,academic attribution significantly mediated the relationship between mindset subcategories and subjective well-being.The “growth mindset group” was more inclined to attribute outcomes to effort and less likely to attribute them to context or luck compared with the “fixed mindset group”,which increased their subjective wellbeing.Finally,achievement goals significantly mediated the relationship between mindset subcategories and grit.The “growth mindset group” and “mixed mindset group”were more likely to set mastery-approach goals and less likely to set mastery-avoidance and performance-avoidance goals compared with the “fixed mindset group”,thereby fostering the development of grit.The third part includes Study Six and Study Seven.It mainly explores the behavioral performance of individuals with a growth mindset in situations of failure and the cognitive-neurological characteristics following error responses.Study Six employs behavioral experiments to explore the reactions and patterns of change in students with different mindsets after experiencing consecutive errors in failure situations.The results show that the fixed mindset group experienced a significant decrease in emotional experience after 3 to 4 consecutive errors.Their persistence showed a significant decline after 2,3,and 5 consecutive errors,and their belief in success significantly decreased after 2,3,4,and 5 consecutive errors,indicating multiple significant declines overall.Participants in this group were more inclined to pursue performance goals and attribute failure to a lack of ability.On the other hand,the growth mindset group exhibited a significant decrease in emotional experience after4 consecutive errors,a significant decline in persistence after 4 consecutive errors,and a significant decrease in belief in success after 3 consecutive errors,indicating fewer overall declines.Participants in this group were more inclined to pursue learning goals and attribute failure to a lack of effort.Study Seven employs event-related potential technology to explore the cognitive-neurological characteristics of students with different mindsets during error responses.The results indicate that the growth mindset group exhibited a significantly larger Pe amplitude following error responses compared with the Pe amplitude of the fixed mindset group.This suggests that compared with the fixed mindset group,the growth mindset group has higher awareness of error correction and remedial actions,demonstrating stronger error processing capabilities.The fourth part includes Study Eight,which explores the educational interventions for growth mindset.This study utilized a combination of offline and online methods to conduct growth mindset interventions among adolescents.The results indicated that the offline interventions could effectively enhance the level of growth mindset among adolescents and led to a positive shift in their thoughts,emotions,and other aspects.Similarly,online interventions were also effective in improving students’ growth mindset levels,significantly enhancing their motivation(academic self-efficacy,mastery-approach goals,internal attribution)and psychological performance(academic achievement,subjective well-being,grit).This paper has the following innovations: First,the research perspective is novel.This study conducted a series of studies from a “psychological-behaviouralneurological” perspective,which provided more comprehensive insights into the measurement tools and current characteristics,subtypes and mechanisms,behaviors and neural features,as well as intervention applications of adolescents’ growth mindset.Secondly,the methodology is diverse.This study employs a combination of questionnaires,behavioral experiments,event-related potentials,and intervention practices,offering a varied and innovative empirical foundation for advancing research in the field of the growth mindset.Thirdly,the study is innovative in its practical application.It employs both online and offline intervention methods to transform research findings into applications,providing schools and families with a novel approach to fostering adolescents’ growth mindset.The main findings of this study are as follows:(1)The Mindsets of Intelligence Scale demonstrates good reliability and validity,making it suitable for assessing the growth mindset among Chinese adolescents.(2)The overall level of growth mindset among Chinese adolescents is moderately above average,with significant differences observed across gender,only-child status,and grade.(3)Three latent profiles of mindset have been identified: the growth mindset group,the mixed mindset group,and the fixed mindset group.(4)The higher the level of parental support and teacher encouragement,the more likely the adolescents are to develop into the growth mindset group.(5)Mindset profiles can influence adolescents’ psychological performance through motivational factors.(6)In failure situations,students with a growth mindset exhibit better emotional stability,perseverance,belief in success,and a positive tendency toward attribution.(7)Students with a growth mindset possess a higher capacity for error processing.(8)Both online and offline growth mindset interventions not only enhance adolescents’ level of growth mindset but also significantly improve their intrinsic motivation and psychological outcomes. |
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