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David Yeager

Assistant Professor of PsychologyFellow, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of TeachingFaculty Research Associate, Population Research CenterFaculty Research Fellow, Charles A. Dana CenterProductive Persistence:Tenacity + Good StrategiesA Practical Theory of Community College Success12

Jane MuhichDirector, Productive Persistence,Faculty, Seattle Central

Lawrence MoralesImprovement Advisor, Faculty, Seattle Central

Carol DweckStanford University

Geoff Cohen, Stanford UniversityValerie Purdie-Vaughns, Columbia University

2Solutionitis:The Search for the Perfect WidgetStudy SkillsIntrusive AdvisingMetacognitive monitoring of progress toward goals and of effectiveness of strategiesNavigating the college campusMandatory OrientationProper PlacementPeer tutorsWrap-around supportsSupplemental InstructionStudent CohortsInvest in Faculty DevelopmentAcademic CounselingSelf Regulated LearningCareer planningSense of self-efficacyAccelerationLarge numbers of students do not complete developmental math.

There has to be more to it than curricula and instruction.

But what do we call these other things?Non-cognitives? Study Skills? Motivation? Grit?

And can we even do anything about them?

or the tendency to do somethinganythingto or for a kid to help them to succeed. We seem to jump to solutions. We say oh, students need . [READ THEM ALL].

Now, its not that these things are all bad ideas. Some are quite good, others are essential. But what Id like to propose is a different way forward.34Productive PersistenceTenacity + Good StrategiesKey Idea: Focus on the primary drivers as a way to organize the work.We want students to not only work hard but work smart. We want our students to continue to put forth effort when faced with challenges

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5A student, upon completing a diagnostic assessment in a developmental math course:6 I am embarrassed by how stupid I am and suddenly feeling very discouraged I can't even tell which fraction is bigger than another, or where they should fall on the number line. I feel like crying.

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Whats the point?Maybe I dont have what it takesMaybe I dont belong hereThat is, once you start to look at achievement gaps from the perspective of the student, not from the perspective of the education reformer, then a different picture can start to emerge.

Heres a student who, at some level wants to learn and, to some reasonable extent, has the skills and the resources to learn. Even when instruction is excellent or at least adequate, he still may not learn if there are psychological barriers that prevent him from taking advantage of it. If he has doubts about his academic potential wondering maybe I dont have what it takes. If he gets critical feedback on an essay and wonders maybe my teacher is biased. Or if he looks around the college campus and wonders maybe I dont belong here. Each of these can cap motivation. As such, even when the objective school environment, to some extent, affords opportunities to learn, a student may not achieve unless these barriers are removed. Said another way, sometimes students have it in them to learn and succeedthey have the skills and the motivation. What they need is to feel safe in the college environment--to know that it is safe to put forth their best efforts and trust that those efforts will be rewarded.7Productive PersistenceMindsets about social belongingMindsets about academic potentialSelf-regulationSkillsMindsetsMindsets about the value of schoolworkLearning strategies8Mindsets about academic potential9Whos ever heard a student say: Im not smart at math?

(or writing, art, etc)10Being a 'math person' or not is something about you that you really can't change. Some people are good at math and other people aren't."11Survey data from Carnegie Foundation Statway, N ~ 1,10011Which is a Better Way to Help Students Believe in Themselves?Assure students that they are smart as they face challenges.

Tell students that the brain gets smarter when it overcomes challenges.12Mindsets about academic potential12Fixed mindset (intelligence is fixed)If I have to try hard, Im clearly not smart. No point in trying if one is not a natural

Growth mindset (intelligence is malleable)Trying harder makes you smarter.Obstacles can be overcome through effort, help from others, and use of improved strategyNote: Its NOT just about trying harder.

Mindsets about academic potential13

1415Fixed mindsetGrowth mindsetGoalsLook smartLearnValues effort, help & strategy?NoYesResponse to challengeGive upWork harder and smarterChanges in gradesDecreaseIncrease

Mindsets About Ability15The Mindset Process7Social and academic mindsetsEveryday behaviorsHigher achievement16

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Neural structure/communication18

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Most people dont know that when they practice and learn new things, parts of their brain change and get larger, a lot like the muscles do. This is true even for adults. So its not true that some people are stuck being not smart or not math people. You can improve your abilities a lot, as long as you practice and use good strategies.Mindsets about academic potential20Course DropoutStudents Who Withdrew From Developmental MathN = 288, Z = 2.87, p = .004Mindsets about academic potentialYeager et al. (in prep)21Basic Arithmetic, Pre-Algebra, Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, Plane Geometry22I feel very confident because i dedicate my time to learn the concepts thoroughly. I feel that if one person put in the work to really understand the concepts they can pass. I was never a "math person" but coming into [this course] has completely made a 360 degree turn [sic] about how i feel about math. It is great!

Mindsets about academic potentialYeager et al. (in prep)22What Can You Say to Promote a Growth Mindset in Your Class?23Encouragement24

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27Utilizing MOOCs To Test Feedback Practices

Khan Academy online learningN = 265,082 to dateIntervention delivered in units on fractionsMassively open online courses: large scale experimentation, monitoring of learning process as mindsets change28ConditionsNo Statements at top of page (Khan Academy default)

General EncouragementSome of these problems are hard. Just do your best.If at first you don't succeed, try again.

Growth MindsetRemember, the more you practice the smarter you become!When you learn a new kind of math problem, you grow your math brain!

Control StatementsNo HeadersIntervention29

Khan AcademyPlacebo: If at first you dont succeed, try again.

Growth mindset: When you learn a new kind of math problem, you grow your math brain!N ~ 265,000Growth Mindset led to 4-5% increase in learning rates even after mindset phrases were removed!!Sohl-Dickstein, Paunesku, Haley, & Williams (in prep).30Mindsets about the value of schoolwork31Whos ever heard a student say:

Whats the point of doing this?32

Mindsets about the value of schoolwork33

The Boring Math TaskGalla, B., Plummer, B., Meketon, D., Duckworth, A.L., D'Mello, S. (in preparation). Mindsets about the value of schoolwork34The Boring Math Task

Galla, B., Plummer, B., Meketon, D., Duckworth, A.L., D'Mello, S. (in preparation). Mindsets about the value of schoolwork35A Beyond-the-Self Purpose for Learning36Yeager, Henderson, Paunesku, Walton, DMello, & Duckworth (under review), JPSPMindsets about the value of schoolwork36Victor Frankl (1951)A [person] who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life (p. 80).

He knows the why for his existence and will be able to bear almost any how (p. 80) Mindsets about the value of schoolwork37A Beyond-the-Self Purpose for LearningSometimes the world is unjust. And nearly everyone at some time in their lives sees this and thinks the world could be better in one way or another what are some problems that you think about and that might relate to skills you are getting in college?

38Yeager, Henderson, Paunesku, Walton, DMello, & Duckworth (under review), JPSPMindsets about the value of schoolwork38

Yeager, Henderson, Paunesku, Walton, DMello, & Duckworth (under review), JPSPMindsets about the value of schoolwork39Thinking Beyond-the-SelfHelps Maintain Self-Control40****N ~ 29040Longitudinal, Web-Based Experiment:Overall GPA in Community CollegeMindsets about the value of schoolwork41Growth Mindset, Purpose and GPA in Math in Community College42Yeager, Paunesku, et al. (in prep)N = 770; Ivy Tech and Santa Monica CCwww.perts.netMindsets about the value of schoolwork42Mindsets about social belonging43Belonging Uncertainty(Walton & Cohen, 2007)People may commonly question their belonging in new social and academic settingsEspecially when they are targeted by stigma and negative stereotypes

This uncertainty ambiguates the meaning of negative social eventsMindsets about social belongingOne effect negative stereotypes may have on targets is to create uncertainty about belonging in domains where those stereotypes apply.

Stereotypes may have this effect for a variety of reasons. People who are negatively stereotypedmay risk encountering prejudice, both in overt forms, and in subtle, hard-to-detect forms, and as a result, anticipate rejection based on their group identity, as research by Geraldine Downey and others shows.As research by Claude Steele and colleagues shows, people may suspect that others could view them through the lens of the stereotype, rather than seeing them as individuals.As research by Jenny Crocker and colleagues on attributional ambiguity shows, they may mistrust the motives behind other peoples treatment of them, for example perceiving bias in critical feedback And finally, people who are negatively stereotyped may simply find that their group is under-represented in domains where the stereotype applies.

One consequence of stereotype threat and these other factors may be to raise questions about how one is perceived and whether one fits in to create a global uncertainty about belonging, about whether others will include one in quality social relationships in that setting.

As a result, the meaning of adverse events can be more ambiguous.

Imagine you were asked to write an essay about your hero. You stay up all night, do your best, and turn in what you think is a pretty decent draft. A week or so later, you get this: What do you think? How do you interpret it? What do you do? This talk is about the psychology of receiving critical feedback, and how this extremely common but psychologically rich interaction can profoundly shape a students engagement in school and contribute to the widening or closing of racial achievement gaps.45

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Substantive feedbackGive more detailGlobal encouragementGood job47

Wise feedback:Im giving you these comments because I have high standards and I know that you can meet them.

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Placebo:Im giving you these comments so you have feedback on your essay.

49Percentage Resubmitting Essay(7th graders)Yeager, Purdie-Vaughns, et al. (in press) JEP: General50Addressing Major Problems at Scale:Developmental Math51Time to Complete College Level Math Course:Year 2Year 1Year 3http://www.sunsetridge29.net/cms/lib3/IL01000833/Centricity/Domain/108/9840718.jpg

20.4%

Traditional Statistics

15.1%

100%

5.9%

Note shortened time to degree and higher success rate, increases student optionsNote pathway to calculus not impeded

52New Mathematics Pathways 53Through college-level statistics

To-and-through college-level quantitative reasoning

Two 1-year pathways for elementary algebra students12

53Starting Strong with Productive Persistence in the First Three Weeks545455Statway Success55Time to Complete College Level Math Course:Statway vs. Traditional StatisticsYear 2Year 1Year 3http://www.sunsetridge29.net/cms/lib3/IL01000833/Centricity/Domain/108/9840718.jpg

100%

20.4%

Traditional StatisticsStatway

15.1%

100%

5.9%

51%

Note shortened time to degree and higher success rate, increases student optionsNote pathway to calculus not impeded

56Productive Persistence Embedded in the Statway:

Turning a Gatekeeper into a Gateway57