A single-session growth mindset intervention among Chinese junior secondary school students

Brief, low-cost growth mindset interventions improving academic-related outcomes can be valuable. However, less is known regarding their effectiveness on learning motivation, behaviors, and academic performance in non-Western cultures like China. This study aimed to examine the effects of a single-session growth mindset intervention on Chinese junior secondary students during the COVID-19 pandemic. We recruited 618 Chinese junior secondary school students from two schools and cluster-randomly assigned them to be the intervention school (n = 311) or the control school (n = 307). Data was collected during the fall semester of 2019 and the spring semester of 2020. Compared with the control school, students in the intervention school reported stronger growth mindset (partial eta(2) = 0.02, p < .001), academic self-efficacy (partial eta(2) = 0.02, p < .001), study engagement (partial eta(2) = 0.01, p = .041), and improved Chinese performance (partial eta(2) = 0.07, p < .001), with lower helpless attributions (partial eta(2) = 0.03, p < .001) over time. The intervention had direct and indirect effects (i.e., via the growth mindset) on helpless attributions and academic self-efficacy, with an indirect effect on study engagement.The results support the effectiveness of the brief growth mindset intervention.