The Mediating Role of Growth Mindset in the Causal Model of the Factors Affecting the Mathematics Learning of Ninth-Grade Students

Suntonrapot Damrongpanit

doi:10.13189/ujer.2020.081285

Abstract

The objectives included examining the mediation role of growth mindset as the causal model of the factors affecting mathematics learning outcomes of 514 ninth grade students who were measured by the national standardized scores rubric. Two models with a relationship structure of two different variables were compared: (model A) the model without a growth mindset; and the growth mindset as the mediating variable as (model B). The research tools comprised of 1) Questionnaires on factors of Growth Mindset, Achievement Motivation, Attitude towards Mathematics, Mathematical Self-Efficacy, Background Knowledge, and Mathematical Achievement with a five-point Likert scale pattern, and 2) Mathematics Aptitude test. The obtained data was analyzed by Path and Mediation analysis with Mplus 7.4 program. It was concluded that the model with a Growth Mindset as a mediating variable between factors and mathematics grades was most consistent with empirical data. The background knowledge had the highest indirect and total effect, while mathematical aptitude had the most direct effect on mathematics learning outcomes. Additionally, the growth mindset was statistically significant and had a positive direct effect on mathematics learning outcomes. All factors in the model were jointly able to explain the variance in mathematics learning outcomes by 82.90%. It also revealed that growth mindset played a role as a partial mediation in achievement motivation, mathematics background knowledge and particularly in mathematics aptitude. Therefore, the growth mindset did not only influence Mathematics learning outcomes but it also had the positive relationship linking to each key factors that helped promote students to have better performance.

Highlights

The ability to learn mathematics involves many important factors
Note: 1) MATH=Mathematics Achievement, ACMOT=Achievement Motivation, MAPT=Mathematics Aptitude, BACKG=Mathematical Background Knowledge, GROWTH=Growth Mindset 2) ATTIT and MEFF variables do not have a direct effect on MATH in the hypothesis model; 3) ** p
The researcher has 3 discussion points about the findings: First, the comparison of factors model influencing the MATH between model A and model B shows that the model that links the relationship of each factor with the growth mindset, including path analysis separately still confirms that Model B is perfectly consistent with the empirical data

Summary

Introduction

The ability to learn mathematics involves many important factors. Each part can explain academic success in different contexts [1, 2]. A growth mindset has gained attention to the study of individual success predictions [3, 4] and found that are the key factors affecting effective learning of mathematics and interacting with some factors that influence mathematics learning in the mediation effect [5, 6]. Prast et al [10] revealed that the 1st mathematics achievement scores had a positive influence on the 3rd mathematics achievement of the 2nd to 6th grade students in all skill levels (low, average, high), like Putwain et al [9] indicated that the 1st mathematics achievement scores had a positive influence on the 5th mathematics achievement of the 5th to 6th-grade students They noted that when using factors of background knowledge into groups of independent variables for mathematic learning achievement prediction, it cannot use only to predict at a good level. It interacts with other independent variables, and influences mathematics achievements, such as achievement motivation [8], self-efficacy [10, 11], and academic aptitude [12], etc

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Conclusion