Evaluating the Impact of a Growth Mindset Intervention in Argentina

Evaluating the Impact of a Growth Mindset Intervention in Argentina

Summary of the Randomized Evaluation 

Country

Argentina (Salta Province)

Researchers

Alejandro Ganimian

Methods

Researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the impact of a growth mindset intervention on educational attainment among secondary school students. The study involved 202 public secondary schools in the Province of Salta, with Grade 12 students participating in the intervention. Schools were randomly assigned to either the treatment group, where students received information about the potential to develop intelligence through practice, or the control group, which received no such intervention.

Context

In Argentina, secondary education is compulsory and free, yet graduation rates lag behind those of other upper-middle-income countries. The Province of Salta has one of the lower-performing secondary education systems in the country. Despite high enrollment rates, academic performance in standardized tests is relatively low. The intervention aimed to foster a growth mindset among students to improve their educational outcomes.

Intervention Details

• Growth Mindset Text: Grade 12 students in the treatment group read a brief text about how intelligence can develop through practice at challenging tasks.
• Writing Exercise: Students wrote a letter to a friend about how they related to the text and posted it in their classroom.
• Comparison Group: Students in the control group did not receive any information intervention.

Data was collected from national assessments in 2016 and 2017, capturing students' academic performance, beliefs, effort, and post-secondary plans.

Results

• Student Beliefs and Aspirations: The intervention did not change students' perspectives on the challenging nature of their coursework, their sense of competence in math and language, or their perception of the value of in-class exams. However, it negatively impacted the beliefs of some students, particularly girls, students from low-income backgrounds, and those who had repeated a grade.
• Student Effort: There was no significant impact on students' behaviour related to schoolwork, such as class attendance and private tutoring, or personal growth activities like reading and sports.
• Student Performance and Achievement: The intervention did not affect students' school performance, including passing, repeating, or dropping out rates, national assessment results in math and language, or post-secondary education plans. In schools with more math resources, the program had a negative impact on student achievement.
• School Climate: The intervention did not improve the school climate, as measured by student relations, school bullying, and vandalism. There is evidence suggesting that girls may have experienced worse relationships two months after the intervention.

Policy Lessons

The study indicates that a growth mindset intervention at scale did not yield positive changes in students' beliefs, efforts, academic performance, or school climate in the context of Argentina. This suggests that the effectiveness of such interventions may vary depending on the context and highlights the need for further research to identify conditions under which growth mindset interventions can be beneficial.

Ganimian, A. J. (2020). Growth-Mindset Interventions at Scale: Experimental Evidence From Argentina. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 42(3), 417-438. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373720938041

Disclaimer: This article is from a series of randomized evaluations worldwide database that we are gathering for educational purposes. If you need any additional information about a particular study, please contact the authors. All studies are credited to the original authors.