Mindset, Motivation and Resilience

How Can Teachers Improve Student Persistence and Effort?

Teachers can improve student persistence by praising effort over performance and helping students understand the purpose behind their learning. Research shows that students who receive effort-based praise are more likely to choose challenging tasks and persist through difficulties. Creating a classroom environment that celebrates growth and connects lessons to future goals significantly boosts student motivation.

Students need motivation to learn. They need reasons to stay focused and excited about learning and they need encouragement to succeed. When teachers feel inspired and enthusiastic about teaching, students respond well. Anyone working in a school will know that it's not that simple and there's a whole body of research to help us understand the complexities of mindset, motivation and resilience. In recent posts, we have focus primarily on the science of learning, or things from memory to attention. Humans aren't robots though, our complex minds are highly connected to our emotions. In this short article, we outline some of the key studies that can be used to inform our classroom practice.

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What Is Growth Mindset and Why Does It Matter for Students?

Growth mindset is the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort and practice, rather than being fixed traits. Students with a growth mindset perform better academically because they view challenges as opportunities to learn rather than threats to their self-image. A single 45-minute lesson on growth mindset has been shown to transform underachieving students' grades.

Mueller and Dweck (1998)

Students who are praised for their effort on a task rather than their performance are more likely to choose future tasks that allow them to learn new things, reportedly enjoy the task they were praised for more, are more likely to persist with new tasks and perform better on future tasks.

Consider the terminology we use to give praise and whether the term ‘gifted and talented’ is helpful for students’ long-term achievement and enjoyment of learning.

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How Important Is IQ for Student Success?

Research shows that determination and perseverance are more important predictors of success than IQ alone. Terman's 35-year longitudinal study found that high IQ students without persistence achieved less than those with moderate IQ but strong determination. Academic success depends more on mindset, motivation, and resilience than on innate intelligence.

Terman (1925)

In a longitudinal studies (over 35 years), Terman found that children’s IQ scores were a poorer indicator of future success compared to their character traits (even for students identified as gifted and talented). Determination and persistence were better predictors of success in future careers.

Encourage students to be more resilient as it is likely that this will have a greater impact on achievement than their underlying IQ.

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How Can Teachers Build Student Resilience in the Classroom?

Teachers can build student resilience by focusing on five key areas of academic buoyancy: confidence, coordination, commitment, composure, and control. Resilient students bounce back from setbacks more quickly and maintain their motivation despite challenges. Teaching students specific coping strategies and providing supportive feedback helps develop these resilience skills.

Holdsworth et al (2017)

The three key attributes behind resilience are having a sense of perspective, staying healthy and social support. Managing emotions, controlling what you can, setting goals and self-reflection helped students to have a sense of perspective.

The researchers found that schools could foster resilience thought allowing students to learn from failures, providing high-quality feedback focussing on next steps and having access to extra-curricular activities. Ensure students are active and that they celebrate successes with positive self-talk. Support students to form good relationships in school and not become isolated.

Why Do Students Need to Know the Purpose of Their Learning?

Students work significantly harder when they understand how their learning connects to their future goals and real-world applications. Research shows that explaining the purpose of lessons is more effective for motivation than reminding students about upcoming tests. When students see relevance in their learning, they demonstrate increased engagement and better retention.

Paunesku et al (2015)

Teaching students how to develop a growth mindset or a sense of purpose both resulted in a significant increase in grades. The impact was greatest for students who were struggling in school. It was also found that a growth mindset and sense of purpose can effectively be taught online in as little as one 45-minute session each.

Teach students about how the brain develops and their potential to improve their attainment through study and practice to develop a growth mindset. Have students focus on how achievement in school can help them to achieve meaningful goals to develop a sense of purpose. A single session of each intervention may be enough to produce an increase in attainment.

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What Is Academic Buoyancy and How Does It Help Struggling Students?

Academic buoyancy is the ability to bounce back from everyday academic setbacks like poor grades, challenging assignments, or difficult deadlines. Students with high academic buoyancy maintain their motivation and performance despite these common challenges. Teachers can develop academic buoyancy by teaching coping strategies and normalizing struggle as part of the learning process.

Martin et al (2010)

Academic buoyancy is a student’s ability to overcome the everyday challenges of school. The five areas associated with academic buoyancy that should be targeted to help students overcome challenges are:

Confidence (a belief that hard work will lead to success); Coordination (planning and avoiding procrastination); Commitment (resilience, determination and persistence); Composure (managing nerves, anxiety and stress); Control (focusing on what is important and under the student’s control).

Maximise opportunities for success, develop the skills of self-regulation and goal-setting, provide direction to enhance planning and persistence. Help students to prioritise their work and give them clear expectations and success criteria for each task. Praise effort and provide task-based feedback about how to improve.

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How Can Schools Develop Student Resilience?

Schools can develop student resilience by implementing programs that teach emotional regulation, problem-solving skills, and positive self-talk. The resilience formula combines supportive relationships, high expectations, and opportunities for meaningful participation. Regular practice with manageable challenges in a supportive environment helps students build confidence in their ability to overcome difficulties.

Fletcher and Sarkar (2016)

A review of existing studies concluded that any program that aims to enhance students’ resilience should focus on:

- Personal qualities (such as high personal standards, optimism, competitiveness, intrinsic motivation, self-confidence, self-talk, focussing on what is important and what can be controlled).

- A facilitative environment (where students are challenged but there is a high level of support available).

- A challenge mindset (viewing setbacks as challenges rather than a threat through focusing on what you stand to gain, asking ‘what can I do about this?’, not catastrophising, avoiding words like ‘should’ and ‘must’, concentrating on positive and helpful thoughts.)

Educate students about what it means to be resilient and use the above three points to focus any intervention. Ensure teachers are aware that students are more likely to become resilient in lessons when they are challenged and support is readily available.

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What Motivates Students to Learn and Persist?

Students are motivated by understanding the purpose of their learning, receiving recognition for effort rather than ability, and feeling connected to their teachers. Teacher enthusiasm directly impacts student motivation, creating a positive feedback loop in the classroom. Intrinsic motivation develops when students experience autonomy, mastery, and purpose in their learning activities.

Reeve et al (2004)

Four groups of students were taught a new topic in an intentionally boring way. The first group were given no reason to try hard, the second group were told it was important for a test, the third group were told that trying hard was expected and the fourth group were told the new skill would help them in the future. The fourth group rated the lesson as more important than the other three groups, they had higher levels of self-determination and internal motivation, and put more effort into the lesson. Being told that working hard was expected resulted in a greater effort than being told the material would be on a test.

Having an appreciation for why what we teach is important and communicating this to students should result in greater motivation than reminding them that they will ultimately be tested on the information.

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How Do Mindset and Attitude Affect Student Self-Esteem?

Students with a growth mindset develop healthier self-esteem because they view challenges as opportunities rather than threats to their self-worth. Praising effort instead of intelligence helps students maintain positive attitudes even when facing difficulties. This approach builds authentic self-esteem based on personal growth rather than comparison to others.

Robins and Pals (2002)

Students with a growth mindset are more likely to: prioritise learning over performance; attribute success to their effort and study skills; feel excited about academic performance; put in more effort and learn from mistakes; have higher self-esteem. Students with a fixed mindset are more likely to:prioritise performance over learning; attribute failures and successes to external and uncontrollable factors; feel distressed by their academic performance; feel helpless; have low self-esteem.

Teach students that ability is not fixed, it can change over time, and create situations where it is clear that effort and hard work directly impact results.

Tips for Improving Mindset, Motivation and Resilience:

• Believe in Improvement: teach students that hard work and effort will lead to improvement.
• Sense of Purpose: encourage students to see the link between the work they are doing and achieving future goals.
• Internalise Success: teach students that they are in control of their successes.
• Support and Challenge: these are the conditions that lead to resilience.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is growth mindset and how quickly can it impact student performance?

Growth mindset is the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort and practice, rather than being fixed traits. Research shows that a single 45-minute lesson on growth mindset can transform underachieving students' grades by helping them view challenges as learning opportunities rather than threats to their self-image.

How should teachers change their praise language to improve student persistence?

Teachers should praise effort over performance, as students who receive effort-based praise are more likely to choose challenging tasks and persist through difficulties. Consider avoiding terms like 'gifted and talented' and instead focus on praising the hard work and strategies students use to achieve their results.

What are the five key areas teachers should focus on to build academic buoyancy in struggling students?

The five areas of academic buoyancy are confidence (belief that hard work leads to success), coordination (planning and avoiding procrastination), commitment (resilience and persistence), composure (managing anxiety and stress), and control (focusing on what's important and manageable). Teachers can develop these by maximising opportunities for success, teaching self-regulation skills, and providing clear expectations with task-based feedback.

Why is explaining the purpose of learning more effective than reminding students about tests?

Students work significantly harder when they understand how their learning connects to their future goals and real-world applications. Research demonstrates that explaining lesson relevance increases engagement and retention more effectively than test reminders because it helps students develop a genuine sense of purpose in their studies.

How important is IQ compared to determination for student success?

Research from Terman's 35-year longitudinal study shows that determination and persistence are better predictors of success than IQ alone. High IQ students without persistence achieved less than those with moderate IQ but strong determination, proving that character traits matter more than innate intelligence for long-term achievement.

What practical strategies can schools implement to develop student resilience?

Schools should focus on teaching emotional regulation, problem-solving skills, and positive self-talk whilst providing supportive relationships and high expectations. Practical approaches include allowing students to learn from failures, providing high-quality feedback focusing on next steps, offering extra-curricular activities, and ensuring students have opportunities to form good relationships and celebrate successes.

How can teachers create a classroom environment that celebrates growth and boosts motivation?

Teachers can create growth-focused environments by connecting lessons to students' future goals, normalising struggle as part of learning, and teaching students about brain development and their potential for improvement. This approach, combined with effort-based praise and clear success criteria, helps students maintain motivation despite everyday academic challenges.