Background
Brief growth mindset interventions (GMI) can limit development of depressive symptoms among high school students (Mui & Yeager, 2015). Online delivery may be a way to reach more youth. Implementation of such interventions should be examined to ensure broad online dissemination is feasible, engages students, and effectively teaches content.
Research Questions
The current study examined the following research questions via online delivery of a GMI in public high schools in Canada: To what extent did participants engage with the intervention? Did the intervention change students’ mindsets?
Sample
A total of 319 participants (58% female, 60.8% white, 16.6% Southeast Asian, 9.4% South Asian, 2.5% black, M age = 14.9 years) were randomized to experimental (focus on growth mindset of personality; n=167) or control condition (focus on growth mindset of athletic ability; n=152).
Design
A 2(time) x 2(condition) RCT was used to examine intervention effectiveness in changing mindset.
Results
Students appeared to engage with online content via their accurate responses to 10 engagement questions (M= 9.96, SD =.26) , and 91.5% of students were assessed to be “engaged” via an analysis of their written responses by multiple coders (kappa=.73). Correlation between quantitative and qualitative engagement measures was r=.37, p<.001 suggesting measurement of a similar construct of engagement. There was a significant interaction between time and condition on mindset [F(1, 309)=15.26, p<.001, ηp2=.047], such that, all students endorsed higher growth mindset following the intervention, but particularly those in the experimental vs. control condition (Ms =2.29, 2.69; SDs=.96; 1.13).
Scientific Contribution
A brief online GMI can feasibly be implemented in high schools, engage students, and impact their mindset. This is a feasible and effective method to translate growth mindset knowledge to teens such that it could be easily included in health curriculum. Follow up investigation will determine its impact on depressive symptoms.