Chapter I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Mindset refers to the principles of an individual.

The kind of mindset an individual has influences how one

think of themselves, the way they handle things when

facing hardships or a certain situation and more

specifically it contributes a large factor on how they

feel. It plays a significant role on how an individual

take and view success and failure and the way of setting

goals to achieve. Thus, having a healthy mindset is

indeed one of the main factors contributing to one’s

success. A person that has a healthy mindset sees things

as opportunity to improve and learn something new, shows

a positive attitude and they tend to have higher stress

tolerance. A healthy mindset is interconnected with a

growth mindset that is commonly compared with a fixed

mindset. According to a Stanford Psychologist, Carol

Dweck, a fixed mindset is a believing that your abilities

and traits are stationary and are not changeable, she

also defined fixed mindset to be a perspective of one

self's success are achieved with intelligence alone with

no effort at all. It means that if one has a fixed

mindset, one may limit oneself from trying new things

because of the failure it may become which results to

limitation of developing one’s potential talent. On the

other hand having a growth mindset means that a person

has an open-mind when it comes to developing their skills

and abilities with the help of effort, motivation, and

persistence. Unlike individuals with fixed mindset,

people with growth mindset does not see the aspects that

they are lacking as a negative side of them, but it is an

area for development that they can improve by exerting a

lot of effort and use it as a motivation to grow more.

They do not limit themselves because of an unwanted

outcome, instead, they see it as a chance to improve

those lacking qualities.

In relation to academics, a healthy mindset provides

a good foundation for students to have a positive view of

failures as it is not avoidable, in fact, students are in

a process of learning to improve , discover, and explore

their talents and other qualities, not just to showcase

the things they know well or mastered.

Data from the 2018 Programme for International

Student Assessment (PISA), which included over 550,000

adolescents from 76 nations, found growth mindset effects

for student achievement and well-being in all but a

handful of nations(Carol S. Dweck and David Yeager, 2021).

In the 2018 PISA study, a growth mindset predicted

student achievement more strongly for economically

disadvantaged students and in both the 2018 PISA study

and a randomly assigned intervention in the U.S., Growth

mindset effects were stronger in classrooms that afforded

more opportunity for student learning and growth (Carol S.

Dweck and David Yeager, 2021). However, this area of

research need more understanding. This study aims to

identify the importance of having a healthy mindset to

students, as well as to provide additional reference for

the students about the advantages of having a healthy

mindset and its relation to growth mindset and fixed

mindset. This will further explain the contributing

factor that is affecting the way the young individuals

take the failures they are experiencing as a students,

specifically to learn how largely it affects them in

handling challenges and changes while they are striving

to be a better version of themselves.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to determine the factors that

greatly affect the mindset of the grade 10 students at

Wesleyan University-Philippines and the relationship of

these factors to the students’ ability in handling

challenges in the school setting.

Specifically, to answer the following questions:

1. How may the profile of the respondents be described

according to their:

1.1 sex;

1.2 age;

1.3 current living situation (if away from

home);

1.4 categorize if under fixed mindset or

growth mindset; and

1.5 average family income;

2. How may the factors that affect the mindset of

students in their ability to handle challenges in

the school setting in terms of the following:

2.1 Fixed Mindset

2.1.1 Physical Factors

2.1.2 Cognitive Factors

2.1.3 Psychological Factors

2.1.4 Social Factors

2.2 Growth Mindset

2.1.1 Physical Factors

2.1.2 Cognitive Factors

2.1.3 Psychological Factors

2.1.4 Social Factors

 3. How may the mindset of the respondents be

categorized in terms of their answer in the survey

questionnaire?

4. Is there a significant relationship between the

profile of the students and the students’ fixed and

growth mindset in handling challenges in the school

setting?

5. Is there a significant relationship between the

students’ fixed and growth mindset in handling

challenges in the school setting?

Hypotheses

1. There is a significant relationship between the

profile of the students and the students’ mindset in

handling challenges in the school setting

2. The students’ mindset will greatly affect the way

they handle challenges in the school setting, moreover,

if a student have a healthy mindset, then he/she will

perform better and adopt to changes more efficiently

than those student who have a fixed mindset.

Significance of the Study

This research will provide knowledge and information

on the importance of a healthy mindset in a student’s

learning and well academic performances. This study will

be beneficial to the following:

Students. Academic success has been linked to

positive mental health and well being. Students who are

motivated, have better focus and concentration, and

perform better academically are more likely to have a

healthy mindset. The study can point to specific

strategies or methods that students can employ to develop

a positive outlook and deal with difficulties. The study

may have effects that go beyond education. People can

benefit from having a positive mindset in many areas of

their lives, such as their careers. Consequently, the

research may have a positive impact on the development of

psychology and self-improvement as a whole.

Parents. Parents play a crucial role in their

children's education and development. They are the

primary caregivers, and their attitudes and behaviors can

have a significant impact on their children's academic

performance and overall well-being. By studying the

benefits of a healthy mindset with parents, educators and

researchers can help parents understand how their

attitudes and behaviors can support or hinder their

children's educational success. In order to promote

resilience and perseverance in parents, close the

achievement gap between students from different

backgrounds, and help parents understand their role in

their children's education, it is important to study the

advantages of a healthy mindset with parents.

Teachers. The study can help teachers recognize the

critical role that mindset plays in shaping students'

attitudes and behaviors towards learning. By

understanding the importance of mindset, teachers can

create a positive and supportive learning environment

that encourages students to embrace challenges and take

risks. The study can inform the development of teaching

strategies that promote a healthy mindset in the

classroom. For example, teachers can incorporate more

opportunities for student reflection and self-assessment,

provide regular feedback that emphasizes progress and

effort, and help students set realistic goals and create

action plans.

Future Researchers. Future researchers can use the

study's findings to identify the essential components of

a positive outlook on life as well as strategies for

developing these components in students. Researchers can

use this information to create interventions and programs

that are more successful at encouraging students to adopt

a positive mindset. The study can also serve as a basis

for the development of new research questions related to

the role of mindset in education. Future researchers can

build upon the findings of the study to explore new

questions and hypotheses related to the topic.

Scope and Delimitation

This study focuses on the importance of having

healthy mindset, specifically on how it provide

advantages and improves a student’s performance in terms

of academics. This study will also include a comparison

between a healthy mindset which is interconnected with a

growth mindset over a fixed mindset. The researchers will

not include the factors that may affect an individual’s

healthy mindset. At the end of the study, the researchers

will be able to identify how a student’s healthy mindset

help them to reach and achieve their goals and improve

different qualities of themselves.

The data will be gathered only among the grade 10

students of Wesleyan University-Philippines. The

questionnaire will only be limited to Ten (10) to Twelve

(12) students. This research will be conducted until May

of 2023, 4th Quarter of Academic Year 2022-2023 in

Wesleyan University-Philippines.

Definition of Terms

Mindset - A mental attitude or a set of beliefs.

Interconnected - Having components connected or linked.

Exerting - The act of putting effort.

Physical Factors - Refers to physical influences within

the workplace which includes noise, vibration, artificial

visual radiation, and electromagnetic fields.

Cognitive Factors - This refers to personal

characteristics that affect an individual’s ability to

learn or perform.

Psychological Factors - This may contribute to the

development of an individual’s personality, mental health,

and behavior.

Social Factors - This are events or circumstances that

influence people's lifestyles and well-being.

Economically Disadvantaged - Refers to an individual who

have a low income that is below 125 percent of the

poverty line or those who are eligible to receive

government assistance.

Intervention - This is the process of getting involved.

Adolescent - This is the transition of being a child to

being an adult, often referred to as teenage years.

 Conceptual Framework

The researchers illustrated the variables that

affects a students’ academic performance and the way the

handle challenges they face in education. The variables

are considered as the factors which may influence a

student’s mindset. The researchers will carefully

evaluate and provide a conclusion as the outcome of the

research from the information gathered.

Fixed Mindset

Physical Factors

Cognitive Factors

Phsycological Factors Student’s

Social Factors improvement and
academic
performance ; and
Healthy
the way they
Mindset handle challenges
Growth Mindset in education

Physical Factors

Cognitive Factors

Physcological Factors

Social Factors