Growth Mindset Definition and Meaning | Top Hat (2024)

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A growth mindset, proposed by Stanford professor Carol Dweck in her book Mindset, describes people who believe that their success depends on time and effort. People with a growth mindset feel their skills and intelligence can be improved with effort and persistence. They embrace challenges, persist through obstacles, learn from criticism and seek out inspiration in others’ success.

Those who hold a growth mindset believe that they can get better at something by dedication of time, effort and energy. Working on one’s flaws, and the process—not the outcome—are themost important components. With time and practice, people with a growth mindset believe they can achieve what they want. The opposite of a growth mindset is a fixed mindset.

Further Reading

  • Growth Mindset Definition and Meaning | Top Hat (1)

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    How Faculty Can Apply a Growth Mindset To Their Teaching

  • Growth Mindset Definition and Meaning | Top Hat (2)

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    Why It’s Important to Approach Teaching With a Growth Mindset

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Growth Mindset Definition and Meaning | Top Hat (2024)

FAQs

Growth Mindset Definition and Meaning | Top Hat? ›

Those who hold a growth mindset believe that they can get better at something by dedication of time, effort and energy. Working on one's flaws, and the process—not the outcome—are the most important components. With time and practice, people with a growth mindset believe they can achieve what they want.

What is the best definition of growth mindset? ›

Growth mindset: “In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.” ( Dweck, 2015)

What is the real world definition of growth mindset? ›

A growth mindset, as conceived by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck and colleagues, is the belief that a person's capacities and talents can be improved over time.

What is a growth mindset in a nutshell? ›

People with a growth mindset are always thinking about how to solve a challenge and what they need to do in order to achieve a goal. They're not hamstrung by the thought of failure, and are instead emboldened by it. Some people might consider such attributes as an attitude or something one is born with.

How to explain growth mindset? ›

Having a growth mindset means believing that a person's abilities aren't innate but can be improved through effort, learning, and persistence. A growth mindset is all about the attitude with which a person faces challenges, how they process failures, and how they adapt and evolve as a result.

What best describes a growth mindset? ›

A growth mindset, proposed by Stanford professor Carol Dweck in her book Mindset, describes people who believe that their success depends on time and effort. People with a growth mindset feel their skills and intelligence can be improved with effort and persistence.

What builds growth mindset? ›

Developing a growth mindset requires a conscious shift in how you perceive challenges, effort, and feedback. It centers on the understanding that abilities and intelligence are malleable traits that can be honed with effort and perseverance.

What are the keys to a growth mindset? ›

Those with growth mindsets embrace challenges, persist through obstacles, learn from criticism, and are inspired by the success of others. With the growth mindset, we can acknowledge our failures and find inspiration to keep improving. For example, getting a C- on a paper is not the end-all of your college career.

Why is growth mindset important? ›

Growth mindset is the belief that a person's intelligence and abilities can grow and improve with practice, and researchers have found that brief exercises that increase growth mindset can help keep students motivated when they face challenges, improve their grades, and even increase college graduation rates.

What is growth mindset in one sentence? ›

People who believe their success is based on hard work, learning, training, and perseverance are said to have a “growth mindset.”

Is growth mindset a skill? ›

A growth mindset is one of the most wanted soft skills of the year.

What is a synonym for growth mindset? ›

Optimistic, Open, Opportunist, Ownership, Organised, Overcoming, Outward looking.

What is the best growth mindset? ›

Those with growth mindsets embrace challenges, persist through obstacles, learn from criticism, and are inspired by the success of others. With the growth mindset, we can acknowledge our failures and find inspiration to keep improving. For example, getting a C- on a paper is not the end-all of your college career.

Which of the following best defines the term growth mindset? ›

The statement that best describes a growth mindset is "No question; it's possible to change how intelligent you are." In contrast, a fixed mindset is the belief that essential qualities, like intelligence or talent, are fixed traits that cannot be significantly altered.

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