Research on Growth Mindset and School Burnout in Adolescents

A research study published in Frontiers in Psychology examined how a growth mindset affects feelings of school burnout in young teens adjusting to secondary school. A growth mindset is when someone believes they can improve their abilities, like intelligence, through effort.

Researchers also wanted to see if a physical factor, vagal activity, plays a role. Vagal activity refers to how well the body manages stress and is measured through heart rate variability.

The results showed that kids with a growth mindset were less likely to feel burned out by school. This was true even when considering other factors like grades, gender, and family background.

However, when researchers checked whether vagal activity explained this connection, they didn’t find any link between vagal activity, growth mindset, or school burnout. This means that vagal activity might not be the reason why a growth mindset helps with school burnout.

Such findings are important because they show that teaching young people to have a growth mindset can help them feel less overwhelmed in school. Although the study didn’t find that vagal activity (which is related to resilience) is the reason why a growth mindset helps — it still shows that having a growth mindset benefits kids. 

Understanding the Research

The study is part of a bigger project that tracks both psychological factors, like mindset and burnout, and physical measures, like vagal activity. The data was collected through surveys and a lab study, where students’ heart activity was monitored while doing a stressful math task.

426 adolescents participated (aged 11-14) from two secondary schools in the Netherlands. About 48% of the participants were female.

First, they completed a 45-minute questionnaire at home. Afterward, they came to the lab where their heart activity was measured during both calm and stressful tasks. These tasks included resting, a math task, and another task.

To measure vagal activity, the researchers used RSA (Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia), which shows how the body reacts to stress. It helps understand how the nervous system responds, both when relaxed and stressed.

Based on the results, students with a “growth mindset” (believing they can improve through effort) tended to experience less school burnout, though the effect was small. GPA also negatively correlated with burnout, but gender, family income, and the type of school track they were in didn’t seem to affect burnout.

The researchers also looked at whether physical factors, like the body’s response to stress (measured by vagal activity), influenced this relationship. They found no clear connection between stress responses and burnout or between stress responses and having a growth mindset.

Practical Strategies for Parents and Caregivers

It appears that a growth mindset helps reduce burnout, but not because of how the body reacts to stress. This finding offers hope because it tells us the right mindset and habits in children can make a meaningful difference.

Here are helpful tips to reduce burnout:

Praise your child for their persistence

This is a powerful way to help them see the value in trying hard. Instead of simply saying, “Good job,” point out what they did well. For instance, “You worked so hard on that drawing, and your attention to detail really shows!

Related Handout: Growth Mindset Handout

Share examples from your own life where you overcame challenges

Talking to your child openly about the challenges you faced teaches that failure is a natural part of growth, and not something to fear. This helps your child see challenges as opportunities to improve.

Here are some examples parents can share:

• Learning a new skill
• Facing rejection when applying for a job you really wanted
• Solving everyday problems
  

Teach them to set realistic, achievable goals

Teaching this to your kids gives them control over their progress. They’ll feel a sense of ownership for their learning journey. One strategy is to show them how to break big goals into smaller steps.

For example, if they want to get better at math, they can aim for one extra practice problem each day. For more easy-to-follow tips, check out our handout on Goal Setting Tips for Success!

The researchers also suggest that future studies need to explore the link between growth mindset and school burnout using physiological measures in more depth.

Help your child develop a growth mindset with our vibrant, educational Growth Mindset Posters!