National differences in mindset among students who plan to be teachers

A growth mindset has been found beneficial to students, particularly when they encounter academic setbacks (Dweck, 2000 Dweck, C. S. (2000). Self-theories: Their role in motivation, personality and development. New York, NY: Psychology Press. [Google Scholar]). Evidence suggests that teachers’ own mindsets may influence those of their students. We assessed mindset among student teachers from different places of origin (UK and East Asia) in a UK university (N = 255). Although both groups were relatively growth-minded, those brought up in the UK were significantly more so than those brought up in East Asia (F(4, 228) = 26.52, p < .001, Wilk's λ = .68, = .32). Furthermore, UK student teachers reported higher levels of growth mindset than East Asian student teachers in relation to pupils’ academic potential, behavior, dyslexia, and ADHD. Implications for education are discussed.