Teacher mindset: beliefs, behaviors, and student perceptions

Recent advances in mindset research highlight the importance of teacher mindsets in shaping classroom culture. Understanding how teacher mindsets and behaviors impact students is useful for promoting positive educational outcomes. A new study by Muenks et al. (2024) helps in this regard.

The research

For the past three decades, research on mindsets—how people think about the changeability of traits such as intelligence—has focused primarily on college students. Students with a growth mindset believe that their abilities can develop through effort and learning, leading to better psychological and academic outcomes.

Recently, the focus has shifted to understanding mindset as a dynamic system in the classroom, where teachers’ beliefs and behaviors influence students’ perceptions. Muenks et al. (2024) investigate how teachers’ beliefs and behaviors are perceived by their students.

They studied 44 STEM teachers and 765 students at a large university. Both groups completed surveys about teachers’ mindset beliefs and teaching behaviors. Teachers reported their own beliefs and behaviors; students reported their perceptions of their teachers.

Results

The analyses revealed several important insights:

• Students see certain teacher behaviors as signs of a growth mindset. When teachers do things like give frequent feedback and provide lots of practice opportunities, students think that these teachers believe in growth and development (a growth mindset). What teachers believe and how they behave do not always match. Teachers who say they have a growth mindset do not always behave in a way that matches it according to their own reports. There is not a strong connection between their beliefs and their behavior from their own perspective. 
• Teachers and students differ in their opinions about teacher behavior. Although teachers and students somewhat agree on what teachers believe (their mindset beliefs), they disagree on how teachers behave in the classroom. Students see teacher behavior differently than teachers see it themselves.
• Students base their opinions about the mindset of teachers mainly on what they see in the classroom. The way students perceive the behavior of their teachers strongly determines how they think about the mindset beliefs of their teachers. This has more influence than what teachers themselves say about their own beliefs and behavior.

Reflection

These findings highlight the potential for misunderstandings in the classroom. Teachers may inadvertently send mixed messages about their mindset beliefs through their behavior, leading to misunderstandings among students. To foster a growth mindset culture, it is important that teachers model behaviors that students perceive as supportive of growth, and that they clearly explain the intentions behind these practices. Interventions should focus on:

• Educating teachers about the importance of a growth mindset 
• Educate teachers about behaviors that demonstrate a growth mindset in students.
• Encouraging consistent use of growth-oriented teaching methods.

Conclusion

Understanding the gap between teacher intentions and student perceptions is important for effective teaching. By aligning beliefs with behaviors and ensuring clear communication, teachers can create a classroom environment that supports growth, motivation, and improved educational outcomes.