Phase One research complete
Since I lasted blogged 3 months ago, the research into growth mindset has reached the end of its first phase. The first stage was concerned primarily with assessing the prevalence of a growth mindset within students with Special Educational Needs and Disability compared to those with no SEND (SEND status defined by the existence of an EHCP or old style statement).
Sample
In my original blog on growth mindset, a call for participants went out and there was a strong response. From the original responders, three schools related particularly well to the nature of the topic and were able to provide a balanced sample of SEND and non-SEND students. In addition to this sample, a family were identified as a case study for the use of interventions to improve growth mindset.
Method
Questionnaires were sent to the three schools and, where one school dealt with more complex SEND needs, communication occurred between the school and myself to develop a set of tasks that would allow staff, either teaching or non teaching, to answer on behalf of the student. Between the three schools, nearly 50 questionnaires were completed.
Results
As in the original study, answers which suggested a growth mindset were designated an arbitary point value of two, with the fixed mindset answer being designated a value of 0. In the singular case where a student chose neither option but rather indicated a belief in both options, a decision was made to award a value of one. To be clear, if a student were to chose only growth mindset answers, the student would score a value of 12 over 6 questions. If the student were to chose only fixed mindset options then they would score a value of 0.
Once all questionnaires were collected, participant scores were calculated and entered into a spreadsheet. Scores of SEND and non-SEND students were entered into different columns. When a mean of each column was calculated, the average score showed a difference of 2 between students with SEND and students with no SEND (SEND students averaged a score of 8 whilst non-SEND students averaged a score of 10). Both scores suggest a growth mindset however the SEND students showed a more fixed mindset than the non-SEND students.
Data Analysis
In order to ascertain if the data was significantly significant, it was entered, in its original form, into an online Mann-Whitney U test calculator. The calculations completed through this site showed the observed value to be less than the critical value and therefore significant.
Conclusion
So far, this experiment has shown that students with Special Educational Needs and Disability have a more fixed mindset than students with no SEND diagnosis which is in line with the original research conducted last year.
Future implications
The research is now entering its second phase whereupon an intervention will be tested across the schools and the questionnaires recompleted by the sample. This research hopes to prove that use of praise when distributed according to effort and, in a high ratio compared to negative feedback, will improve the growth mindset of those with SEND to inline with those without SEND.
Sample
In my original blog on growth mindset, a call for participants went out and there was a strong response. From the original responders, three schools related particularly well to the nature of the topic and were able to provide a balanced sample of SEND and non-SEND students. In addition to this sample, a family were identified as a case study for the use of interventions to improve growth mindset.
Method
Questionnaires were sent to the three schools and, where one school dealt with more complex SEND needs, communication occurred between the school and myself to develop a set of tasks that would allow staff, either teaching or non teaching, to answer on behalf of the student. Between the three schools, nearly 50 questionnaires were completed.
Results
As in the original study, answers which suggested a growth mindset were designated an arbitary point value of two, with the fixed mindset answer being designated a value of 0. In the singular case where a student chose neither option but rather indicated a belief in both options, a decision was made to award a value of one. To be clear, if a student were to chose only growth mindset answers, the student would score a value of 12 over 6 questions. If the student were to chose only fixed mindset options then they would score a value of 0.
Once all questionnaires were collected, participant scores were calculated and entered into a spreadsheet. Scores of SEND and non-SEND students were entered into different columns. When a mean of each column was calculated, the average score showed a difference of 2 between students with SEND and students with no SEND (SEND students averaged a score of 8 whilst non-SEND students averaged a score of 10). Both scores suggest a growth mindset however the SEND students showed a more fixed mindset than the non-SEND students.
Data Analysis
In order to ascertain if the data was significantly significant, it was entered, in its original form, into an online Mann-Whitney U test calculator. The calculations completed through this site showed the observed value to be less than the critical value and therefore significant.
Conclusion
So far, this experiment has shown that students with Special Educational Needs and Disability have a more fixed mindset than students with no SEND diagnosis which is in line with the original research conducted last year.
Future implications
The research is now entering its second phase whereupon an intervention will be tested across the schools and the questionnaires recompleted by the sample. This research hopes to prove that use of praise when distributed according to effort and, in a high ratio compared to negative feedback, will improve the growth mindset of those with SEND to inline with those without SEND.
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