Tassia Cruz, Professor, Fundação Getulio Vargas
Do teachers’ mindsets affect pedagogical practices? A randomized intervention in a socially vulnerable context
This paper provides original evidence on the effects of teachers’ mindsets on pedagogical practices from a randomized controlled trial in Rio de Janeiro. The intervention took the form of workshops aimed at building the belief that intelligence is not a fixed trait, and collectively developing ways to bring said belief into the classroom. Results from external classroom observations indicate improvements in pedagogical practices after the intervention impacted teacher beliefs. Teachers with growth mindsets treat students with greater respect, respond more to students’ needs, set clearer behavior expectations, and acknowledge positive student behavior more frequently. No effects were found for the time management in terms of the quantity of time spent in academic activities, but rather its quality: practices requiring higher teacher-student interaction occur more for growth mindset’ teachers.
