Growth-mindset teaching gave a small grade gain overall, and more for less well-off students.

The review

1. 01

   Who took part

   57,155 students in 29 studies. Of them, 48,991 were teenagers, 7,871 adults and 181 children. For one part of the sample, age was not given.

2. 02

   What they did

   Students got growth-mindset teaching, which says that ability can grow with effort. It came in one to ten sessions, as reading, computer programmes, in-person sessions or a mix. The other groups got no teaching, a placebo, or fixed-mindset teaching.

3. 03

   What happened

   Overall the gain was small. Most of the 43 comparisons found no clear gain. Less well-off students gained more, in 7 comparisons. Middle-class and upper-class students showed no clear gain.

What the review found

1. Helped

   Across 29 studies, growth-mindset teaching gave students only a small gain at school.

   • Action: Remember your abilities can growtested

   Pooled analysis of 29 studies with 57,155 people · vs students who got no teaching, a placebo, or fixed-mindset teaching

2. Helped

   Less well-off students who got growth-mindset teaching did better at school than the other groups.

   • Action: Remember your abilities can growtested

   Pooled analysis of 0 studies · vs students who got no teaching, a placebo, or fixed-mindset teaching

Source