Understanding the moderating role of school achievement level between growth mindsets, engagement and achievement in students’ English learning

Abstract This study aims to understand the underlying mechanisms for the mixed effects of growth mindsets on language learning achievement and engagement by examining the moderating role of school achievement level. We investigated 423 high school English learners in China. The multiple regression results showed that growth mindsets positively predicted English achievement and engagement in English learning. However, moderation analysis indicated that the positive relationship between growth mindsets and English achievement was significant only among medium-achieving school students, but not their peers in high-achieving schools, suggesting a ceiling effect of growth mindsets on improving English achievement. Such ceiling effects did not exist in the mindset-engagement relationship. Conversely, moderation analysis suggested that the predictive powers of growth mindsets on engagement were stronger among high-achieving school students than among medium-achieving school students. Possible explanations and related implications are discussed.