Professor Elizabeth Tipton and researchers discuss growth-mindset classroom culture

Building with the word "university" on itStudents across the country will return to in-person learning this fall.

Professor Elizabeth Tipton, of the Department of Statistics, joined researchers to discuss classroom culture in the Growth Mindset Workshop, hosted by The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Yidan Prize Foundation.

A growth mindset is a belief that a person’s intellectual abilities are not fixed and can be further developed. The researchers discussed what a growth-mindset classroom culture looks like, as well as how it might be evaluated in future research projects.

“Schools are desperately seeking strategies that will increase learning, close achievement gaps, and reduce inequities,” said Tipton. “The research community needs to work fast to determine which strategies are likely to be effective. We can only meet these needs if we reconceive how we conduct studies.”

Elizabeth Tipton

Professor Elizabeth Tipton

To conduct further research about the efficacy of the growth mindset, Northwestern University; The University of Texas at Austin; Stanford University; University of Michigan; University of California, Davis; Universidad Católica de Chile; Penn State University; Washington State University; and University of Maryland, College Park will contribute to the National Study of Learning Mindsets initiative. This preliminary work is funded by the Yidan Prize Foundation, and it aims to further the shared vision of improving education and educational equality through action-based research.

Read more about the initiative in Northwestern Now.