Professors' fixed mindset beliefs negatively impact the belonging of all students, and undermine the performance of women in STEM courses

Published: March 3, 2022 By

Definitions to know

Fixed vs growth mindset

  • Fixed mindset: Belief that intelligence and ability is unchangeable, some people have it and some people don’t, there is nothing they can do about it
  • Growth mindset: Intelligence and ability is malleable, anyone can learn and succeed

Stereotype threat

  • The fear of confirming a stereotype about one’s group (gender, race, etc.) negatively affects outcomes for students in threatened groups

Full Paper

    This paper outlines the results of two studies on how the mindset beliefs of STEM faculty impact student outcomes. Both studies collected students’ perceptions of professor’s mindset beliefs, based on cues in a syllabus and based on early experience in the course. The studies also collected perceived or experience of professor’s endorsement of gender stereotypes, the students’ expected or experienced sense of belonging in the course. The results of those surveys were then combined with student outcomes, score on a math placement test and final course grades. Both studies found that if the students perceived the professor to have more fixed mindset beliefs they expected or believed the professor endorsed more gender stereotypes. In those cases the students also expected or experienced feeling less like they belonged in the course. In both studies the women’s performance was negatively affected by the professor’s fixed mindset beliefs, expected or experienced.

    Table 1. Comparison of studies 1 and 2.

    Environment Study 1 Study 2
    Setting Experimental situation Actual STEM courses
    Brief Description Fixed vs growth mindset cues provided in syllabi Surveyed for professors' mindset beliefs in STEM courses
    Sample
    • 217 undergraduate students
    • 61% Women, 39% Men; 
    • 71% White, 13% Asain, 7% Black, 4% Hispanic, 5% other
    • 884 undergraduate students from 46 introductory STEM courses
    • 64.5% Women, 35.5% Men;
    • 76% White, 10% Asian/Asian American, 5.1% Hispanic, 5.1% Black, 2.5% Biracial, 1.3% other
    Procedure
    • Review the syllabus
    • Survey 1: professor's perceived mindset beliefs, professor’s predicted stereotype endorsement, & anticipated belonging in course
    • Performance: Math placement test
    • Survey 2: Personal mindset beliefs & demographic information
    • After the drop date
    • Survey 1: Student's own mindset beliefs and their STEM professor's
    • In final weeks of semester
    • Survey 2: Professor's endorsement of gender stereotypes, & student's sense of belonging in the course
    • Performance: Final course grades
    Results
    • Gender stereotypes: Students expected more gender stereotypes from professors who they perceived to have a fixed mindset (women more than men)
    • Belonging: Students anticipated lower feelings of belonging with a fixed mindset professor (women more than men)
    • Performance: Womens' performance was negatively affected by the professor's fixed mindset beliefs
    • Gender stereotypes: The more students perceived their professor to have a fixed mindset the more they thought their professor endorsed gender stereotypes (no gender differences)
    • Belonging: Students reported less feelings of belonging with fixed mindset professors (no gender differences)
    • Performance: The fixed mindset professors had gender gaps in final course performance, the growth mindset professors did not

    The negative impact of professor's fixed mindset beliefs and on the performance of women students is not novel information. What is new is the way in which these studies were able to show a causal relationship between professor's mindset beliefs, stereotype threat, and women's performance in STEM courses. The first study showed this relationship in an experimental setting, where the students only have the syllabus to guide their perception about the professor but they were still able to show that perceived fixed mindset beliefs from a professor undermined the performance of the women. The second study was then able to replicate this connection with students in actual STEM classes and using their final course grades to measure performance.

    In both studies it was found that a professor's fixed mindset beliefs led to gender gaps in performance that did not exist in cases where the professor had growth mindset beliefs. The takeaway, beyond the proof of the causal relationship, is that fixed mindset beliefs negatively impact the sense of belonging of all our students, and undermine the performance of women in our STEM courses.


    Full Paper: Canning, E. A., Ozier, E., Williams, H. E., AlRasheed, R., & Murphy, M. C. (2021). Professors Who Signal a Fixed Mindset About Ability Undermine Women’s Performance in STEM. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 19485506211030398.