Impact of Growth Mindset Intervention on the Academic Performance of Junior High School Students in Urban-Rural Areas in the Western Region of Ghana

Abstract This study examined how growth mindset and socioeconomic status relate to junior high school students’ academic performance, and whether a brief mindset lesson can improve outcomes. A total of 600 students from 40 urban and rural schools in Ghana’s Western Region completed baseline measures of mindset, socioeconomic background and achievement in English, mathematics and integrated science. A validated growth mindset scale and a multi-item socioeconomic status index captured beliefs about intelligence and household advantage. Subsequently, intact classes received either a structured growth mindset lesson or continued with usual teaching, and the same academic outcomes were assessed at post-test. Baseline analyses showed that endorsing a growth mindset was positively associated with academic performance, although substantial achievement gaps by socioeconomic status remained. After the intervention, students in growth mindset classes showed stronger gains in mindset scores and modest improvements in test performance compared with comparison classes, particularly among lower attaining learners. The findings suggest that a low-cost, classroom-embedded mindset lesson can meaningfully support students’ motivation and achievement, but cannot, on its own, remove structural inequalities linked to poverty. The study highlights the need to combine psychological interventions with broader efforts to address socioeconomic disadvantage.