Establish the causal effects of physics grades on mindset change

Establish the causal effects of receiving particular grades in an introductory calculus-based physics course on students’ changes in fixed beliefs about their own physics abilities, including whether the observed gender differences in mindset shifts are caused by grade feedback rather than merely correlated with it.

Background

The study reports associations between Physics 1 grades and subsequent changes in students’ physics mindsets while controlling for initial mindset and other variables. However, the research design is correlational, so it cannot determine whether grades themselves cause students to shift toward more fixed beliefs or whether unmeasured factors account for the observed relationships. Establishing causality would clarify the role of grade feedback in the gendered development of physics mindsets.