Mindset Matters: An Investigation of How Implicit Theories Manifest in the Syllabus of the College Instructor

Abstract

Recent research showed that college-level instructors’ implicit theories about intelligence, or mindset, have a direct impact on student learning outcomes. The current study sought to discover how instructor mindset instantiates in the course syllabus. Through a document analysis and semi-structured interviews, patterns of language choice and cues emerged that aligned with growth or fixed mindset. Connections between these choice patterns and existing literature begin to explain how and why instructor mindset impacts student achievement.