Graduation Year

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Educational and Psychological Studies

Major Professor

John Ferron, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Robert Dedrick, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Eun Sook Kim, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Eugenia Vomvoridi-Ivanovic, Ph.D.

Keywords

Boolean search, database search, mathematics, mindset, post-secondary, snowballing search

Abstract

Growth mindset interventions have been implemented in academic settings for over three decades (C. S. Dweck et al., 1995a). One academic field where growth mindset may be most needed is mathematics, as it is not unusual for a student to claim, “I’m not a math person.” Notably, no meta-analysis of mindset interventions in post-secondary mathematics classrooms existed prior to the current study. To close this gap in the literature, the present study included a systematic review and meta-analysis, drawing on two search methods: Boolean and snowballing. The results from both methods were screened using inclusion/exclusion criteria. Snowballing search was hypothesized to be more effective than the Boolean search. This hypothesis was supported: though the snowballing search resulted in fewer prospective articles to scan than the Boolean search (2,393 vs. 4,829), it yielded more pertinent articles (14 vs. 5), and accounted for a higher percentage of the total included articles (93.3% vs. 33.3%). Meanwhile, mindset interventions in post-secondary math classes were hypothesized to have an effect size between 0.05 and 0.20. This hypothesis was also supported: the meta-analysis yielded a significant (p = .015) overall effect size, g = 0.13, 95% CI [0.03, 0.24], N = 2474, k = 14. Finally, the two search methods were hypothesized to yield equivalent meta-analytic results. This hypothesis was partially supported, as the computed Hedges’ g for the Boolean search results (g = 0.12, p = .320) and snowballing search results (g = 0.13, p = .0215) were very similar, though not both significant. These results should motivate researchers to include snowballing search as part of a systematic review process, and inspire teachers, administrators, researchers, and policy-makers to conduct mindset interventions in post-secondary mathematics settings.

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