Growth Mindset and Grit

Overview

In this section, you will explore two powerful tools that influence success in college and beyond: Growth Mindset and GRIT. These concepts help students overcome challenges, stay motivated, and recover from setbacks. Whether you're adjusting to college-level coursework or navigating life on your own for the first time, understanding how to develop a growth mindset and cultivate grit can make all the difference.

By the end of this section, you will define Growth Mindset and GRIT; understand you beliefs about effort, intelligence, and how failure impacts your learning; and reflect on how mindset and perseverance can help overcome personal and academic challenges.

Learn [Part 1]

In this activity, you are introduced to Dr. Carol Dweck, the leading researcher behind growth mindset, and Dr. Angela Duckworth, who speaks to the concept of GRIT. In the videos below, they outline powerful insights and real-world examples to help you learn how your beliefs about effort, failure, and persistence directly impact and shape your academic and personal growth, as well as your success in college and beyond.

You will complete the following tasks:

Review the Growth Mindset and Grit slide deck linked here and embedded below.
Watch the Developing Growth Mindset | 10 min video linked here and embedded in the Growth Mindset and Grit slide deck and below.
Watch the Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance | 6 min video linked here and embedded in the Growth Mindset and Grit slide deck and below.

Growth Mindset and Grit

Module 5 Section 2 PLN Growth Mindset and Grit - College Success.pptx

Developing Growth Mindset

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

Apply [Part 1]

(Optional) Use the information you learned to complete the activity outlined below.

After reviewing the Growth Mindset and GRIT slide deck and watching the Developing Growth Mindset and Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance videos, complete Angela Duckworth's Grit Scale Assessment and note your score. Click the previous link or complete the assessment on the Grit Scale website embedded below.

Duckworth - Grit Scale

Learn [Part 2]

In this section, you are introduced to Maya, a first-year college student who struggled in a challenging science course. Instead of giving up, she shifted her mindset, adjusted her strategies, and made meaningful progress.

You will read the Case Study: Maya’s First-Year Challenge below and, as you read, think about how Maya responded to setbacks and what changed in her thinking. Consider how her story might relate to your own experiences.

Case Study: Maya's First-Year Challenge

Case Study: Maya’s First-Year Challenge

Background: Maya was a first-year biology major at a large university. She had always been a high achiever in high school, graduating near the top of her class. But within the first month of college, she started struggling in her introductory chemistry course. Despite studying the way she always had, she failed her first two quizzes and scored a 61% on her first exam.

The Challenge: Maya was devastated. She felt like maybe she wasn’t “cut out” for science. She even considered switching majors. On top of that, she was living away from home for the first time, and adjusting to dorm life and making new friends wasn’t easy. She began skipping lectures, telling herself she just "wasn’t smart enough."

Turning Point: One day after class, her professor stayed behind to ask if everything was okay. Maya admitted she was struggling. Her professor encouraged her to attend office hours and connected her with a peer tutor. Maya also met with an academic coach who introduced her to new study strategies like spaced repetition and active recall.

Inspired to give it another shot, Maya created a study schedule and committed to going to office hours every week. She still didn’t ace the next test, but she improved enough to feel hopeful again. More importantly, she stopped avoiding the class and started facing it with persistence.

Outcome: By the end of the semester, Maya passed chemistry with a B–. It wasn’t the grade she originally hoped for, but it felt like a huge win. More importantly, she proved to herself that failure wasn’t the end — it was just the beginning of a new strategy.

Maya stayed in the biology program, and in her second year, she became a peer mentor for incoming students, sharing her story and encouraging others to. push through setbacks.

Apply [Part 2]

(Optional) Use the information you learned to complete the activity outlined below.

After reading the Case Study: Maya’s First-Year Challenge above, please reflect on the following questions:

What mindset shifts helped Maya bounce back from her academic struggles?
Have you ever experienced a situation where persistence paid off even when things started badly?
What steps would you take if you were in Maya’s situation?

Click the link to access Module 5 Section 03 - Time Management and Study Habits.

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