We always knew that encouragement was a powerful
tool in helping a child succeed academically, but one study, discussed recently
on WBEZ Chicago’s radio show This
American Life, adds clout to this claim.
In the study, college mentors met with middle school
students a few times over the course of a year to pass along the simple message
that through hard work, intelligence can be increased. Education reporter Paul Tough explained that
whether or not the theory that intelligence can be improved is accurate, this
message gave students optimism and new-found courage to try new things and push
themselves harder to do better in school.
Tough said that students with “cultural reasons to
be anxious about their skills” were especially affected by this message. Girls in math, for instance, tend to do just
as well as boys until they reach middle school.
But due to several factors, girls become “socially anxious” during
middle school, and their performance tends to decline. Among middle school girls who were given this
message, however, the gap in achievement between boys and girls closed 100%.
A family’s income, the language spoken at home, and
many other factors can influence a child’s academic performance. It is easy for children of certain
backgrounds to deduce that they struggle more than other children in school because
they are not as smart. This study proves
children can be transformed by the simple message that they have agency over what
their minds can do.