Fostering the Mindset of Growth and Competency in Children: A Review of Limitations and Policy Possibilities in Schools

Abstract

Infants rely on both perceptual and social cues to navigate potentially risky or ambiguous situations, highlighting the crucial role that caregivers play in providing social cues that influence children’s decisions. Since children’s understanding of their competence is shaped not only by their first-hand experiences, caregiver responsiveness is significant and infants even go as far as to imitating persistent adult behaviors, indicating the impact of social learning on goal-directed actions. However, the shortcomings of the caregiver, such as inconsistent social cues and maladaptive attitudes, can hinder children’s growth and potential. Fortunately, educators can mitigate these influences through intentional teaching in the education system, addressing challenges such as stereotype threat and low expectations to foster children’s competence and growth. Although a prevalent setback for the competence of female children in mathematics stems from gender inequality in the classroom reinforced through the teacher’s subconscious behaviors and language usage, conscious efforts can change the trajectory of female children’s competence-building in mathematics. Environments in schools where children feel motivated to persist through challenges and grow their competence can be fostered through empirical evidence-based interventions, which help children overcome the challenges to their competence that they may face at home.