Think different, behave alike? Situations boost or compromise the correspondence between mindset and pedagogy for teachers in upper-secondary education

Abstract

Consisting of three logically aligned sub-studies, the current research explored the features and mechanisms involved in aligning mindsets and pedagogies among teachers in upper-secondary education. In Study 1, 114 teachers participated in a two-round questionnaire survey investigating the descriptive characteristics of mindset and pedagogy. Two groups of teachers (N = 12) were semi-structure-interviewed in Study 2 to explore how these features were reflected in their teaching. Study 3 (N = 46) comprised focus-group interviews identifying the underlying mechanism determining which and how situational factors moderate the correspondence between mindset and pedagogy. Results indicated that teachers in upper-secondary education endorsed mixed pedagogies despite their mindsets. The mixing style was characterized by both process-focused and trait-focused pedagogical thinking, and both mastery-oriented and performance-oriented pedagogical practices, with variable persistence and differential instructions. Situations related to cultural orientation, educational system, social atmosphere and individual experiences moderated the alignment of mindset with the corresponding pedagogy. The results offer insights into how to validate mindset interventions concerning the adjustment of situations to educational surroundings.