A Structural Equation Model of Perceived Autonomy Support and Growth Mindset in Undergraduate Students: The Mediating Role of Sense of Coherence

Teachers' Growth Mindset, Perceived School Climate, and Perceived Parental Autonomy Support Moderate the Relationship Between Students' Growth Mindset and Academic Achievement

This study investigates the moderating effects of several contextual factors (i.e., teachers' growth mindset, perceived school climate, and perceived parental autonomy support) on the relationship between students' growth mindset and academic achievement. Drawing on Dweck's growth mindset theory and recent research findings that highlight the context sensitivity of the growth mindset, we hypothesize that supportive environments strengthen the positive impact of students' growth mindset on academic outcomes. A sample of 358 middle school students (53.8% female; Mage = 13.38 years, SD = 2.20) from public schools in Shanghai City, mainland China, was assessed via three validated instruments: (1) the Growth Mindset Inventory, which is used to measure students' and teachers' beliefs about intelligence; (2) the Delaware School Climate Survey for Students, which is used to assess students' perceptions of the school climate; and (3) the Perceived Parental Autonomy Support Scale, which is used to evaluate students' perceived parental autonomy support. Academic achievement was measured by district-level final exam scores. The results of hierarchical regression analyses revealed that teachers' growth mindset, perceived school climate support (e.g., teacher-student and student-student relations, fairness of rules, school safety, liking of school), and the perception of positive parental autonomy support (e.g., choice, rationale, acknowledgment) positively moderated the relationship between students' growth mindset and academic achievement. In contrast, the perception of negative parental autonomy factors (e.g., punishment threats, performance pressure, guilt-inducing criticism) negatively moderated this relationship. These results indicate that the relationship between students' growth mindset and academic achievement may vary depending on contextual factors, highlighting the importance of considering both positive and negative influences when designing educational strategies.

The Moderating Effect of Cultural Orientation on the Relationship Between Growth Mindset and Learning Self-Efficacy: A Dimension-Specific Pattern

Building on the theoretical perspectives of mindset theory and cultural orientation framework, this study explores the moderating role of cultural orientation in the relationship between individuals' growth mindset and learning self-efficacy, addressing the contextual dependency of mindset theory. A total of 307 Chinese undergraduates (61% female; age range = 18-22 years) from a university in Hong Kong were recruited for this cross-sectional study. Cultural orientation, growth mindset, and learning self-efficacy were assessed via the Chinese version of the Cultural Values Scale (CVScale), Growth Mindset Inventory (GMI), and Learning Self-Efficacy Scale (LSES), respectively. Linear multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the hypothesized moderation effects. The results revealed an interesting dimension-specific pattern among the five dimensions of cultural orientation. While one dimension (i.e., long-term orientation) had a positive moderating effect on the relationship between growth mindset and learning self-efficacy, two dimensions (i.e., power distance and uncertainty avoidance) had negative moderating effects on that relationship. The two remaining cultural dimensions (i.e., individualism/collectivism and motivation towards achievement and success) did not exhibit any significant moderating effects. These findings underscore the interplay between a growth mindset, cultural orientation, and learning self-efficacy, emphasizing the influence of cultural factors on the outcomes of mindset interventions. This study highlights the need for culturally tailored educational practices and interventions to maximize the effectiveness of growth mindset theories in diverse contexts.

Bullying Victimization and Internalizing Problems among Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model of Peer Autonomy Support and Self-Esteem

The present study employed the social-ecological diathesis-stress model as a theoretical framework to extend previous research by examining the underlying mechanism and conditional process that contribute to the positive association between bullying victimization and internalizing problems among adolescents. A moderated mediation model involving peer autonomy support and self-esteem was tested using a sample of 1723 adolescents (50.7% girls; M age = 12.79, SD = 1.58), who completed questionnaires assessing internalizing problems, bullying victimization, peer autonomy support, and self-esteem. The findings revealed that self-esteem partially mediated the positive association between bullying victimization and adolescents' internalizing problems. Specifically, bullying victimization was inversely related to self-esteem, which, in turn, was negatively associated with internalizing problems. Further moderation analyses demonstrated that these direct and indirect associations varied based on levels of peer autonomy support. Simple slope analyses specifically indicated that (a) peer autonomy support buffered against the negative association of bullying victimization with self-esteem and internalizing problems, and (b) peer autonomy support mitigated the negative association of self-esteem with internalizing problems. The elucidation of this mechanism and conditional process holds important implications for early interventions and prevention efforts aimed at mitigating the detrimental association of bullying victimization with adolescents' healthy emotional functions.

Autonomy matters: Influences of causality orientations on Chinese adolescents’ growth mindset

Growth mindset research has received global attention. However, the psychological antecedents of growth mindset remain under-explored. We propose that autonomous orientation would foster growth mindset, whereas controlled and impersonal orientations would impede it. We found support for this proposition in two studies. In a laboratory experiment (Study 1), Chinese sixth-graders primed with the autonomous orientation scored significantly higher on growth-mindset measures than those in the control group, whereas students primed with the controlled and impersonal orientations scored significantly lower. Furthermore, in a classroom intervention experiment (Study 2), using a newly designed autonomy orientation intervention, students in the treatment group showed stronger growth mindset than those in the control group, and the effect lasted for at least three months. Overall, our findings suggest that autonomy orientation is an antecedent of growth mindset and can be used to improve growth mindset among adolescents.

Left-behind youth are not always bad! Relations between teacher autonomy support, narcissism, and prosocial behavior

Prior research has widely demonstrated that children who remain in their original communities after one or both biological parents migrated (i.e., left-behind children) confront salient emotional and behavioral difficulties; however, an insufficient amount of research has been devoted to understanding their prosocial behavior. The current study extended prior research by comparing the prosocial behavior between left-behind children and their non-left-behind peers. Subsequently, this study examined the individual variations (i.e., narcissism and left-behind status) of the correlation between teacher autonomy support and prosocial behavior in a combined sample of left-behind and non-left-behind children. 738 youth (Nleft-behind = 246, Meanage = 15.77, 53.6% girls; Nnon-left-behind = 492, Meanage = 15.91, 55.1% girls) participated in the present research and completed a packet of well-established questionnaires. The results, after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, showed that the prosocial behavior of left-behind children did not significantly differ from that of non-left-behind children. Furthermore, the results based on linear regression analysis exhibited teacher autonomy support was positively related to prosocial behavior, and high narcissism buffered against the adverse effect of low teacher autonomy support on left-behind children’s prosocial behavior. The current study indicates that creating an autonomy-supportive atmosphere at school and facilitating left-behind children’s narcissism are paramount to promoting their prosocial tendencies.

A person-centered analysis of emotional-behavioral functioning profiles in adolescents: Associations with teacher autonomy support and growth mindset

Anchored in the socio-ecological framework, the current study examined the association of teacher autonomy support with emotional-behavioral functioning profiles using a person-centered approach and investigated whether growth mindset and adolescents’ gender would moderate this association. To achieve these research objectives, this study involved 1741 adolescents (54.1% girls; Mage = 12.62; SD = 1.50) who were uniformly instructed to fill in a set of self-report questionnaires. Results based on latent profile analysis revealed four emotional-behavioral functioning profiles: primarily externalizing (6.2%), comorbid (32.9%), well-adjusted (53.7%), and high-risk (7.2%). Adolescents with high teacher autonomy support were more likely to be group members of the well-adjusted profile than the remaining three emotional-behavioral functioning profiles. Moreover, interaction analyses demonstrated that girls benefited more when teacher autonomy support and growth mindset were congruently high, whereas boys did not. The current findings suggest that teachers should be equipped with sufficient skills and training to maintain an autonomy-supportive classroom climate. Meanwhile, growth mindset intervention may develop into an integral part of the school’s activities to facilitate adolescents’ optimal emotional-behavioral functions, but distinctly gendered pathways for these activities should be carefully considered.

Family Unpredictability and Sense of Coherence: Relationships With Anxiety and Depression in Two Samples

Sense of coherence (SOC) refers to beliefs about how comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful one's life is. We investigated how SOC relates to family of origin unpredictability and psychological functioning in two samples. College students (N=172, 78% female; M=18.9 years old; 78% white/Caucasian) who recalled more family unpredictability while growing up also reported weaker SOC beliefs and poorer mental health. Furthermore, SOC mediated the negative impact of family unpredictability on anxiety but not on depression. Among adults (N=220, 47% female, 50% male, 3% gender nonconforming; M=40.2 years old; 60% Caucasian), correlations among family chaos, SOC, and psychological functioning were even stronger, overall. One mediation was detected: the relationship between family unpredictability and anxiety was partially explained by adults' perceptions regarding the manageability of their life. This is the first study to explore the relationships among SOC, family chaos, and psychological functioning.

The Impact of General Self-Efficacy on Psychological Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Posttraumatic Growth and the Moderating Role of Deliberate Rumination

Purpose: This study used a moderated mediation model to explore the relationship between general self-efficacy (GSE) and psychological resilience (PR) and the associated mechanisms, the mediating role of posttraumatic growth (PTG), and the moderating role of deliberate rumination (DR) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Knowledge of the relationship between these four variables examined further understanding of the PR improvement mechanism of college students and even the general public. Methods: The college students who participated in this study came from an independent college in Guangdong Province, China. A total of 918 college students completed the survey, and the final data sample size was 881. SPSS 23.0 and PROCESS (version 3.3) were used to conduct Pearson's correlation analysis and hierarchical regression linear analysis on the data. Results: (1) The correlation analysis showed that GSE and PR were positively correlated and that PTG was positively correlated with GSE and PR. DR was positively correlated with GSE, PTG, and PR. (2) The results of mediation analysis showed that GSE had a direct predictive effect on DR, and PTG partially mediated the relationship between the two. (3) The results of moderating effect analysis showed that DR hindered the effect of GSE on PTG but enhanced the positive impact of PTG on PR. Conclusions: General self-efficacy can improve PR under the mediating influence of PTG. DR played a positive moderating role in the relationship between GSE and PTG, and played a negative moderating role in the relationship between PTG and PR. These results advance the understanding of the mechanism between GSE and PR.

Growth Mindset and College Students' Learning Engagement During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Serial Mediation Model

Against the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic, college students’ learning engagement has become a key issue in universities and society. Guided by the theories of existential positive psychology and social perception, we explored the positive effect of a growth mindset on learning engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 1,040 college students from universities in Henan Province of China effectively completed online questionnaires. The results showed that growth mindset was positively related to learning engagement and negatively associated with perceived COVID-19 event strength and perceived stress; perceived COVID-19 event strength was positively related to perceived stress, while perceived COVID-19 event strength and perceived stress were negatively associated with learning engagement. Growth mindset affected learning engagement through three indirect paths: the mediating role of perceived COVID-19 event strength, the mediating role of perceived stress, and the serial mediating role of both perceived COVID-19 event strength and perceived stress. The results indicated that the growth mindset could contribute to college students’ learning engagement through the roles of perceived COVID-19 event strength and perceived stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study advances the understanding of the mechanism underlying the relationship between growth mindset and college students’ learning engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the findings of the study have important implications for promoting college students’ learning engagement during the pandemic.