Teachers' Growth Mindset, Perceived School Climate, and Perceived Parental Autonomy Support Moderate the Relationship Between Students' Growth Mindset and Academic Achievement.

Abstract

This study investigates the moderating effects of several contextual factors (i.e., teachers' growth mindset, perceived school climate, and perceived parental autonomy support) on the relationship between students' growth mindset and academic achievement. Drawing on Dweck's growth mindset theory and recent research findings that highlight the context sensitivity of the growth mindset, we hypothesize that supportive environments strengthen the positive impact of students' growth mindset on academic outcomes. A sample of 358 middle school students (53.8% female; Mage = 13.38 years, SD = 2.20) from public schools in Shanghai City, mainland China, was assessed via three validated instruments: (1) the Growth Mindset Inventory, which is used to measure students' and teachers' beliefs about intelligence; (2) the Delaware School Climate Survey for Students, which is used to assess students' perceptions of the school climate; and (3) the Perceived Parental Autonomy Support Scale, which is used to evaluate students' perceived parental autonomy support. Academic achievement was measured by district-level final exam scores. The results of hierarchical regression analyses revealed that teachers' growth mindset, perceived school climate support (e.g., teacher-student and student-student relations, fairness of rules, school safety, liking of school), and the perception of positive parental autonomy support (e.g., choice, rationale, acknowledgment) positively moderated the relationship between students' growth mindset and academic achievement. In contrast, the perception of negative parental autonomy factors (e.g., punishment threats, performance pressure, guilt-inducing criticism) negatively moderated this relationship. These results indicate that the relationship between students' growth mindset and academic achievement may vary depending on contextual factors, highlighting the importance of considering both positive and negative influences when designing educational strategies.