Mathematical Mindsets of Prospective Middle School Teachers

It is widely accepted that beliefs play an important role in teaching and learning (e.g. Ambrose, 2004; Pajares, 1992). In recent years, learners' beliefs regarding personal attributes have surfaced as influential and sometimes detrimental pieces of the learning process. These beliefs about personal attributes are generally known as mindset. In particular to these beliefs, the idea that one is either born a math person or not forms the notion of a fixed mathematical mindset. On the other hand, the notion that an individual's mathematical ability is something that can be developed through perseverance and hard work forms the notion of a growth mindset. Although mathematical mindsets are fairly well-defined in the research base (Boaler, 2016), measuring those mindsets has been more problematic. A prevailing issue rests in the fact that the bulk of data collected on mindset identification has come from self-reporting surveys (e.g. Blackwell, Trzesniewski, Dweck, 2007; Dweck, 2006; Dweck, 2012). This project will report research data in an attempt to provide preliminary insights related to the relationship between espoused and enacted mathematical mindsets of prospective middle school teachers. Previous data collected by the faculty sponsors hold that prospective teachers tend to self-identify as having a growth mindset even when their actions may suggest otherwise. In response to these findings, this project utilizes a self-reporting protocol and observation protocol that have been created to distinguish fixed and growth mindsets in an effort to provide further insights related to the relationship of the espoused and enacted mindsets of future middle school teachers.