Bounce Back In Any Adverse Situation: Adaptive Triad Of Epistemic Belief, Mindset, & Achievement Emotions

Abstract

Growth mindsets are generally associated with adaptive epistemic beliefs that may be characterized by an emphasis on learning and personal competence, which leads to positive achievement emotions. Persons with growth mindsets would, therefore, be more confident and optimistic about their ability, will be more motivated to learn, develop better problem-solving skills and persist in problems to reach a solution. However, people with a fixed mindset would be less open to new ideas and information as they are more likely to rely on stereotypes, fail to recognize that people have different knowledge levels and believe in their ability to demonstrate personal competence. In this article, we introduce a group of concepts called adaptive epistemic beliefs, achievement emotions, and mindset as three interrelated constructs that are causally interrelated. Achievement emotions are triggered when people feel the need to improve their performance level to achieve success or work toward positive reactions toward challenges or positively react toward failure. Our findings have important implications for understanding how students cope with school-based stress and academic achievement. In conclusion, we propose the utility of the proposed tripartite distinction in predicting a student’s academic achievement during stressful situations by accounting for a student’s beliefs about his/her ability to learn and behavioral engagement. The relationship between achievement emotions and a growth mindset has not been well understood in previous studies despite academic performance being an important element contributing to the success and well-being of children with learning disabilities. To understand how these three constructs can be linked together, it is necessary to discuss each construct in more detail.