College Students’ Instructor Mindset Perceptions and First-Semester Development

Extending the literature on growth mindsets, the study examines how students’ perceptions of instructor growth mindset beliefs influence development during the first semester of college. Using pretest-posttest data from 25 public 4-year institutions in Georgia, findings indicate that students perceiving stronger instructor growth mindsets report gains in academic self-efficacy. However, these perceptions appeared negatively associated with value beliefs toward English and math content, suggesting increased confidence may not align with subject-specific motivation. Also explored is how these effects vary by institutional admissions profile. Overall, the findings highlight promising directions for research on instructor mindset perceptions and student development across contexts.