Enhancing learning resilience and psychological well being through growth mindset interventions among elementary school students

Abstract

This systematic review synthesizes findings from ten empirical sources investigating the effectiveness of growth mindset interventions among primary school students aged 8–12 years. The review aims to evaluate intervention impacts on students’ beliefs about intelligence, learning resilience, academic performance, and psychological well being. A qualitative quantitative integration method was used to examine effect sizes, developmental differences, and contextual moderators. Results consistently indicate that growth mindset interventions successfully shift students’ beliefs toward viewing intelligence as malleable, with effect sizes ranging from 0.34 SD for sense of agency to large effects (d > 0.80) for covitality in younger students. Effects on learning resilience and academic achievement were more variable: multi-session interventions improved positive failure beliefs, memory performance, and medium- to long-term academic outcomes (0.32–0.48 SD across subjects), whereas single-session interventions produced no significant learning gains. Meta-analytic evidence also demonstrates medium reductions in depressive (g = –0.44) and anxiety symptoms (g = –0.62), alongside increased school belonging and reduced bullying victimization. Intervention effectiveness was strongly moderated by contextual factors, including supportive parental beliefs about failure, parental investment preferences, student age, school resources, and cultural adaptation. Overall, the evidence supports growth mindset interventions as a promising approach for enhancing resilience and psychological well-being in 8–12-year-olds when implemented across sustained sessions within supportive environments.