This exploratory study aimed to investigate the implicit (personal theories) of student teachers through consideration of their beliefs about the nature of ability (intelligence). By drawing on ideas of personhood and identity to investigate constructions of intelligence, the authors also hoped to begin to explore the legitimacy of a multifaceted…

This piece from the "FORUM" archive offers an early account of the Learning Without Limits project at Cambridge University Faculty of Education that is dedicated to developing approaches to teaching and learning that do not rely on determinist beliefs about fixed 'ability' and/or intelligence.

This study examines students' perceptions of personal growth by applying growth mindset principles through a grounded theory approach. Using qualitative data collected from interviews, the research focuses on beliefs about effort, responses to failure, feedback, and the malleability of intelligence. A theoretical sampling strategy, integral to…

Students' beliefs about their abilities (called "lay theories") affect their motivations, behaviors, and academic success. Lay theories include beliefs about the potential to improve intelligence (mindset), who (i.e., everyone or only some people) has the potential to be excellent in a field (universality), and whether reaching…

This paper explores the way in which elite students from Germany and Romania understand the role of talent, effort, and structural factors in shaping educational success and failure. The image of a successful student aligns with the requirements of the selection processes, with Romanian students emphasising effort, and German students projecting…

English features prominently in global communication as part of the knowledge economy in Indonesia and worldwide. Meritocracy represents a key concept within the rhetoric of this economy, as it promises that how well people do in life is not determined by external matters, but mostly by how hard they try. Included here is how hard they study…

We argue that the compelling critical perspective put forward by Michael Sandel in "The Tyranny of Merit" could benefit from the account of power that "Cut Loose" advanced in its earlier typology. First, the ways that principles of meritocracy serve the interests of particular social groups become clearer when we consider more…

In "The Tyranny of Merit," Michael Sandel argues that the American society is not meritocratic, that belief that it is causes various social harms, and that some of those harms -- in particular, the costs to social solidarity -- would be caused even if society actually were meritocratic. He also explores the way that the structure of…

Meritocracy is a rationality that has significantly shaped the lives of people in modern societies, and today we all more or less believe that those who are smart, capable and hardworking will succeed in life. This seems to be a rule that applies in more or less all areas of public life. In the Western world, evaluating and judging ourselves and…

Background: Motivational factors are one active area of research that aims to increase the inclusion of women in physics. One of these factors that has only recently gained traction in physics is intelligence mindset (i.e., the belief that intelligence is either innate and unchangeable or can be developed). We studied 781 students in…

The current study investigated whether a brief refutation text intervention could change college students' misconceptions about the malleability of their intelligence and abilities. Students from a 2-year college and a 4-year university in a large urban city in the Northeastern United States participated in experimental and control conditions. A…

The "FFA for All" campaign from the National FFA Organization represents an important step for diversity, equity, and inclusivity in the youth organization. The challenge of making the FFA more inclusive for diverse students presents question for investigation. What elements within the FFA represented barriers to people of color from…

There is a need for strengths-based intervention approaches for autistic youth during the transition to adulthood. In the current study, we explored parent perspectives about youth strengths during adolescence. We combined data from three studies which included semi-structured interviews about parents' perspectives on preparing for adulthood with…

The expert performance theory by Ericsson et al. which maintains that deliberate practice can account for most of the variance in expertise studies is often posed as a strong scientific framework for research on giftedness. The current study explored relationships between performance, deliberate practice and mindset beliefs about intelligence and…

Howard Gardner's longtime interest in the range of human capacities and talents was facilitated by his leadership role in the Bernard Van Leer Foundation "Project on Human Potential" carried out at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1979-1985. In this reflective essay, Gardner describes his early studies of human potential and…