title: Using Design Thinking to Improve Psychological Interventions: The Case of the Growth Mindset During the Transition to High School.
abstract: There are many promising psychological interventions on the horizon, but there is no clear methodology for preparing them to be scaled up. Drawing on design thinking, the present research formalizes a methodology for redesigning and tailoring initial interventions. We test the methodology using the case of fixed versus growth mindsets during the transition to high school. Qualitative inquiry and rapid, iterative, randomized "A/B" experiments were conducted with ~3,000 participants to inform intervention revisions for this population. Next, two experimental evaluations showed that the revised growth mindset intervention was an improvement over previous versions in terms of short-term proxy outcomes (Study 1,N=7,501), and it improved 9thgrade core-course GPA and reduced D/F GPAs for lower achieving students when delivered via the Internet under routine conditions with ~95% of students at 10 schools (Study 2,N=3,676). Although the intervention could still be improved even further, the current research provides a model for how to improve and scale interventions that begin to address pressing educational problems. It also provides insight into how to teach a growth mindset more effectively.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas at Austin.
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Yeager
authors.affiliation: PERTS and Stanford University.
authors.forename: Carissa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.affiliation: PERTS and Stanford University.
authors.forename: Dave
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Paunesku
authors.affiliation: University of Virginia.
authors.forename: Christopher S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Hulleman
authors.affiliation: Michigan State University.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.affiliation: University of Texas at Austin.
authors.forename: Cintia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hinojosa
authors.affiliation: University of Texas at Austin.
authors.forename: Hae Yeon
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: University of Texas at Austin.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.affiliation: ICF International.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Flint
authors.affiliation: ICF International.
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.affiliation: ICF International.
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Trott
authors.affiliation: Stanford University.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Greene
authors.affiliation: Stanford University.
authors.forename: Gregory M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Walton
authors.affiliation: Stanford University.
authors.forename: Carol S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Dweck
keywords: adolescence; growth mindset; incremental theory of intelligence; motivation; psychological intervention