Background and purpose
Digitalization is fundamentally changing societal and human needs as routine jobs are being substituted by technology and new competence requirements are placed upon the workforce. Researchers are concerned that there is an increasingly severe gap between new societal challenges and current educational practices. In order to prepare young people to radically transforming working life and society, the educational institutions have to renew institutional practices of learning and teaching accordingly. Further, students’ abilities to overcome challenges, tolerate ambiguity, and produce new knowledge and innovation are fundamental for their own striving as citizens and professionals. Hence, this investigation concerns itself with 7th grade students’ the mindsets i.e., the malleability versus fixedness of human attributes related to intelligence, giftedness and creativity and the interrelations between the mindsets and educational and sociodigital activity.
The purpose of this investigation was to first, explore Finnish 7th grade students’ mindsets related to intelligence and giftedness. Secondly, my study investigated students’ mindsets relation to academic achievement in mathematics and mother tongue, as well as students’ educational aspirations. Thirdly, my investigation examined how the mindsets are related to students’ sociodigital competence beliefs and perceived digital school practices. Finally, findings of a six-session mindset intervention conducted in a Finnish educational context, which targeted mindsets in intelligence, giftedness and creativity, are reported. The data was gathered by self-report questionnaire that 1059 7th grade students from Helsinki answered and the mindset intervention involved a pre- and post-test of mindset items.
Results and conclusion
The results indicated that 7th graders had a strong growth mindset in intelligence and giftedness, yet groups of fixed, mixed and growth mindsets were found. Moreover, a growth mindset in intelligence and giftedness were positively related to students’ academic achievement in both mathematics and mother tongue as well as their educational aspirations. Further, a fixed mindset in giftedness indicated higher technical sociodigital competence beliefs. Similarly, students with a fixed mindset in both intelligence and giftedness perceived there to be more sociodigital school practices. Study B found that only students’ creativity-related mindsets changed significantly.
My investigation proposes that schools should better support students’ growth mindsets and their creative and academic sociodigital competences as they are a relevant part of the 21st century skills. It is important to consider that students who are active sociodigital participators outside of school are likely to be more sensitive to use of technology at school. Teacher directed and externally regulated school activities may not motivate or inspire these students; many of these sociodigitally oriented students feel disengagement, cynicism, and loss of meaning at school.
Students growth mindsets may to be supported by growth mindset pedagogy, but also by incorporating more of nonlinear pedagogy. The use of sociodigital technology is profound nonlinear pedagogy and it has multiple mechanisms of promoting a growth mindset, such as highlighting the role of mistakes in the learning process, fostering mutual peer support, and emphasizing the learning process. Yet, facilitating such pedagogy is demanding, hence, teachers need more training in including sociodigital technology to teaching and also practicing nonlinear pedagogy. Further, more investigation is needed on the mindset interventions in Finland. Ultimately, fostering growth mindset should become an integrated aspect of regular school activity. That is, indeed, one of the goals of Growing Mind -research project and its efforts of supporting teachers’ professional learning through research-practice partnerships.
Aino Seitamaa
Pro Gradu: Exploring Middle School Students’ Growth Mindsets in Relation to Educational and Sociodigital Activity