Homeschooling Versus Traditional Schooling; Difference in Students’ Mindsets by Schooling Type

Abstract

How a person views their failures and what they attribute these to, varies person to person. The study of implicit theories of intelligence has been ongoing since the 1980’s, with the terms growth and fixed mindset being coined in the early 2000’s. The benefits of a growth mindset on one’s personal life and academic/work life is seen in research. Yet current research into what influences a certain mindset to develop is still in infancy. This study examined if the schooling environment might have an influence on the type of mindset a student develops. Using homeschooled and traditionally schooled participants, 219 New Zealand and Australian students aged 16 to 18 were anonymously surveyed and assessed on their level of each mindset. Our study did not find any significant difference in mindset type by schooling type, though our two groups were uneven in size. Looking at what might influence mindset for students in general, our study found higher levels of fixed mindsets to be associated with higher levels of loneliness, and lower levels of competence. This was in line with current research. We also found lower levels of loneliness to be associated with higher levels of growth mindset. This study contributes to current literature about mindsets, and homeschooling outcomes. Future research could test this same study again but using equal group sizes, in order to show results more accurately to the true population of homeschoolers. Looking further into the role of loneliness and mindset development will also help contribute to the formation of robust growth mindset interventions.