Achievement Shapes Mindset: The Impact of Adolescent Academic Performance on Growth Mindset

As one of the most salient self-perceived attributes among adolescents, the growth mindset concept and its positive impact on learning have been extensively researched. However, the precise factors shaping adolescents' growth mindsets remain unclear. While a few studies have examined the role of subjective interpretations like praise, prior research has not focused on the influence of objective experiences, such as academic performance. The recently proposed process model of mindsets posits that prior experiences and feedback significantly shape students' mindset development. Addressing this gap, the present study tested this theoretical model using longitudinal questionnaires and an experiment.Study 1 utilized longitudinal data from 3,571 adolescents (1,846 boys, 1,725 girls; M age = 10.87 ± 0.36 years) collected from grades 5 to 8. Cross-lagged modeling examined the reciprocal relationship between growth mindset and academic performance. Study 2 adapted a classic performance motivation paradigm: 95 participants (51 boys, 44 girls; M age = 11.99 ± 0.54 years) were randomized to receive success or failure feedback after completing a challenging cognitive task, then reported their growth mindset. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 and Mplus 7.1.Results indicated that: (1) Academic performance and growth mindset were significantly positively correlated across all four time points. Each construct at an earlier time point positively predicted the other at a later time point. (2) Controlling for the effect of prior growth mindset on subsequent academic performance, prior academic performance remained a significant positive predictor of subsequent growth mindset, and demonstrated a stronger predictive path than the former. (3) Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed a significant interaction between feedback group (success vs. failure) and time (pre-test vs. post-test). Simple effects analyses showed no significant pre-test difference in growth mindset between groups; however, at post-test, the success feedback group reported significantly higher growth mindset than the failure feedback group.These findings identify prior academic performance as a significant antecedent variable shaping adolescents' growth mindsets. Specifically, students experienced higher levels of growth mindset following academic success compared to academic failure. The results support the process model of mindsets, confirming the direct influence of success experiences on growth mindset. They also highlight the significant impact of academic performance—as a key form of objective feedback—on mindset development, providing crucial evidence for understanding how academic performance shapes adolescents' growth mindsets.