Identify the mechanisms underlying gendered mindset shifts

Identify the mechanisms through which students’ engagement with instructor feedback contributes to gendered shifts in fixed mindsets during introductory calculus-based physics courses.

Background

The observed associations between grades and mindset changes do not explain why students respond differently to similar academic outcomes. In particular, the study does not determine how students interpret, use, or disengage from instructor feedback, nor how those processes may produce gendered changes in physics mindsets. The authors identify these mechanisms as requiring additional investigation, potentially through interviews combined with quantitative analyses.

References

In addition, relying solely on external variables such as grades cannot reveal the underlying mechanism of why certain patterns are observed. How students engage with feedback from instructors and the extent to which this engagement may influence gendered shifts in mindset patterns are among the additional factors that need further investigation.

— Questioning your brilliance in physics: Differential shifts in fixed mindsets by grade and gender  (2609.11659 - Seifollahi et al., 10 Sep 2026) in Section 5.5, Limitations and Future Research, p. 18