Unlocking potential: How professors can improve student experiences and increase interest in their courses, particularly among women

A professor’s beliefs about fixed versus growth mindsets can affect students’ interests and feelings about their courses.

Does the mindset of a professor matter to students? If so, how does this relationship vary across the genders?

A growth mindset refers to the belief that intelligence is malleable and can be shaped, whereas a fixed mindset assumes that intelligence is unchangeable. Extensive work has been done on the effects of growth and fixed mindsets on student success, but little research has explored the effects of professors’ mindsets on student perception of their course. A 2017 study aimed to examine this.

In the first study, students were instructed to read a student-written review about a professor’s course. One group was given a review where the professor was perceived to have a fixed mindset. A second group was given a review where the professor had a growth mindset, and the last group was given a review where the professor showed no particular mindset. After reading the review, the students completed a survey that assessed their anticipated feelings about their sense of belonging in the class, fair treatment concerns, course performance and their overall interest in taking the course. Results showed that participants in the first group had more negative feelings about the course, and women were more likely to have negative psychological experiences than men.

A second study aimed to replicate the results of the first study using a different approach. College-aged workers watched one of three pre-recorded video lectures of a professor going through the syllabus, imitating the first day of class. In one of the videos the professor had a growth mindset. The results were identical to that of study 1. A third study replicated study 2, but participants were undergraduate university students. The results were identical to study 1 and study 2.

Finally, the researchers conducted several meta-analyses of the studies to obtain a better estimate of the precise effects of the professor’s mindset. They showed that the results from all three studies were statistically reliable.

STEM professors’ attitude towards their course can influence students’ anticipated psychological experiences. This effect is more pronounced for women students. The researchers suggest that one way to increase the number of women in STEM is to increase awareness of how faculty’s mindsets play a role in student perceptions of the courses they teach.

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Study Details

Sample size(s): Study 1: 157 (88 men, 69 women); Study 2: 260 (102 men, 158 women); Study 3: 206 (109 men, 97 women)

Participants: N/A

Design: Meta analysis, survey

Reference:

LaCosse, J., Murphy, M. C., Garcia, J. A., & Zirkel, S. (2020). The Role of STEM Professors’ Mindset Beliefs on Students’ Anticipated Psychological Experiences and Course Interest. Journal of Educational Psychology, 113(5), 949–971. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/edu0000620

Summarized by WinSights team members: Razan Mohamed, Asal Eshghabadi, & Shohini Ghose