Fixed mindset as a challenge in teaching practice: A pre-service teacher’s experiences of received feedback

Sonja Lutovac 1 * , Matti Hasari 2, Raimo Kaasila 1
More Detail
1 Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Oulu, Oulu, FINLAND
2 Teacher Training School, University of Oulu, Oulu, FINLAND
* Corresponding Author
EUR J SCI MATH ED, Volume 11, Issue 1, pp. 167-181. https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/12563
Published Online: 21 October 2022, Published: 01 January 2023
OPEN ACCESS   1147 Views   579 Downloads
Download Full Text (PDF)

ABSTRACT

Teaching practice is a critical component in teacher education, and better understanding of how pre-service teachers experience and interpret the feedback received in this setting is needed to understand teacher development in initial teacher education. Arguably, the mindset theory can help explain pre-service teachers’ responses to and reception of feedback. This narrative study examines one pre-service mathematics and science teacher’s experiences of received feedback from her supervisors during teaching practice and discusses the impact of her mindset on her reception of feedback. Esteri displayed a so-called fixed mindset regarding her qualities as a teacher and towards the feedback received, which greatly hindered her reception of the feedback. Interestingly, we observed characteristics of fixed mindset also in the feedback given by her supervisors. We discuss the challenges that fixed mindset poses for feedback practices, and what narrated experiences of feedback can teach us about supporting teacher development of future teachers in teaching practice.
Keywords: feedback, mindset, supervision, teacher education, teaching practice

CITATION

Lutovac, S., Hasari, M., & Kaasila, R. (2023). Fixed mindset as a challenge in teaching practice: A pre-service teacher’s experiences of received feedback. European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 11(1), 167-181. https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/12563

REFERENCES

  • Anderson, J. (2021). The agile learner: Where growth mindset, habits of mind, and practice unite. Solution Tree Press.
  • Arnon, S., & Reichel, N. (2007). Who is the ideal teacher? Am I? Similarity and difference in perception of students of education regarding the qualities of a good teacher and of their own qualities as teachers. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 13(5), 441-464. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540600701561653
  • Aronson, J., Fried, C., & Good, C. (2002). Reducing the effects of stereo-type threat on African American college students by shaping theories of intelligence. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 113-125. https://doi.org/10.1006/jesp.2001.1491
  • Bernecker, K., & Job, V. (2019). Mindset theory. In K. Sassenberg, & M. Vliek (Eds.), Social psychology in action (pp. 179-191). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13788-5_12
  • Blackwell, L. A., Trzesniewski, K. H., & Dweck, C. S. (2007). Theories of intelligence and achievement across the junior high school transition: A longitudinal study and an intervention. Child Development, 78, 246-263. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.00995.x
  • Boyd, P., & Ash, A. (2018). Mastery mathematics: Changing teacher beliefs around in-class grouping and mindset. Teaching and Teacher Education, 75, 214-223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.06.016
  • Buhagiar, M. A. (2013). Mathematics student teachers’ views on tutor feedback during teaching practice. European Journal of Teacher Education, 36(1), 55-67. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2012.678484
  • Clark, S. K., & Byrnes, D. (2012). Through the eyes of the novice teacher: Perceptions of mentoring support. Teacher Development, 16, 43-54. https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2012.666935
  • Cohen, E., Hoz, R., & Kaplan, H. (2013). The practicum in preservice teacher education: A review of empirical studies. Teaching Education, 24, 345-380. https://doi.org/10.1080/10476210.2012.711815
  • DeLuca, C., Coombs, A., & LaPointe-McEwan, D. (2019). Assessment mindset: Exploring the relationship between teacher mindset and approaches to classroom assessment. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 61, 159-169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2019.03.012
  • Dommett, E. J., Devonshire, I. M., Sewter, E., & Greenfield, S. A. (2013). The impact of participation in a neuroscience course on motivational measures and academic performance. Trends in Neuroscience and Education, 2, 122-138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tine.2013.05.002
  • Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset. Random House.
  • Dweck, C. S., Chiu, C., & Hong, Y. (1995). Implicit theories and their role in judgments and reactions: A world from two perspectives. Psychological Inquiry, 6(4), 267-285. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli0604_1
  • Forsythe, A., & Johnson, S. (2017). Thanks, but no-thanks for the feedback. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(6), 850-859. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2016.1202190
  • Gebhard, J., (2009). The practicum. In A. Burns, & J. C. Richards (Eds.), The Cambridge guide to second language teacher education (pp. 250-258). Cambridge University Press.
  • Georgiou, S. N., Christou, C., Stavrinides, P., & Panaoura, G. (2002). Teacher attributions of student failure and teacher behavior toward the failing student. Psychology in the Schools, 39, 583-595. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.10049
  • Hasari, M. (2019). Opettajan ammatti-identiteetin muotoutuminen matemaattisten aineiden opetusharjoittelussa [The development of teacher identity in teaching practicum in the context of mathematics and science education] [Doctoral Thesis, University of Oulu].
  • Hastings, W., & Squires, D. (2002). Restructuring and reculturing: Practicum supervision as professional development for teachers. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 30(1), 79-91. https://doi.org/10.1080/13598660120114995
  • Hiebert, J., & Carpenter, T. P. (1992). Learning and teaching with understanding. In D. A. Grouws (Ed.), Handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning (pp. 65-92). Macmillan.
  • Hong, Y., Chiu, C., Dweck, C. S., Lin, D., & Wan, W. (1999). Implicit theories, attributions, and coping: A meaning system approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 588-599. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.77.3.588
  • Hudson, P., (2014). Feedback consistencies and inconsistencies: Eight mentors’ observations on one preservice teachers’ lesson. European Journal of Teacher Education, 37(1), 63-73. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2013.801075
  • Izadinia, M. (2015). A closer look at the role of mentor teachers in shaping preservice teachers’ professional identity. Teaching and Teacher Education, 52, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2015.08.003
  • Izadinia, M. (2016). Student teachers’ and mentor teachers’ perceptions and expectations of a mentoring relationship: Do they match or clash? Professional Development in Education, 42(3), 387-402. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2014.994136
  • Jones, B. D., Bryant, L. H., Snyder, J. D., & Malone, D. (2012). Preservice and inservice teachers’ implicit theories of intelligence. Teacher Education Quarterly, 39, 87-101.
  • Jonsson, A. C., & Beach, D. (2012). Predicting the use of praise among pre-service teachers: The influence of implicit theories of intelligence, social comparison and stereotype acceptance. Education Inquiry, 3, 259-281. https://doi.org/10.3402/edui.v3i2.22033
  • Jonsson, A. C., Beach, D., Korp, H., & Erlandson, P. (2012). Teachers’ implicit theories of intelligence: Influences from different disciplines and scientific theories. European Journal of Teacher Education, 35, 387-400. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2012.662636
  • Kaasila, R. (2007a). Using narrative inquiry for investigating the becoming of a mathematics teacher. ZDM, 39(3), 205-213. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-007-0023-6
  • Kaasila, R. (2007b). Mathematical biography and key rhetoric. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 66, 373–384. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-007-9085-1
  • Kastberg, S., Lischka, A., & Hillman, S. (2019). Exploring mathematics teacher educator questioning as a relational practice: Acknowledging imbalances. Studying Teacher Education, 15(1), 67-81. https://doi.org/10.1080/17425964.2018.1541278
  • Lieblich, A., Tuval-Mashiach, R., & Zilber, T. (1998). Narrative research: Reading, analysis, and interpretation. SAGE. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412985253
  • Lutovac, S. (2019). Pre-service mathematics teachers’ narrated failure: Stories of resilience. International Journal of Educational Research, 98, 237–244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2019.09.006
  • Lutovac, S., & Kaasila, R. (2011). Beginning a pre-service teacher's mathematics identity work through narrative rehabilitation and bibliotherapy. Teaching in Higher Education, 16(2), 225–236. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2010.515025
  • Lutovac, S., & Kaasila, R. (2014). Pre-service teachers' future-oriented mathematics identity work. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 85(1), 129–142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-013-9500-8
  • Lutovac, S., & Kaasila, R. (2018). An elementary teacher's narrative-identity work at two points in time two decades apart. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 98(3), 253-267. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-018-9816-5
  • Lutovac, S., Kaasila, R., & Juuso, H. (2015). Video-stimulated recall as a facilitator of a pre-service teacher’s reflection on teaching and post-teaching supervision discussion—A case study from Finland. Journal of Education and Learning, 4(3), 14-24. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v4n3p14
  • Murphy, M. C., & Reeves, S. L. (2019). Personal and organizational mindsets at work. Research in Organizational Behavior, 39, 100121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riob.2020.100121
  • Myers, M. D., Nichols, J. D., & White, J. (2003). Teacher and student incremental and entity views of intelligence. The effects of self-regulation and persistence activities. International Journal of Educational Reform, 12(2), 97-117. https://doi.org/10.1177/105678790301200202
  • Orosz, G., Péter-Szarka, S., Böthe, B., Tóth-Király, I., & Berger, R. (2017). How not to do a mindset intervention: Learning from a mindset intervention among students with good grades. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 311. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00311
  • Patrick, S. K., & Joshi, E. (2019). ‘Set in stone’ or ‘willing to grow’? Teacher sensemaking during a growth mindset initiative. Teaching and Teacher Education, 83, 156-167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.04.009
  • Patterson, M. M., Kravchenko, N., Chen-Bouck, L., & Kelley, J. A. (2016). General and domain-specific beliefs about intelligence, ability, and effort among preservice and practicing teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 59, 180-190. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/j.tate.2016.06.004
  • Paunesku, D., Walton, G. M., Romero, C., Smith, E. N., Yeager, D. S., & Dweck, C. S. (2015). Mind-set interventions are a scalable treatment for academic underachievement. Psychological Science, 26, 784-793. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797615571017
  • Polkinghorne, D. E. (1995). Narrative configuration in qualitative analysis. In J. Hatch, & R. Wisniewski (Eds.), Life history and narrative (pp. 5-23). Falmer. https://doi.org/10.1080/0951839950080103
  • Polkinghorne, D. (2007). Validity issues in narrative research. Qualitative Inquiry, 13, 471-487. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800406297670
  • Rattan, A., Good, C., & Dweck, C. S. (2012). ‘It’s ok not everyone can be good at math’: Instructors with entity theory comfort (and demotivate) students. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 48, 731-737. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2011.12.012
  • Reinholz, D. (2016). The assessment cycle: A model for learning through peer assessment. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 41(2), 301-315. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2015.1008982
  • Rissanen, I., Kuusisto, E., Hanhimäki, E., & Tirri, K. (2018). Teachers’ implicit meaning systems and their implications for pedagogical thinking and practice: A case study from Finland. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 62, 487-500. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2016.1258667
  • Rissanen, I., Kuusisto, E., Tuominen, M., & Tirri, K. (2019). In search of a growth mindset pedagogy: A case study of one teacher’s classroom practices in a Finnish elementary school. Teaching and Teacher Education, 77, 204-213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.10.002
  • Tang, S. Y. F. (2004). The dynamics of school-based learning in initial teacher education. Research Papers in Education, 19(2), 185-204. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671520410001695425
  • Tewell, E. (2020). The problem with grit: Dismantling deficit thinking in library instruction. Portal: Libraries and the Academy, 20(1), 137-159. https://doi.org/10.1353/pla.2020.0007
  • Walkington, J. (2005). Becoming a teacher: Encouraging development of teacher identity through reflective practice. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 33(1), 53-64. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866052000341124
  • Winstone, N. E., Nash, R. A., Rowntree, J., & Parker, M. (2017). ‘It’d be useful, but I would not use it’: Barriers to university students’ feedback seeking and recipience. Studies in Higher Education, 42(11), 2026-2041. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.1130032
  • Wood, J. L., & Harris III, F. (2016). Teaching boys and young men of color: A guidebook. Lawndale.
  • Yeager, D. S., & Dweck, C. S. (2012). Mindsets that promote resilience: When students believe that personal characteristics can be developed. Educational Psychologist, 47(4), 302-314. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2012.722805
  • Yeager, D. S., Hanselman, P., Walton, G. M., Murray, J. S., Crosnoe, R., Muller, C., Tipton, E., Schneider, B., Hulleman, C. S., Hinojosa, C. P., Paunesku, D., Romero, C., Flint, K., Roberts, A., Trott, J., Iachan, R., Buontempo, J., Yang, S. M., Carvalho, C. M., …, & Dweck, C. S. (2019). A national experiment reveals where a growth mindset improves achievement. Nature, 573(7774), 364-369. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1466-y
  • Yeager, D. S., Trzesniewski, K., Tirri, K., Nokelainen, P., & Dweck, C. S. (2011). Adolescents’ implicit theories predict desire for vengeance after remembered and hypothetical peer conflicts: Correlational and experimental evidence. Developmental Psychology, 47, 1090-1107. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023769
  • Yuan, R., & Lee, I. (2016). ‘I need to be strong and competent’: A narrative inquiry of a student-teacher’s emotions and identities in teaching practicum. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 22(7), 819-841. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2016.1185819