Student mindset is the key to academic stress

It has been observed that as students make transition from middle school to high school, many drop their grades and experience a dip in performance curve. But some students were more resilient during the stressful transition into high school than others. Why?

According to the researchers of adolescent psychology at The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Rochester, how students perceive themselves and their abilities make the difference.The results in this direction are published in the journalChild Development.

The mindsets of students, especially their beliefs about whether smartness is a fixed trait or something that can be developed, show an important relation to a student's likelihood of overcoming the stressful transition into high school.

"Declining grades may get 'under the skin,' as it were, for first-year high school students who believe intelligence is a fixed trait," said HaeYeon Lee, the study's lead author. "But believing, instead, that intelligence can be developed -- or having what is called a growth mindset-- may buffer the effects of academic stress."