Carl Dweck’s work bridges developmental, social, and personality psychology. It examines people's self-conceptions to structure the self and guide their behavior. Her research examines the origins of these self-conceptions, their role in motivation and self-regulation, and their impact on achievement and interpersonal processes.

Based on research that started in the early 1970s- around 30 years ago, Carol Dweck and her colleagues became interested in students' attitudes about failure. They noticed that some students rebounded while others seemed devastated by even the smallest setbacks. After studying the behavior of thousands of children, Dr. Dweck coined the terms fixed mindset and growth mindset to describe the underlying beliefs people have about learning and intelligence.  Fixed mindset describes people who believe their intelligence, talents, and personalities are fixed traits that cannot grow.

They believe they are born with a certain level of ability and special skills that cannot be improved over time. While individuals with a growth mindset believe intelligence develops through effort, mistakes are seen as opportunities to learn and improve.  The study followed a nationally representative sample of 12,000 ninth-grade students from 65 U.S. schools. A group of students with intervention conditions participated in a session designed to foster a growth mindset and to oppose the belief that intelligence is fixed and that effort or mistakes indicate a lack of ability. In contrast, the second group was in a controlled condition, focusing more generally on brain function during learning and fixed mindset. The first group reported a reduction in fixed mindset beliefs compared to the second group.

This was also accompanied by an increase in GPA for lower achieving students of the first group and an increase in advanced math course enrollment in the following year across achievement levels.  Students with a growth mindset are three times more likely to score in the top 20% on the test, while students with a fixed mindset are four times more likely to score in the bottom 20%. It is possible to promote a growth mindset by teaching students about neuroscience evidence showing that the brain is malleable and gets stronger through effort, trying new strategies, and seeking help when necessary. A way to develop a growth mindset is to first become aware of your mindset and then reflect on the impact of fixed and growth mindsets, learn more about neuroscience and understand that growth mindset exists. Another way is to focus on the process and improve it to discover your ways of learning. By finding adversity when stepping out of comfort zone, we realize that everything requires effort, not simple talent.