Growth Mindset Training and the Effect of Math-Gender Stereotype Threat on Girl Students

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bulrr

This study examines whether growth mindset training can reduce the impact of math-gender stereotype threat on grade-11 girl students. Experimental intervention compares students under stereotype threat versus control, while measuring mindsets using a growth mindset scale. Results show that stereotype threat lowers girls’ math performance, but growth mindset moderates this effect: girls with stronger growth mindsets experience less negative impact. For girls with fixed mindsets, growth mindset training reduces stereotype-threat effects on math achievement.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Raising Questions

Study 1: How Do Mindsets Influence the Effect of Math-Gender Stereotype Threat on Girl Students?

Research Design

Research Results

Growth Mindset Training and the Effect of Math-Gender Stereotype Threat on Girl Students Shujuan Song, 1 Na Jiang, 1 Lingkai Ji2 1. Huanggang Normal University, Huanggang 438000, Hubei, China 2. Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, Hubei, China | Abstract: To investigate whether growth mindset training can weaken the effect of math-gender stereotype threat on girl students, this study undertook experimental intervention in a group of grade-11 girl students and found that: (i) Mindsets can moderate the effect of math-gender stereotype threat. Girls with a growth mindset are less likely to be affected by math-gender stereotype threat compared with those with a fixed mindset. (ii) Growth mindset training for girls with a fixed mindset can effectively reduce the effect of math-gender stereotype threat on their math performance.
Best Evidence in Chinese Education 2022; 12(2):1629-1634.
Doi: 10.15354/bece.22.ab012 | | --- | | How to Cite: Song, S., Jiang, N., & Ji, L. (2022). Growth mindset training and the effect of math-gender stereotype threat on girl students. Best Evidence in Chinese Education, 12(2):1629-1634. | Keywords: Mindset, Growth Mindset Training, Math-gender Stereotype, Stereotype Threat Correspondence to: Shujuan Song, Huanggang Normal University, Huanggang 438000, Hubei, China. E-mail: [9810111@qq.com](9810111@qq.com) Conflict of Interests: None. © 2022 Insights Publisher. All rights reserved. Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 License ([http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed by the Insights Publisher. Raising Questions There have been two contrasting attitudes towards the malleability of individual traits such as intelligence and personalities. One is named the “fixed mindset,” which views personal traits as innate and unchangeable; the other is referred to as the “growth mindset,” which believes that some basic personal qualities are in constant development, and that individual ability improves as the result of persistent efforts. Those who hold intellectual ability to be an unchangeable quality are more prone to apprehension about failure, mistake, and criticism, whilst those with the growth mindset tend to see failures as opportunities for learning and personal improvement and are more likely to carry on being positive and resilient in subsequent tasks. The math-gender stereotype is a belief that women have weaker mathematical ability than men. Prior research discovered that individuals who are the targets of a devaluing group stereotype experience extra pressure which may depress their performance. Such an experience is referred to as the “stereotype threat.” Will women with the growth mindset feel less anxiety when facing the math-gender stereotype, thus less susceptible to its threat, as they hold that individual competencies are consistently developing and malleable? Since women with the fixed mindset believe that individual abilities are innate and hard to change, are they more severely affected by math-gender stereotype threat? Will growth mindset training mitigate the effect of math-gender stereotype threat on girl students? These are the questions to be addressed in this article. Study 1: How Do Mindsets Influence the Effect of Math-Gender Stereotype Threat on Girl Students? Research Design Subjects This study selected 202 girl students from high achieving classes in three county-level senior secondary schools and investigated their mindsets and math ability. Research Tools 􀁺 Growth Mindset Scale (GMS) developed by Dweck was employed as a measure, which comprised 20 items. The more highly the student scores, the stronger her disposition towards the growt

FAQs

What is the main research question of the study?

Whether growth mindset training can weaken the effect of math-gender stereotype threat on girl students’ math performance.

How does stereotype threat affect the students’ math test scores?

Girls in the stereotype threat condition score lower than girls in the control condition, indicating a detrimental effect on math performance.

How do student mindsets moderate stereotype threat?

Growth mindset positively predicts math performance and reduces susceptibility to stereotype threat effects, compared with a fixed mindset.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bulrr