Growth mindset plays a pivotal role in human development, yet most research mainly focuses on examining growth mindset at the individual level, neglecting its historical trends and macro-level antecedents. To explore the potential changes in growth mindsets among American adolescents over the past two decades, a cross-temporal meta-analysis was conducted on 150 studies from 2000 until 2022 with 206 data points covering 112,305 participants. Results indicated that growth mindset levels linearly decreased with increasing calendar years when the data were weighted for sample size and other study characteristics were controlled (β=-0.64, 95% CI [-0.92, -0.36]). Moreover, a decrease in social connectedness (i.e., divorce rate, urbanization level, and average household size), an increase in realistic threats (i.e., internet penetration rate and violent crime rate), heightened materialistic values, as well as deterioration of economic conditions (i.e., unemployment rate and Gini coefficient), are substantiated as societal underpinnings underlying a decline in growth mindsets. In sum, the findings provide empirical support for the change of growth mindset over time and also enhance the understanding of the mechanisms enabling adolescents’ growth mindset from a societal macro-level perspective.

Xinchen Niu is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Education at Beijing Institute of Technology, China.  Her research focuses on growth mindset and creativity. She is dedicated to promoting individual all - round development.