Katherine Muenks
Biographic Data
| ID | 2302766 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Katherine Muenks |
| GIVEN NAMES | Katherine |
| FAMILY NAME | Muenks |
| SIGNATURE | MUENKS K |
| AFFILIATIONS | The University of Texas at Austin |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2075-083X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 25 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 32 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 25 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Two paths in persistence
In trying to motivate college students toward career paths in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), many scholars and policy-makers focus on promoting students' course-or fieldrelated motivation.However, STEM fields each contain dozens of careers, the nuances of which are not often discussed during STEM coursework itself.Further, many students change career plans while remaining highly motivated for studying particular STEM co…
Connecting the dots
Graduate trainees and postdoctoral fellows in biomedical sciences face significant challenges that affect their physical and mental health. Among these, perceived discrimination has emerged as a critical factor that undermines well-being and negatively impacts trainees' sense of belonging, career persistence, and retention. This study examined the association between perceived discrimination and trainees' physical, social, and psychological well-…
Examining interrelations among weekly coursework and motivational beliefs in college physics
How students' perceptions of older siblings' mindsets relate to their math motivation, behavior, and emotion
Can growth grow? Measuring growth rate orientation (GRO) beliefs
The secret language of peers
BackgroundExtending recent work on mindset contexts, researchers have explored how peer mindsets relate to students' outcomes in the classroom. However, little is known about the specific behaviours that signal peer mindsets to students, and prior work has used correlational methods.AimThe present study aims to identify specific peer behaviours that indicate their mindset beliefs to others and their impact on students' psychological and academic …
Undergraduate perceptions of graduate teaching assistants
Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) play a significant role in higher education and in the education of undergraduate students. Previous research suggests that undergraduate students perceive GTAs differently than faculty instructors, but little has been done to explore the nature of those perceptions. This exploratory study uses self-determination theory to investigate how university students describe the effective teaching practices of GTAs and…
Family context of mindset matters
Mindsets are defined as people’s beliefs about the nature of intelligence, and previous research has found effects of students’ mindsets on their academic outcomes. In the present study, we bring together two recent lines of mindset research: research that has demonstrated that the mindset contexts that surround students matter above and beyond students’ own mindsets; and research that has demonstrated the importance of parents’ mindsets on stude…
Instructor mindset beliefs and behaviors
I forgot that you existed
[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported online in American Psychologist on Sep 19 2024 (see record 2025-24490-001). The name of the author, Amy N. Arndt was incorrectly omitted from the author list in the original article. All versions of this article have been corrected.] Recent studies have found a citation gap in psychology favoring men. This citation gap is subsequently reflected in differences in h-index scores, a crude …
Interventions to promote retrieval practice
How do undergraduate students’ perceptions of professor cultural competence and growth mindset relate to motivation to engage in intercultural interactions
Resilience, not grit, predicts college student retention following academic probation
University STEM instructors with stronger failure-as-debilitating mindsets are perceived to engage in fewer mastery-oriented teaching Practices by their students
An exploratory study of the behaviors that communicate perceived instructor mindset beliefs in college STEM classrooms
Leveraging motivation theory for research and practice with students with learning disabilities
Given that the majority of students with learning disabilities (LD) are currently educated alongside general education peers for the majority of the school day in inclusive classrooms, it behooves motivation scholars to consider the practical implications of their research for all teachers working with students with LD. The purpose of this article is to discuss how three theoretical perspectives on motivation can be leveraged to support classroom…
Who Is Part of the “Mindset Context”? The Unique Roles of Perceived Professor and Peer Mindsets in Undergraduate Engineering Students’ Motivation and Belonging
In the current study, we explore the unique roles that perceived professor and peer beliefs play in creating a mindset context for undergraduate engineering students. We found that students ( N = 304) perceived their peers, as compared to their professors, to endorse stronger fixed beliefs about intelligence and more negative beliefs about effort and failure, what we refer to as “unproductive mindsets”. Students’ perceptions of their professors’ …
Just because I am first gen doesn't mean I’m not asking for help”
Does my professor think my ability can change? Students’ perceptions of their STEM professors’ mindset beliefs predict their psychological vulnerability, engagement, and performance in class.
902), we examined students' perceptions of their actual STEM professors' mindset beliefs and used experience sampling methodology (ESM) to capture their in-the-moment psychological experiences in those professors' classes. Across all studies, we find that students who perceive that their professor endorses more fixed mindset beliefs anticipate (Studies 1 and 2) and actually experience (Studies 3 and 4) more psychological vulnerability in those pr…
Grit and conscientiousness
STEM faculty who believe ability is fixed have larger racial achievement gaps and inspire less student motivation in their classes
Racial achievement gaps are twice as large, and all students are less motivated, when STEM faculty believe ability is fixed.
Parents’ Beliefs about High School Students’ Spatial Abilities
I can do this! The development and calibration of children’s expectations for success and competence beliefs
Peer and teacher supports in relation to motivation and effort
How true is grit? Assessing its relations to high school and college students’ personality characteristics, self-regulation, engagement, and achievement.
Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, and Kelly (2007) defined grit as one’s passion and perseverance toward long-term goals. They proposed that it consists of 2 components: consistency of interests and perseverance of effort. In a high school and college student sample, we used a multidimensional item response theory approach to examine (a) the factor structure of grit, and (b) grit’s relations to and overlap with conceptually and operationally similar…
An exploratory study of the behaviors that communicate perceived instructor mindset beliefs in college STEM classrooms
Grit and conscientiousness
Just because I am first gen doesn't mean I’m not asking for help”
The secret language of peers
BackgroundExtending recent work on mindset contexts, researchers have explored how peer mindsets relate to students' outcomes in the classroom. However, little is known about the specific behaviours that signal peer mindsets to students, and prior work has used correlational methods.AimThe present study aims to identify specific peer behaviours that indicate their mindset beliefs to others and their impact on students' psychological and academic …
Instructor mindset beliefs and behaviors
I forgot that you existed
[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported online in American Psychologist on Sep 19 2024 (see record 2025-24490-001). The name of the author, Amy N. Arndt was incorrectly omitted from the author list in the original article. All versions of this article have been corrected.] Recent studies have found a citation gap in psychology favoring men. This citation gap is subsequently reflected in differences in h-index scores, a crude …
How students' perceptions of older siblings' mindsets relate to their math motivation, behavior, and emotion
Parents’ Beliefs about High School Students’ Spatial Abilities
Peer and teacher supports in relation to motivation and effort
How true is grit? Assessing its relations to high school and college students’ personality characteristics, self-regulation, engagement, and achievement.
Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, and Kelly (2007) defined grit as one’s passion and perseverance toward long-term goals. They proposed that it consists of 2 components: consistency of interests and perseverance of effort. In a high school and college student sample, we used a multidimensional item response theory approach to examine (a) the factor structure of grit, and (b) grit’s relations to and overlap with conceptually and operationally similar…
I can do this! The development and calibration of children’s expectations for success and competence beliefs
STEM faculty who believe ability is fixed have larger racial achievement gaps and inspire less student motivation in their classes
Racial achievement gaps are twice as large, and all students are less motivated, when STEM faculty believe ability is fixed.
Parents’ Beliefs about High School Students’ Spatial Abilities
Does my professor think my ability can change? Students’ perceptions of their STEM professors’ mindset beliefs predict their psychological vulnerability, engagement, and performance in class.
902), we examined students' perceptions of their actual STEM professors' mindset beliefs and used experience sampling methodology (ESM) to capture their in-the-moment psychological experiences in those professors' classes. Across all studies, we find that students who perceive that their professor endorses more fixed mindset beliefs anticipate (Studies 1 and 2) and actually experience (Studies 3 and 4) more psychological vulnerability in those pr…
Grit and conscientiousness
Who Is Part of the “Mindset Context”? The Unique Roles of Perceived Professor and Peer Mindsets in Undergraduate Engineering Students’ Motivation and Belonging
In the current study, we explore the unique roles that perceived professor and peer beliefs play in creating a mindset context for undergraduate engineering students. We found that students ( N = 304) perceived their peers, as compared to their professors, to endorse stronger fixed beliefs about intelligence and more negative beliefs about effort and failure, what we refer to as “unproductive mindsets”. Students’ perceptions of their professors’ …
Just because I am first gen doesn't mean I’m not asking for help”
Resilience, not grit, predicts college student retention following academic probation
University STEM instructors with stronger failure-as-debilitating mindsets are perceived to engage in fewer mastery-oriented teaching Practices by their students
An exploratory study of the behaviors that communicate perceived instructor mindset beliefs in college STEM classrooms
Leveraging motivation theory for research and practice with students with learning disabilities
Given that the majority of students with learning disabilities (LD) are currently educated alongside general education peers for the majority of the school day in inclusive classrooms, it behooves motivation scholars to consider the practical implications of their research for all teachers working with students with LD. The purpose of this article is to discuss how three theoretical perspectives on motivation can be leveraged to support classroom…
Interventions to promote retrieval practice
How do undergraduate students’ perceptions of professor cultural competence and growth mindset relate to motivation to engage in intercultural interactions
Undergraduate perceptions of graduate teaching assistants
Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) play a significant role in higher education and in the education of undergraduate students. Previous research suggests that undergraduate students perceive GTAs differently than faculty instructors, but little has been done to explore the nature of those perceptions. This exploratory study uses self-determination theory to investigate how university students describe the effective teaching practices of GTAs and…
Family context of mindset matters
Mindsets are defined as people’s beliefs about the nature of intelligence, and previous research has found effects of students’ mindsets on their academic outcomes. In the present study, we bring together two recent lines of mindset research: research that has demonstrated that the mindset contexts that surround students matter above and beyond students’ own mindsets; and research that has demonstrated the importance of parents’ mindsets on stude…
Instructor mindset beliefs and behaviors
I forgot that you existed
[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported online in American Psychologist on Sep 19 2024 (see record 2025-24490-001). The name of the author, Amy N. Arndt was incorrectly omitted from the author list in the original article. All versions of this article have been corrected.] Recent studies have found a citation gap in psychology favoring men. This citation gap is subsequently reflected in differences in h-index scores, a crude …
How students' perceptions of older siblings' mindsets relate to their math motivation, behavior, and emotion
Can growth grow? Measuring growth rate orientation (GRO) beliefs
The secret language of peers
BackgroundExtending recent work on mindset contexts, researchers have explored how peer mindsets relate to students' outcomes in the classroom. However, little is known about the specific behaviours that signal peer mindsets to students, and prior work has used correlational methods.AimThe present study aims to identify specific peer behaviours that indicate their mindset beliefs to others and their impact on students' psychological and academic …
Two paths in persistence
In trying to motivate college students toward career paths in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), many scholars and policy-makers focus on promoting students' course-or fieldrelated motivation.However, STEM fields each contain dozens of careers, the nuances of which are not often discussed during STEM coursework itself.Further, many students change career plans while remaining highly motivated for studying particular STEM co…
Connecting the dots
Graduate trainees and postdoctoral fellows in biomedical sciences face significant challenges that affect their physical and mental health. Among these, perceived discrimination has emerged as a critical factor that undermines well-being and negatively impacts trainees' sense of belonging, career persistence, and retention. This study examined the association between perceived discrimination and trainees' physical, social, and psychological well-…
Examining interrelations among weekly coursework and motivational beliefs in college physics
Psychology (22 works) · Social Psychology (19 works) · Education, Achievement, and Giftedness (13 works) · Developmental psychology (10 works) · Mathematics education (10 works) · Pedagogy (10 works) · Social Psychology (10 works) · Perception (9 works) · Grit, Self-Efficacy, and Motivation (8 works) · Mindset (8 works)