The rich get richer
Socioeconomic advantage amplifies the role of growth mindsets in learning
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9614601 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ronnel B King (0000-0003-1723-1748, Department of Curriculum and Instruction The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong China), Faming Wang (0000-0001-7144-2939, College of Education Zhejiang University Hangzhou China, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 95 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 792-810 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | British Journal of Educational Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0007-0998 • E-ISSN: 2044-8279 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/bjep.12755 |
| PMID | 40033524 |
| OpenAlex | W4408162405 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
| References cited | 82 |
BACKGROUND: Past studies on mindsets have mostly examined them as an individual difference variable. However, the mindset-by-context framework argues that mindsets do not occur within a vacuum, and their successful implementation depends on the social context. One of the most important social contexts for students is the socioeconomic conditions of their families, schools and countries. AIMS: This study aimed to examine whether growth mindsets were associated with focal learning-related outcomes and whether socioeconomic conditions moderated the association between growth mindsets and focal outcomes. METHODS: Multilevel moderated analyses were conducted to analyse the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 database with 612,004 students from 80 countries. RESULTS: Having a growth mindset was positively associated with academic achievement, intrinsic motivation and academic engagement. Furthermore, students from affluent families, schools, and countries benefited more from the growth mindset, supporting the 'rich get richer' hypothesis. We did not find any support for the compensatory hypothesis, which assumes that growth mindsets would be more advantageous for disadvantaged students. CONCLUSION: This study extends mindset research by emphasizing the role of social context, particularly socioeconomic conditions at the family, school and country levels
Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Socioeconomic status · Sociology · Demography · Education, Achievement, and Giftedness · Grit, Self-Efficacy, and Motivation · Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports · Psychology
Growth Feedback, Mastery-approach Goals, and Learning-related Outcomes
Are high-resource schools associated with lower inequality in educational outcomes? Evidence from academic and socio-emotional outcomes across 31 economies
The application of machine learning approaches in international large-scale educational assessments
Who Thrives Where? A Multilevel Latent Profile Analysis of Students’ Well-Being Across the Globe
Socioeconomic gaps in socio-emotional skills across cultures
Profiling growth mindsets of teachers and schools
ICT Availability and Socioeconomic Status
Expanding growth mindset research to fulfill its promise in education
Pisa 2018 Assessment and Analytical Framework
Self-theories
Breaking the vicious cycle of language anxiety
STEM faculty who believe ability is fixed have larger racial achievement gaps and inspire less student motivation in their classes
To What Extent and Under Which Circumstances Are Growth Mind-Sets Important to Academic Achievement? Two Meta-Analyses
A national experiment reveals where a growth mindset improves achievement
Toward a psychology of Homo sapiens
Growth mindset tempers the effects of poverty on academic achievement
Seed and Soil
School Composition and Contextual Effects on Student Outcomes
Teacher Mindsets Help Explain Where a Growth-Mindset Intervention Does and Doesn’t Work
Missing Data in Educational Research
Species Richness of Parasite Assemblages
Socioeconomic Status and Academic Achievement
Most people are not Weird
Hierarchical linear models
Sociocultural and ecological perspectives on achievement motivation
Growth, Fixed, and Mixed Mindsets
Growth mindset and reading proficiency of ESL learners
Testing the dynamics between parent–child relationship and parent-belief intervention on children’s math motivation
Greater income inequality, lower school belonging
A Growth Mind-Set Intervention Improves Interest but Not Academic Performance in the Field of Computer Science
Professors Who Signal a Fixed Mindset About Ability Undermine Women’s Performance in STEM
Multiple Imputation for Nonresponse in Surveys
Centering Predictor Variables in Three-Level Contextual Models
Incremental intelligence mindset, fear of failure, and academic coping
Family context of mindset matters
Cumulative Advantage as a Mechanism for Inequality
Do growth mindset interventions impact students’ academic achievement? A systematic review and meta-analysis with recommendations for best practices
A systematic review and meta-analysis of growth mindset interventions
How do growth mindsets contribute to academic engagement in L2 classes? The mediating and moderating roles of the L2 motivational self system
Parental mindsets as determinants of children’s achievement goals and performance in math
Growth mindset predicts achievement only among rich students
Instructor mindset beliefs and behaviors
From growth mindset to positive outcomes in L2 learning
Why meta-analyses of growth mindset and other interventions should follow best practices for examining heterogeneity
Interest, Mindsets and Engagement
Students With Growth Mindset Learn More in School
What can be learned from growth mindset controversies
How students' perceptions of older siblings' mindsets relate to their math motivation, behavior, and emotion
Mastery-approach goals
Implicit Theories and Their Role in Judgments and Reactions
Implicit Theories of Intelligence Predict Achievement Across an Adolescent Transition
The mindsets × societal norm effect across 78 cultures
Socio-economic status, mastery-approach goals and learning-related outcomes
Society-level social axiom moderates the association between growth mindset and achievement across cultures
Mindsets are contagious
Does Cumulative Exposure to High-Poverty Schools Widen Test-Score Inequality
How School Socioeconomic Status Affects Achievement Growth across School Transitions in Early Educational Careers
| Unique citing works | 8 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 8 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 8 |