GROWTH MINDSET, LOCUS OF CONTROL, AND AUTONOMOUS MOTIVATION: A MOTIVATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR LEARNING

Abstract

The field of growth mindsets has been a popular area of research in the recent years. Past studies have discovered numerous educational benefits of growth mindset, but less attention has been paid to the underlying mechanisms of these effects. In addition, most research findings have been largely confined to the academic setting. The present study examined the mediating roles of locus of control and autonomous motivation in the relationship between growth mindset and two learning outcomes: practice effort and challenge seeking behaviour. A longitudinal design was employed to observe behavioural measures of practice effort on a novel change blindness task. Structural equation modelling showed that locus of control partially mediated the relationship between growth mindset and autonomous motivation, and autonomous motivation mediated the relationship between growth mindset and both practice effort and challenge seeking behaviour. This study proposed a framework for understanding the motivational benefits of growth mindset on learning outcomes outside of the academic context.