Mindset Orientation and Its Effects on Academic Resilience and Achievement in Higher Education

Abstract

Grounded in Carol Dweck's Mindset Theory, this study examined the characteristics of first-year higher education students and determined the extent to which fixed and growth mindsets predict academic resilience and academic performance. Employing a quantitative cross-sectional correlational predictive design, data were collected from 148 randomly selected students at the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines using validated self-administered questionnaires. Descriptive statistics and simple linear regression analyses were utilized. Findings revealed that the respondents were predominantly graduates of public senior high schools and largely perceived themselves as belonging to low or lower-middle socioeconomic groups. Despite these contextual conditions, most respondents demonstrated a high level of growth mindset and academic resilience, while academic performance remained predominantly at the average level. Regression analyses showed that growth mindset significantly predicted both academic resilience and academic performance, whereas fixed mindset did not significantly predict either outcome. Although growth mindset emerged as a significant predictor, it explained only a modest proportion of the variance, indicating that academic success is influenced by multiple psychological, behavioral, socioeconomic, and institutional factors. The findings affirm Dweck's Mindset Theory and underscore the importance of integrating growth mindset interventions with comprehensive academic support systems to strengthen resilience and improve student achievement in higher education.