Does “Effort Lead to Success” ?

A look at the research done by Carol Dweck

“Self Theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development”

Carol S. Dweck (2000) – Taylor and Francis Publishers

Your view of INTELLIGENCE affects the way you LEARN

• If you believe INTELLIGENCE to be a fixed trait that you have, then you are an

Your view of INTELLIGENCE affects the way you LEARN

• If you believe INTELLIGENCE to be a fixed trait that you have, then you are an– ENTITY THEORIST

Your view of INTELLIGENCE affects the way you LEARN

• If you believe INTELLIGENCE to be a fixed trait that you have, then you are an– ENTITY THEORIST

► pursue performance goals

Your view of INTELLIGENCE affects the way you LEARN

• If you believe INTELLIGENCE to be a fixed trait that you have, then you are an– ENTITY THEORIST

► pursue performance goals

► makes you vulnerable

► go for easy tasks

► low effort

► give up easily

Your view of INTELLIGENCE affects the way you LEARN

• Holding an ENTITY THEORY

– Failure/Difficulty IMPLIES Low Intelligence– Failure/Difficulty provides proof that others

can measure your intelligence directly– You go for easily completed tasks that enable

you to show your “intelligence”– You avoid challenging tasks which tests your

“intelligence”

Your view of INTELLIGENCE affects the way you LEARN

• If you believe INTELLIGENCE to be a malleable aspect which you can improve, then you are an

Your view of INTELLIGENCE affects the way you LEARN

• If you believe INTELLIGENCE to be a malleable aspect which you can improve, then you are an ► Incremental Theorist

Your view of INTELLIGENCE affects the way you LEARN

• If you believe INTELLIGENCE to be a malleable aspect which you can improve, then you are an ► Incremental Theorist ► Pursue Learning Goals ► You are empowered to learn and overcome difficulties ► More willing to take risks ► More effort ► You learn

Your view of INTELLIGENCE affects the way you LEARN

• Holding an INCREMENTAL THEORY

– Failure/Difficulty IMPLIES change your EFFORT or STRATEGY

– Failure/Difficulty provides a challenge to be taken on

– Intelligence can be improved– See success and difficulties in terms of

personal EFFORT or learning STRATEGIES

“Helpless Reaction”

• Seen in “bright” girls on transferring to Secondary

• Seen in Entity Theorists when meeting more challenging tasks

• Seen in Talented and Gifted Students when out of small pond situation

Research showed this to be true for other aspects too

• Relationships– Entity Theorist: “meant or not meant to be”,

destiny, gives up relationship easily

Research showed this to be true for other aspects too

• Relationships– Entity Theorist: “meant or not meant to be”,

destiny, gives up relationship easily

– Incremental Theorist: develop relationship over time through hard work, successful conflict resolution, grows a relationship

Criticism and Praise

• Establishes child’s Entity or Incremental Self-Theory

• Discourage labels such as “smart”, “dumb” that convey intelligence as fixed entity

• Praise child’s effort, strategies, progress – NOT their intelligence

Criticism and Praise

• When child PRAISED for their INTELLIGENCE after a job well done:

Criticism and Praise

• When child PRAISED for their INTELLIGENCE after a job well done:– VULNERABILITY

Criticism and Praise

• When child PRAISED for their INTELLIGENCE after a job well done:– VULNERABILITY

• might show straight away (choosing assured success with easier work rather than challenging learning task)

Criticism and Praise

• When child PRAISED for their INTELLIGENCE after a job well done:– VULNERABILITY

• might show straight away (choosing assured success with easier work rather than challenging learning task)

• or later, after a failure experience (doubt his/her intelligence) – helpless reaction

Criticism and Praise

• When child CRITICISED for their INTELLIGENCE or other FIXED TRAIT:

Criticism and Praise

• When child CRITICISED for their INTELLIGENCE or other FIXED TRAIT:– VULNERABILITY

Criticism and Praise

• When child CRITICISED for their INTELLIGENCE or other FIXED TRAIT:– VULNERABILITY

• when encounters later setbacks (measure him/herself from their performance and, in the presence of poor performance, would measure themselves negatively) – helpless reaction

Criticism and Praise

• When child CRITICISED for their EFFORT or STRATEGIES:

Criticism and Praise

• When child CRITICISED for their EFFORT or STRATEGIES:– MASTERY ORIENTATED RESPONSE later

Criticism and Praise

• When child CRITICISED for their EFFORT or STRATEGIES:– MASTERY ORIENTATED RESPONSE later

• makes child alter effort or strategy in solving later difficult problem

Criticism and Praise

Summary:• Focus on

– EFFORT

or– STRATEGY to obtain a Mastery Orientated Response

• NOT on – PERSON

or– TRAIT which produces vulnerability

Criticism and Praise

• Beware of CONTINGENT SELF-WORTH:

Criticism and Praise

• Beware of CONTINGENT SELF-WORTH:– When child feels worthy only when they have

succeeded– and feel deficient or worthless when they fail

Self Esteem

• Well-meant but misguided practices

Self Esteem

• Well-meant but misguided practices– SE seen as something children have or do

not have

Self Esteem

• Well-meant but misguided practices– SE seen as something children have or do

not have– SE instilled also at fault – it is not something

that we give children by telling them that they have a host of good things inside them

Self Esteem

• Well-meant but misguided practices– SE seen as something children have or do

not have– SE instilled also at fault – it is not something

that we give children by telling them that they have a host of good things inside them

Leads adults to lie to children (exaggerate positives, sugar-coat negatives, hide information entirely)

Self Esteem

• Operating within ENTITY THEORY – boosts EGO instead of boosting EFFORT

Self Esteem

• Operating within ENTITY THEORY – boosts EGO instead of boosting EFFORT– works only in short term

Self Esteemwhich is to be?

• LOW EFFORT• EASY SUCCESS• OTHERS’ FAILURES

(finding self-defeating ways of opting out of the system)

• WORKING HARD• FACING CHALLENGES• STRETCHING ABILITIES

(using knowledge and skills to help others)

? ?

How to facilitate the second kind of Self Esteem?

• EMPHASIZING LEARNING• EMPHASIZING CHALLENGES• EMPHASIZING EFFORT• EMPHASIZING STRATEGIES

How to facilitate the second kind of Self Esteem?

• EMPHASIZING LEARNING• EMPHASIZING CHALLENGES• EMPHASIZING EFFORT• EMPHASIZING STRATEGIES

Tell the truth: when student does not have the skills or knowledge, or are behind others, NOT a sign of deep, shameful deficit.

It is a sign that they need to:

How to facilitate the second kind of Self Esteem?

• EMPHASIZING LEARNING• EMPHASIZING CHALLENGES• EMPHASIZING EFFORT• EMPHASIZING STRATEGIES

Tell the truth: when student does not have the skills or knowledge, or are behind others, NOT a sign of deep, shameful deficit.

It is a sign that they need to:

STUDY HARDER, FIND NEW LEARNING STRATEGIES

What can we do?

• Teach students to think of brain as a MUSCLE which strengthens with use

What can we do?

• Teach students to think of brain as a MUSCLE which strengthens with use

• Teach students STRATEGIES for learning and problem solving

What can we do?

• Teach students to think of brain as a MUSCLE which strengthens with use

• Teach students STRATEGIES for learning and problem solving

• Discourage labels that convey intelligence as a fixed entity

What can we do?

• Teach students to think of brain as a MUSCLE which strengthens with use

• Teach students STRATEGIES for learning and problem solving

• Discourage labels that convey intelligence as a fixed entity

• Praise student’s effort, strategies, progress, NOT their intelligence

What can we do?

• Teach students to think of brain as a MUSCLE which strengthens with use

• Teach students STRATEGIES for learning and problem solving

• Discourage labels that convey intelligence as a fixed entity

• Praise student’s effort, strategies, progress, NOT their intelligence

• Give students challenging work

“Effort DOES Lead to Success”

A look at the research done by Carol Dweck

“Self Theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development”

Carol S. Dweck (2000) – Taylor and Francis Publishers