Why do children approach learning in different ways?
Children’s beliefs about ability are linked with their motivation to learn
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From the moment children start school, adults expect them to start developing foundational skills. Although children learn at a remarkable pace, mastering literacy and numeracy is not easy. They must be willing to face challenging material head-on, embrace tasks that might lead to mistakes or failure, and persevere. What psychological factors shape children’s willingness to pursue mastery? When learning proves difficult, why do some children give up while others push on?
How beliefs about ability impact learning
For adults as well as children, motivation depends on several different factors. The extent to which we embrace challenges, persist after failure, and strive for mastery depends, at least in part, on our beliefs about how malleable ability is. Some of us see ability as relatively stable, and others view it as dynamic and changeable.
These beliefs—called “fixed” and “growth” mindsets—are associated with different priorities. People who think ability is relatively fixed are concerned with proving their abilities and tend to avoid situations that might discredit them. Those who think ability can change are more concerned with improving their abilities over time.
These concerns, in turn, promote different approaches to learning. People with fixed views of ability are more likely to avoid challenges and adapt less well to setbacks. Those with growth views of ability tend to embrace challenges and are better able to adapt to setbacks. These approaches can set people on different learning trajectories, ultimately shaping what they achieve.
Beliefs about ability go beyond ideas about its malleability
We all harbor a number of other, related beliefs about ability. Those who tend to think ability is fixed are also likely to believe that ability has innate origins, that not many people have the potential to reach the highest levels of ability, and that very high levels of ability are required for success. In contrast, those who think ability is malleable are inclined to believe that ability is acquired, that many people possess the potential to reach the highest levels of ability, and that success is not strongly dependent on high levels of ability.
Together, these nuanced beliefs fit together to make up a larger belief system. This system shapes how each of us makes sense of our academic world and how we act in it.
Children’s beliefs about ability
When do children’s beliefs about ability become multifaceted and organized like the beliefs of adults? And when do children’s approaches to learning become connected with these beliefs? To find out, my colleagues and I conducted a study in which we asked 5- to 11-year-olds from across the United States about their beliefs about ability. We used simple, concrete language so that we could ask even the youngest children and discover how they think about the nature of ability.
“Children who believed that ability is relatively malleable tended to believe that everyone has the potential to reach the highest levels of ability.”
We found that children’s beliefs about ability weren’t fragmented or scattered—they were relatively orderly and connected meaningfully with one another. Like adults, children who believed ability is relatively fixed also tended to believe that only some people can achieve the highest levels of ability, that ability is innate, and that very high levels (i.e., “brilliance”) are required for success. Children who believed that ability is relatively malleable tended to believe that everyone has the potential to reach the highest levels of ability, that ability is acquired, and that very high levels are not a crucial requirement for success.
Children’s belief systems also appear to be linked with how they approach learning. In the study, we gave children two choices: They could either complete a task in which they knew they would perform well or they could complete a task in which they would learn something new. Although we explicitly mentioned the risk of making mistakes in the “learn something new” task, children who thought that ability was relatively malleable tended to select that option. This was also true of children who believed that ability is acquired.
Children with more fixed views of ability, as well as children who believed that ability has innate origins, were more likely to forgo the chance to learn, instead opting for the task that guaranteed good performance. Much like adults, children who believed that success in school requires brilliance expressed more concern that others would judge their abilities negatively.
“By the early elementary-school years, children are forming detailed belief systems about ability that lead to different approaches to learning.”
It appears that by the early elementary-school years, children are forming detailed belief systems about ability that lead to different approaches to learning. In a world in which ability is fixed and innate, challenges and mistakes are threatening and to be avoided. In a world where ability is malleable and acquired, challenges and mistakes are embraced and lead to learning. Fostering adaptive views about the nature of ability can help young children master and build on the foundational skills that will help them thrive in school.
How can adults support children in developing adaptive views of ability?
• Avoid comments that evaluate a person’s abilities. Even statements about others like “she’s super smart!” can send an unhelpful message to children about the values and beliefs of important adults in their lives.
• Highlight the elements that are central to learning and academic performance, such as effort, practice, and embracing challenges.
• Treat failure and mistakes as opportunities for improvement and learning, not evidence of lack of ability.
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