This research investigated the relationship between the implementation of a growth mindset professional development and teacher mindset, student academic achievement, and student perception of intelligence. Fourth grade students (n = 370) and fourth grade teachers (n = 4) from four elementary schools from the Greenfield Union School District in a rural area in California participated in this study. In this mixed methods research project, quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed using an exploratory sequential mixed methods design (Creswell, 2013). For the quantitative analysis, student pre- and post-intervention surveys were analyzed using a paired samples t-test. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the academic achievement in reading of the students in the intervention and the control student groups. A grounded theory approach was used which included three levels of qualitative analysis: (a) open coding, (b) axial coding, and (c) selective coding in order to determine student and teacher themes.

The study found that there was a statistically significant difference in student perceptions of intelligence between pre- and post-intervention. Through grounded theory, the study revealed a difference in teacher mindset after the professional development was delivered and teachers had taught explicit growth mindset strategies in their classes. The study also found no significant changes in academic achievement based on pre- and post- academic diagnostic assessments. Results showed an increase of academic achievement but not significant enough to warrant a connection. Further investigation using a longer intervention was suggested to see long term effects of a growth mindset intervention on academics.