Teachers’ belief that math requires innate ability predicts lower intrinsic motivation among low-achieving students |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Technical University Dortmund, Department of Psychology, Emil-Figge-Str. 50, D-44227 Dortmund, Germany;2. University of Potsdam, Department of Education, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24–25, D-14476 Potsdam, Germany |
| |
| Abstract: | Many students find math difficult, but those who are intrinsically motivated learn and do well even when they face obstacles. Here, we examine an environmental factor that might affect students' intrinsic motivation in math: namely, teachers' beliefs about success in math. Do teachers perceive elementary school math as a domain that requires an innate ability, and does this belief relate to students' intrinsic motivation in math? Our study explored these questions in a sample of 830 German fourth graders and their 56 teachers. Teachers reported stronger beliefs in the role of innate ability for math than for German language arts. In addition, the more teachers believed that math requires innate ability, the lower was the intrinsic motivation of their low-achieving students. These results suggest that teachers’ beliefs that math success depends on innate ability may be an important obstacle to creating a classroom atmosphere that fosters engagement and learning for all students. |
| |
| Keywords: | Intrinsic motivation Teachers Domain-specific ability beliefs Mindset Elementary school |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
