Date

11-13-2025

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)

Chair

Melinda Carver

Keywords

socioeconomic status schools, growth mindset, fixed mindset, adaptive motivational patterns, maladaptive motivational patterns, self-efficacy

Disciplines

Education | Elementary Education

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to determine if a significant difference exists among teachers’ growth mindsets among those teachers employed at low, middle, or high socioeconomic status schools. This study is important because teachers’ growth mindsets have an impact on students’ academic achievement through factors such as motivation and self-efficacy. Research has demonstrated the correlation between belonging to a low socioeconomic status and poor academic achievement or learning. Therefore, this study adds to the literature regarding the effects of teachers’ growth mindset by examining the differences in mindset among teachers employed at low, middle, and high socioeconomic schools. The sample was composed of 178 teachers from a low socioeconomic school, 79 teachers from a middle socioeconomic school, and 68 teachers from a high socioeconomic school, all of which were public elementary schools. Data was collected from the Implicit Theories of Intelligence Scale by surveys sent via email using Survey Monkey. The assumption of normality was not met, so a Kruskal-Wallis test was used. The results of the Kruskal-Wallis test indicated that there is no significant difference in teachers’ overall growth mindset among employment at the three school levels. These results indicate that the schools’ socioeconomic level does not impact teachers’ overall mindset. It is recommended that further research examines different demographic variables or complete a similar study using random sampling or a mixed methods study to discover themes behind teachers’ growth mindsets.

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