Early High School STEM Perceptions Associated With Postsecondary Outcomes

An abundance of recent research in education and psychology has shown how student learning mindsets are related to future outcomes such as academic achievement, behavioral outcomes, and educational attainment. Put simply, a "mindset" is a belief that shapes how one interprets daily experie...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Policy File 2020
Main Authors: Quirk, Abby, Campbell, Neil, Boser, Ulrich
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
Center for American Progress
Education
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Summary:An abundance of recent research in education and psychology has shown how student learning mindsets are related to future outcomes such as academic achievement, behavioral outcomes, and educational attainment. Put simply, a "mindset" is a belief that shapes how one interprets daily experiences. While a "growth mindset"belief that intelligence is malleable and can improve with effortto dominate media attention when it comes to education, other learning mindsets such as a "purpose and relevance mindset" are less about how students learn and more about their perception of what they are learning. Learning mindsets help students organize their goals into a single meaning system. By reframing academic challenges within a new meaning system, effective learning mindsets help students navigate these experiences with the resources available to them. Educators can promote purpose and relevance in their students by making instruction culturally relevant, connecting coursework to student hobbies, and explaining why school is important for self-transcendent goals that will help people, such as securing a job. All of these strategies routinely bolster academic and behavioral outcomes for students, both in primary and secondary school and through college.