The Positive Effects of Growth Mindset on Students’ Intention toward Self-Regulated Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A PLS-SEM Approach

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to students’ learning processes in higher education. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a growth mindset on university students’ intention toward self-regulated learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The theoretical model was proposed based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, along with two additional dimensions: growth mindset and perceived teacher support. The developed model was validated by adopting a partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach based on the data collected from 486 students in universities that have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in China. The results show that students’ growth mindset is positively associated with their intention toward self-regulated learning directly, and indirectly through the main constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior: perceived behavioral control and behavior attitude. Additionally, the mediating and moderating roles of students’ growth mindset are manifest in the relationship between students’ perception of teacher support and their intention toward self-regulated learning. These findings offer implications for teachers, researchers, and higher education administrators in developing students’ growth mindset by considering the relevant factors explored in this research, thereby enhancing students’ self-regulated learning in challenging settings such as the COVID-19 pandemic.