Mindsets, Smartphones, and Student Success
Abstract: This study utilized a smartphone app to deliver growth-mindset and social belonging nudges (ecological momentary interventions) to help increase student success at college. Growth-mindset suggests intelligence can grow (Walton & Yeager, 2014), while social belonging is feeling connected to others (Walton & Cohen, 2011). The intervention was administered during the first two weeks of the semester to 71 at-risk students. There was a significant, positive correlation between end-of-semester grade-point average (GPA) and app engagement for minority students. The results of this study align with previous research (Walton & Cohen, 2011) suggesting minority students are particularly likely to benefit from social-belonging interventions. These results indicate that implementing growth-mindset and social belonging interventions, through the use of smartphone technology, may lead to increased academic success among disadvantaged students.