If you are a teacher, you probably hold many different beliefs about your students. Some of these beliefs, called mindset beliefs, focus on whether teachers see their students’ abilities as changeable—and they can be particularly powerful.
For example, a chemistry teacher who thinks, “Some of my students are just naturally good at chemistry, and others aren’t,” has what psychologists call a fixed mindset—a belief that abilities are set in stone. On the other hand, a teacher who believes, “With the right strategies, any of my students can excel at chemistry,” has a growth mindset—a belief that abilities can be developed.
Research shows these beliefs impact students. Teachers with growth mindset beliefs inspire student motivation, increase belonging, and encourage students to seek help—all of which can lead to better academic performance.
But here’s the problem: students cannot read their teachers’ minds. They can only infer their teachers’ beliefs by observing their teachers’ behavior, and a recent paper by our team suggests that teacher beliefs are not always clearly communicated.
What Signals a Growth Mindset to Students?
Ideally, teachers with growth mindset beliefs would create classrooms where their policies and practices consistently communicate, “You can grow and improve here.” This kind of environment can greatly benefit students—but only if students recognize it.
So, how do students figure out whether their teacher believes in their ability to grow? Research suggests that students pick up on certain key behaviors, like placing value on learning and development over performance alone; encouraging improvement with lots of opportunities to try again; normalizing mistakes as part of the learning process, and providing extra support to students who are struggling.
But are these the same behaviors that teachers with a growth mindset report doing in the classroom? Not always.
The Disconnect Between Teachers and Students
In our recent study, we asked college teachers to report their mindset beliefs and whether they engaged in growth mindset teaching practices during the semester. We also asked students in their classes about their perceptions of their teachers’ mindset beliefs and behaviors.
We found that teachers and students often disagreed about what was happening in the classroom. We found no correlation between what teachers said they did and what students thought their teachers did.
Also, teachers’ beliefs often didn’t align with their actions. When teachers reported having growth mindset beliefs, they did not necessarily report engaging in more growth mindset teaching behaviors, at least as their students perceived them.
Why the Disconnect?
These disconnects between students and teachers could reflect a few problems.
First, teachers with growth mindset beliefs may inconsistently follow through on growth mindset practices. Perhaps they have an incomplete understanding of how to communicate growth mindset principles effectively. For example, they might believe that students can develop their abilities with effort and the right strategies but still design course policies that unintentionally feel rigid to students (e.g., a “one-and-done” policy that prevents students from revising their work).
Second, teachers may think they are engaging in growth mindset behaviors, but their students perceive those same behaviors as fixed-minded instead. For example, teachers may see frequent quizzing as an opportunity for students to practice, but students may see this as a way to weed out weaker students.
Third, students may simply fail to notice teachers’ behaviors. If a teacher writes an email to struggling students that normalizes mistakes and offers extra opportunities for practice, but students do not read those emails, the message will be missed.
Aligning Teacher and Student Perspectives
What can teachers do to make sure their students pick up on their growth-minded intentions? A few things may help.
First, teachers can be consistent in their growth mindset behaviors, embedding growth mindset messages into all aspects of their teaching—their syllabi, emails, lectures, and so on.
Second, teachers can ask for feedback from students, such as “Why do you think we are doing this activity?” If teachers notice a disconnect between their intended purpose for an activity and what students perceive it to be, they can address it directly.
Third, teachers can make their growth-minded intentions transparent. Rather than leave it up for interpretation, teachers can tell students directly, “I believe in your abilities, and this assignment [or policy] is designed to help you learn.” And then explain how.
A teacher’s actions in the classroom send powerful messages to students. But to truly create a growth mindset culture, it’s not necessarily enough for teachers to hold growth mindset beliefs or even to act on them—it’s also important to ensure students see and understand the purpose behind their teacher’s actions.
By being consistent, seeking student feedback, and fostering transparency, teachers bridge disconnects with their students. These efforts can make growth mindset intentions clearer, ultimately improving students’ well-being, motivation, and academic performance.
For Further Reading
Muenks, K., Kroeper, K. M., Canning, E. A., & Murphy, M. C. (2024). Instructor mindset beliefs and behaviors: How do students and instructors perceive them? Social Psychology of Education, 27(6), 2883-2899. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-024-09948-6
Kroeper, K. M., Muenks, K., Canning, E. A., & Murphy, M. C. (2022). An exploratory study of the behaviors that communicate perceived instructor mindset beliefs in college stem classrooms. Teaching and Teacher Education, 114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103717
Muenks, K., Sievers, J., Kroeper, K. M., & Canning, E. A. (in press). Exploring effects of mixed mindset messages from instructors. Motivation Science. https://doi.org/10.1037/mot0000381
Katherine Muenks is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and studies how motivational beliefs shape student academic outcomes.
Kathryn Kroeper is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Sacred Heart University and studies how norms, values, and practices can transform identity-threatening cultures into identity-safe ones.
Mary C. Murphy is the Herman B. Wells Endowed Professor of Psychological Brain Sciences at Indiana University. Her research illuminates the situational cues that influence students’ academic motivation and achievement with an emphasis on understanding when those processes are similar and different for structurally advantaged and disadvantaged students. She develops, implements, and evaluates social psychological interventions that reduce identity threat and support motivation, persistence, and performance.