Growth mindset for emotional wellbeing

Growth mindset

for emotional wellbeing

SUNATA 8

For many students, the transition to secondary school can result in a decline in academic grades, sense of belonging and self-esteem (Benner 2011). As many as one in five high school students will experience mental health problems during any year (Barrett & Cooper 2014). Traditionally, schools have focused on achieving high academic results; however, with recent research demonstrating a positive correlation between emotional wellbeing and academic achievement, there has been a shift toward teaching emotional skills in the classroom (Christner, Kamon & Mennuti 2013). Along with having implications for academic achievement, students’ emotional development has implications for their success in life after school (Barry, Clarke & Dowling 2017). Aside from the first few years of life, adolescence (ages 12 to 18) marks the most significant time of brain development (Fuller 2002). Additionally, adolescence is a time of rapid physical, cognitive and psychosocial development (Swanson 2010). Throughout adolescence, individuals are exploring where they fit in at a time of cognitive, physical and physiological change, and emotionally challenging situations typically become more frequent and intense (Riediger & Klipker 2014). This means that adolescents are typically more vulnerable to being overwhelmed by emotional challenges and at risk of developing psychopathology problems (e.g. depression) (Riediger & Klipker 2014), and it highlights the need for emotional regulation skills to be taught in secondary school. Strategies such as developing students’ growth mindset about emotions assist students to be self-aware and more able to manage their emotions and protect against the development of mental health issues throughout their lives (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning 2015). Having a fixed mindset in the context of emotions means that a student believes that their emotions are fixed and unable to be changed unless the external situation changes (Dweck 2006). If a student has a growth mindset of emotions, then they believe that their emotions can be changed through one’s own efforts (Dweck 2006). Individuals with a growth mindset are more likely to be happier, satisfied with their relationships, and have higher levels of achievement and emotional wellbeing (Passmore, Howell & Holder 2017) and lower levels of anxiety and stress-related health issues (Howell 2016). Strategies for emotional wellbeing and developing a growth mindset view towards emotions should be explicitly taught (Barry, Clarke & Dowling 2017) and followed up in teachers’ everyday interactions with students (Teubert & Pinquart 2011). Strategies taught should focus on students’ self-awareness of emotions and the impact they have on thoughts and behaviours and students’ self-regulation of emotions (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning 2015). Some of the evidence-based strategies teachers may wish to use include teaching students thought challenges they can use when they recognise they are having negative self-talk, or teaching students to recognise physical signs that they aren’t coping with a situation and some relaxation techniques to assist them to regain control of their emotions (Rodgers & Dunsmuir 2013). Adolescence is a difficult period for students owing to the multitude of changes they are undergoing as part of this developmental stage. By equipping students with the skills to challenge their mindset towards how they cope with emotional stressors, teachers ensure students are more able to learn and grow academically (Christner et al. 2013). Additionally, when thinking more long term, students who learn to have an incremental view towards their emotions are less likely to develop mental health issues throughout their lives (Kneeland et al. 2016).

References:

Barret, P & Cooper, M 2014, ‘Prevention and early intervention of social anxiety disorder’, in S Hofmann & P DiBarolo (eds), Social anxiety -Clinical, developmental and social perspectives, 3rd edn, Elsevier, London. Barry, M, Clarke, A & Dowling, K 2017, ‘Promoting social and emotional well-being in schools’, Health Education, vol. 117, no. 5, pp. 434-451. Benner, A 2011, ‘The transition to High School: Current knowledge, future directions’, Educational Psychology Review, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 299-328. Christner, R, Kamon, E & Mennuti, R 2013, ‘Implementation of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to school-based mental health A developmental perspective’, in R Mennuti, R Christner & A Freeman (eds), Cognitive-behavioural interventions in educational settings: A handbook for practice, 2nd edn, Taylor and Francis, London. Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, 2015, Effective Social and Emotional Learning Programs, Chicago. Dweck, C 2006, Mindset, 1st edn, Ballantine Books, New York. Fuller, A 2002, ‘Raising Real People: An Overview of Adolescence’, in A Fuller. Raising Real People: Creating a Resilient Family, 2nd edn, ACER PRESS, Camberwell, Vic, pp. 1-25. Howell A 2016, ‘Implicit theories of personal and social attributes: Fundamental mindsets for a science of wellbeing’, International Journal of Wellbeing, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 113-130. Merrell, K & Gueldner, B 2010 ‘Social and Emotional Learning: What is it, and what it can do for your students’ in K Merrell & B Gueldner (eds), Social and emotional learning in the classroom: Promoting mental health and academic success, Guilford Press, New York, pp. 1-20. Passmore, H, Howell, A & Holder, M 2017, ‘Positioning Implicit Theories of Well-Being Within a Positivity Framework’ Journal of Happiness Studies, vol.19, no. 8, pp. 2445-2463. Riediger, M & Kilpker, K 2014, ‘Emotion regulation in adolescence’, in J Gross, 2nd edn, Handbook of emotion regulation, Guilford Press, New York, pp. 187-202. Rodgers, A & Dunsmuir, S 2013, ‘A controlled evaluation of the 'FRIENDS for Life' emotional resiliency programme on overall anxiety levels, anxiety subtype levels and school adjustment’, Child and Adolescent Mental Health, vol. 20 no. 1, pp. 13-19. Swanson, D 2010, ‘Adolescent psychosocial processes: Identity, stress, and competence’, in D. Swanson, M Edwards & M Spencer, Adolescence: Development during a global era, Academic Press, Netherlands. Teubert, D & Pinquart, M 2011, ‘A meta-analytic review on the prevention of symptoms of anxiety in children and adolescents’ Journal of Anxiety Disorders, vol. 25, no. 8, pp. 1046-1059. SUNATA 9