The role of implicit theories of intelligence and ability in predicting achievement for Indigenous (Aboriginal) Australian students

Abstract

Although researchers have shown that Indigenous (Aboriginal) Australian students perform significantly lower in academic achievement than non-Indigenous students, investigations into the role of motivational processes have been limited. In the current study, we focus on implicit theories of intelligence and ability (or, “implicit beliefs”), which refer to students' beliefs about the malleability (i.e., incremental beliefs) or static nature (i.e., entity beliefs) of intelligence and ability. More precisely, we examine whether students' Indigenous status predicts implicit beliefs and whether both predict academic achievement. In particular, we seek to determine the extent to which implicit beliefs play a mediating role between Indigenous status and academic achievement. We examine implicit beliefs of intelligence and implicit beliefs of mathematics ability. Our sample of 174 high school students comprised n = 87 Indigenous Australian students from 20 schools in grades 7–9 (63% male) and n = 87 randomly drawn non-Indigenous students from the same schools. Path analysis demonstrated that Indigenous status negatively predicted incremental beliefs of intelligence and ability, and that incremental beliefs positively predicted academic achievement. Of note, there was no direct association between Indigenous status and academic achievement; instead the relationship between Indigenous status and achievement operated via implicit beliefs. Combined, the results extend research surrounding Indigenous students' achievement and suggest one possible avenue for intervention.