The Longitudinal Relationship Between Perceived Parental Growth Mindset and Children's Math-Specific Grit: The Mediational Role of Growth Mindset and Self-Efficacy

Background: Grit has been identified as playing a prominent role in the learning process. However, the development of students' grit within the family environment remains under-researched. Aims: This study employed a longitudinal design to explore how perceived parental growth mindsets (T1) influence students' math-specific grit (T2) and examined the mediating role of growth mindset and self-efficacy; (T2) in this relationship. Sample: The participants included 1005 secondary school students in China. Methods: Structural equation modeling was employed to examine the relationship between parental growth mindset and children's motivational beliefs and grit. Bootstrap analysis was further conducted to assess the mediating roles of growth mindset and self-efficacy. Results: The results demonstrated that perceived parental growth mindsets positively predicted students' growth mindsets. Consistency of interest was positively associated with self-efficacy, while perseverance of effort was positively predicted by both students' growth mindsets and self-efficacy. The results of the bootstrap analysis supported the chained mediational role of growth mindsets and self-efficacy between parental growth mindsets and students' math-specific grit. Conclusions: Overall, this study found a positive impact of perceived parental growth mindset on children's math-specific grit and revealed the underlying mechanism by verifying the mediating roles of children's growth mindset and self-efficacy.