College Students’ Instructor Mindset Perceptions and First-Semester Development

Abstract

Extending the literature on growth mindsets, the study examines how students’ perceptions of instructor growth mindset beliefs influence development during the first semester of college. Using pretest-posttest data from 25 public 4-year institutions in Georgia, findings indicate that students perceiving stronger instructor growth mindsets report gains in academic self-efficacy. However, these perceptions appeared negatively associated with value beliefs toward English and math content, suggesting increased confidence may not align with subject-specific motivation. Also explored is how these effects vary by institutional admissions profile. Overall, the findings highlight promising directions for research on instructor mindset perceptions and student development across contexts.

Keywords

higher education instructor growth mindset academic self-efficacy student motivation first-semester college students student development

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