ABSTRACT
Some concepts from psychology seem so simple and so easy to apply that they’re adopted quickly in educational practice, often much to the dismay of the original researchers. The term ‘mindset’ first became widely known following Carol Dweck’s publication of her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success in 2006. The term ‘mindset’ is widely known and a lucrative commercial market has been built up around the concept. A number of studies have been carried out to investigate the effect of mindsets in education. In nearly every case they involved research into interventions designed to teach students about the changeability of their intellectual skills; in other words, teach them how to develop a growth mindset. This research was a logical consequence of the earlier conclusion reached by Dweck that children who attribute their failure to complete a given task to their own shortcomings eventually develop ‘helpless’ behavior.
