Persistent Learning, Critical Teaching: Intelligence Beliefs and Active Learning in Mathematics Courses

Over the past several decades, social psychologists have built a substantial body of evidence showing that beliefs about the nature of intelligence have a major impact on motivation and achievement. Such beliefs generally fall into one of two types. The belief that each individual has a fixed ability in mathematics is referred to as a fixed intelligence belief. The belief that individuals are capable of continually developing their mathematical abilities through persistence and effort is referred to as a malleable intelligence belief. This article surveys recent research regarding the positive role malleable intelligence beliefs play for mathematics students, and highlights connections between such beliefs and active learning techniques.