The Role of Mindset in Education : A Large-Scale Field Experiment in Disadvantaged Schools,
Elise Huillery, Adrien Bouguen, Axelle Charpentier, Yann Algan, Coralie Chevallier
Abstract
This article provides experimental evidence of the impact of a four-year intervention aimed at developing students’ growth mindset and internal locus of control in disadvantaged middle schools. We find a 0.07 standard deviation increase in GPA, associated with a change in students’ mindset, improved behavior as reported by teachers and school registers, and higher educational and professional aspirations. International empirical benchmarks reveal that the intervention is at least ten times more cost-effective than the typical educational intervention. However, while reducing between-school inequality when targeted to disadvantaged schools, the program benefits less to more fragile students, therefore increasing within-school inequality.