Study 2: From Lab to Classroom: A Longitudinal Study—Blackwell, Trzesniewski, and Dweck (2007)

The Mueller & Dweck experiment showed that a single comment could temporarily affect children’s attitudes and performance. But what happens over months and years? Do mindsets predict real-world academic outcomes?

To find out, Dweck and colleagues followed 373 students from the beginning of 7th grade through the end of 8th grade—a particularly challenging transition from elementary to junior high school. This design allowed them to observe whether students’ mindsets at the start of the study predicted their academic trajectories over time.

The Study Design

At the start of 7th grade, students completed questionnaires measuring:

• Mindset (fixed vs. growth beliefs about intelligence)
• Learning goals (preference for easy vs. challenging work)
• Beliefs about effort (whether hard work leads to improvement)
• Attitudes about failure (motivating vs. discouraging)

The researchers then tracked students’ mathematics grades across both years. They chose math because students tend to hold strong beliefs about their math abilities (“I’m good at math” or “I’m not a math person”), and because math proficiency can be measured fairly objectively. However, the principles apply to any area of learning.

Key Findings

Diverging Trajectories

The figure below shows average math grades for students with strong fixed mindsets versus strong growth mindsets.^[1]

Students with mixed mindsets are not included in this graph.

At the end of first semester, the difference was modest—fewer than two points. But the trajectories diverged over time:

• Fixed mindset students (red line) showed a slight decline across both years
• Growth mindset students (green line) showed steady improvement, with average grades increasing by nearly 3 points

Figure 7. Differences in math grades between those with growth and fixed mindsets.

At the beginning of the study, the students—then just starting the first term of the 7th grade—filled out a questionnaire about their attitudes and beliefs about learning. The table below summarizes these differences.^[2] The reason for these questions is an important part of the psychology of learning. Mindset itself (fixed vs. growth) doesn’t cause better or worse performance. Mindset leads to behaviors (types of studying, reactions to setbacks) that in turn affects the quality of learning.

The researchers found that children with growth mindsets (related to EFFORT praise in the first study) had different attitudes than children with fixed mindsets (related to ABILITY praise in the first study). The table below summarizes their findings.

Growth Mindsets and Fixed Mindsets

Attitude	Fixed Mindset	Growth Mindset
Preferred difficulty of work	Prefer easy work	Prefer challenging work
Belief about value of effort	Effort doesn’t lead to improvement	Effort leads to improvement
Attitude about failure	Failure is discouraging	Failure is motivating

The table indicates that children with different mindsets may have sought out different kinds of experiences, with growth mindset children preferring challenging experiences, while those with a fixed mindset preferring easier learning experiences that led to easy success.

The growth mindset students believed that working hard—effort—leads to improvement, while those with fixed mindsets tended to undervalue effort, believing that hard work is frustrating because we can’t do better than our “talents” or “innate abilities” allow.

Finally, the growth mindset children found difficult work and even failure to be a source of inspiration. They wanted to prove to themselves and to others that they could do what was needed to succeed. The fixed mindset children tended to respond to difficulty and failure with discouragement, believing that it simply reaffirmed their own limitations.

Takeaways

The two studies we have discussed are just two of dozens of research projects by Dweck and others that show how mindset is related to differences in achievement.

In another study, Grant and Dweck (2003) followed several hundred college students taking a pre-med organic chemistry course, as this is one of the most important and challenging courses for pre-med students at most universities. Students with a growth mindset outperformed students with a fixed mindset, and the two groups reported differences in attitudes and beliefs similar to those shown in the table above.

Mindset is just one factor that influences how we learn and how we respond to challenges. Whether you have a growth mindset or a fixed mindset, you can study hard and do well in school and in other areas.

Here is a summary point from Carol Dweck: “It should be noted that in these studies…students who have a fixed mindset but who are well prepared and do not encounter difficulties can do just fine. However, when they encounter challenges or obstacles they may then be at a disadvantage.”

Where the evidence is more complex:

Recent meta-analyses have reached different conclusions about mindset interventions. A 2023 meta-analysis by Macnamara and Burgoyne found very small average effects (d = 0.05) and raised concerns about study quality and publication bias. However, a competing meta-analysis by Burnette and colleagues (2023) found meaningful effects for specific populations—particularly students who are academically at-risk or from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Both research teams agree on one point: effects are not uniform. Mindset interventions appear to work better for some students than others, and the conditions under which they’re effective are still being investigated.

What This Means for You

Mindset is one factor among many that influences learning. Whether you lean toward a fixed or growth mindset, you can study hard and succeed.

But here’s the key insight: you can change your mindset. If you regularly handicap yourself with beliefs like “I don’t have the talent for this,” you can work to change those beliefs. That shift can make the difference between an effective response to challenges and avoidance of them.

Keep in mind that your beliefs and attitudes developed over many years—you won’t change them overnight by simply deciding to think differently. You’ll have to work at it. The most important moments are when you encounter difficulty: a poor grade, critical feedback, or confusing material. That’s when mindset most influences what you do next.

Don’t let your mindset prevent you from reaching your potential.

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