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The Texas Behavioral Science and Policy Institute

The Texas Behavioral Science and Policy Institute

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TxMI Faculty Fellowship

Eight College of Natural Sciences faculty at the University of Texas at Austin collaborated with social psychologists and education specialists to better understand the role of growth mindset, belonging, and purpose on learning. As part of a Texas Mindset Initiative Fellowship, the faculty developed psychologically-attuned teaching practices, implemented the practices with 2,200 students enrolled in their undergraduate courses, and measured the impact on student mindset using a standardized survey.

Fellowship Rationale

Short interventions related to mindset can positively impact student success when the students’ actual experiences align with the mindset intervention vignette. However, these interventions intentionally bypass the instructor to avoid an additional variable, and the classroom environment does not always support the intervention. This group aims to connect experienced STEM educators with mindset researchers to determine how to make sure students’ lived experiences in STEM support them in developing a growth mindset, a sense of belonging, and a focus on purpose.

Fellowship Logistics 

From May 2020 through November 2020 TxMI faculty fellows, social psychologists, and education specialists collaborated in six phases outlined below:

TxMI Faculty Fellowship Process

Measurement of Impact

The TxMI Fellows administered the PERTS Copilot Ascend survey several times per semester to track six mindset metrics: trust and fairness, institutional growth mindset, self-efficacy, identify safety, social belonging, and social connectedness. The data were analyzed to allow comparisons based on demographics, such as sex, race, and financial status.

Among the Fellows’ students, trends are beginning to emerge from the data. For example:

  • Ninety percent of students started the semester with an institutional growth mindset and said faculty are trustworthy. Later in the semester, even more students (95%) reported the same.
  • More students reported that their social identity is valued as the semester progressed. (61% to 72% on average from the beginning to the middle of the semester)
  • Students who identify with marginalized groups reported positive experiences less often. In some cases, the gaps between groups were reduced. For example, in four of the Fellows’ classes, students with financial stress reported higher gains in self-efficacy than the average.

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About Us

The Texas Behavioral Science and Policy Institute (TxBSPI) is a central organizing structure at UT Austin for social and behavioral science research focused on solutions to inequality in the pathways to adulthood.

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About Us

The Texas Behavioral Science and Policy Institute (TxBSPI) is a central organizing structure at UT Austin for social and behavioral science research focused on solutions to inequality in the pathways to adulthood.

Connect with Us

Address: University of Texas at Austin
305 E. 23rd Street / RLP 2.602
Mail Stop G1800
Austin, Texas 78712-1699
Email: txbspi [at] prc [dot] utexas [dot] edu

Thank you to our generous funders!

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) NOYCE under grant number 2243530; National Science Foundation (NSF) EHR Core under grant number 2201928; NSF  Research Coordination Networks under grant number 2322330; Gates (TxMI Part 2) under grant number INV-047751; Aga Khan Foundation under grant JACOB002. See more about our funding on this page.

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