A poster and research summary of a project exploring the effect of growth mindsets on student anxiety and fear around maths as a subject
The project focused on exploring ways to make the experience re-sitting GCSE Maths less alarming and more overtly worthwhile for students. It was intended as a response to the observation that students with high anxiety levels towards maths performed less successfully at maths exams
• Students liked maths more and are more likely to look forward to a maths lesson when there was a focus on growth mindsets.
• They were also less likely to be frightened of maths (though, as with all the findings, significant numbers of students were still afraid and did not look forward to maths classes).
• Students did not like making mistakes, even when this was emphasised as key to ‘growth'.
• Students are more likely to feel that they understood what their calculations meant when there was a focus on growth mindsets. However, there was no significant change in how students felt about persevering in maths.
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