Catalyzing Chemistry Success: Pairing Growth Mindset and Learning Strategies Interventions

Introductory chemistry courses are gateway college courses with large enrollment and high failure rates. Poor performance in these courses prevents students from progressing onward in their majors, contributing to persistence and retention problems in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines in the United States. One way to increase retention in STEM majors is by targeting students’ social-psychological beliefs about their academic success through implementation of social-psychological interventions. In this study, we designed two chemistry-specific modules, Growth Mindset (GM) and Effective Learning Strategies (ELS), and conducted pilot studies at two institutions. Results from pilot studies identified key strengths and areas for improvement in the modules. After the pilot studies, the modules were implemented in introductory chemistry using a randomized controlled trial (RCT) study design. Students were randomly assigned to one of the four study conditions (control, GM, ELS, GM + ELS). Significant and positive correlations were observed between students’ academic performance and study condition. Additionally, participants in the combined GM and ELS group had the highest average final exam scores and overall course GPA among all study groups. The average score shifts for growth mindset beliefs and effective learning strategies were also the greatest for students in the combined GM and ELS group. Triangulation with the quantitative results shows evidence of synergistic effects in the combined GM and ELS group. The impacts of the modules on changes in students’ mindset beliefs, study skills, and academic performance and their implications for practice and future research are discussed.