A brief mindset intervention helped lower-achieving teenagers — where the school culture supported it
A nationally representative randomised trial in 65 US high schools
Reviewed by Sian Trombley, CCCFounder, Thrive Family Company
Strong confidence
Source citation
Yeager D. S., Hanselman P., Walton G. M., Murray J. S., Crosnoe R., Muller C., et al. (2019). A national experiment reveals where a growth mindset improves achievement. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1466-y
Published 1 January 2019 · Added to Thrive 26 July 2026 · Reviewed 26 July 2026
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Growth mindset has been both oversold and overcorrected. This large randomised trial found where it actually works.
Published research findings
The study
Yeager and colleagues randomised more than 12,000 ninth-graders across 65 schools to two short online growth-mindset sessions or a control activity.
What researchers examined
Whether the intervention improved grades, and for whom.
What they found
Grades improved for lower-achieving students, and improvements were larger in schools where peer norms supported challenge-seeking. Effects were small and did not appear for all students.
Thrive editorial interpretation
What this may mean for families
Mindset messages are not a substitute for environment. The setting has to make effort safe.
What this doesn't tell us
Important limitations
Effects were modest, measured over one year, and specific to the US high school context.
Evidence confidence describes how much weight this study's design can carry — not how strongly the finding applies to any individual child or family.
Therapist perspective — Thrive interpretation, not a finding of the study
Therapist Perspective
Praising effort in a household that punishes failure will not work. The environment carries the message.
Practical family considerations
Make mistakes safe at home before praising effort.
This research summary is educational and does not replace individualized medical, psychological or therapeutic advice.
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