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.

作为青少年最显著的自我感知特质之一，成长心态（growth mindset）理念及其对学习的积极影响已得到广泛研究。然而，塑造青少年成长心态的确切因素仍不明确。尽管已有少量研究探讨了表扬等主观解读的作用，但此前的研究并未关注学业成绩这类客观体验的影响。新近提出的心态过程模型指出，先前经历与反馈会显著影响学生的心态发展。为填补这一研究空白，本研究通过纵向问卷与实验对该理论模型进行了验证。

研究1采用了从5年级至8年级收集的3571名青少年（1846名男生，1725名女生；平均年龄M=10.87±0.36岁）的纵向数据。通过交叉滞后模型分析了成长心态与学业成绩之间的双向关系。

研究2改编了经典的绩效动机范式：95名参与者（51名男生，44名女生；平均年龄M=11.99±0.54岁）在完成一项具有挑战性的认知任务后，被随机分配接受成功或失败反馈，随后报告其成长心态。本研究采用SPSS 22.0与Mplus 7.1对数据进行分析。

研究结果显示：
(1) 学业成绩与成长心态在四个时间节点均呈显著正相关。较早时间点的任一构念均能正向预测较晚时间点的另一构念。
(2) 在控制先前成长心态对后续学业成绩的影响后，先前学业成绩仍能显著正向预测后续的成长心态，且其预测路径强度高于前者。
(3) 重复测量方差分析（repeated-measures ANOVA）显示，反馈组别（成功vs.失败）与时间（前测vs.后测）之间存在显著交互作用。简单效应分析显示，两组在前测时的成长心态无显著差异；但在后测时，成功反馈组报告的成长心态显著高于失败反馈组。

本研究结果确认，先前学业成绩是塑造青少年成长心态的重要前因变量。具体而言，与学业失败相比，学生在获得学业成功后会体验到更高水平的成长心态。研究结果支持了心态过程模型，证实了成功体验对成长心态的直接影响。同时，本研究强调了作为客观反馈核心形式之一的学业成绩对心态发展的重要影响，为理解学业成绩如何塑造青少年成长心态提供了关键证据。