From teachers’ implicit theories of intelligence to job stress: The mediating role of teachers’ causal attribution of students’ academic achievement

Abstract

To better understand the cognitive antecedents of teachers' stress in the school setting, the effects of teachers' beliefs regarding intelligence and their causal attributions of students' academic performance on teachers' job stress were examined in the current study. We recruited 271 teachers who voluntarily filled out an anonymous questionnaire. Findings demonstrated that teachers who endorsed the entity theory of intelligence tended to attribute students' poor performance to students' inability but not lack of effort. Results showed a positive relationship between teachers' fixed view of intelligence and job stress, and this relationship was mediated by teachers' attributing students' poor performance to students' lack of ability, even after controlling for teacher efficacy. We suggest to promote the psychological health of teachers by incorporating intelligence mindset and attribution training programs in preservice teacher education, professional development, and cognitive behavioral stress intervention for in-service teachers.How to cite this article: Tao VYK, Li Y, Lam KH, Leung CW, Sun CI, Wu AMS. From teachers' implicit theories of intelligence to job stress: The mediating role of teachers' causal attribution of students' academic achievement.

Growth mindset of intelligence reduces counterproductive workplace behavior: A mediation analysis of occupational stress

“…With regard to the partial mediation mechanism, we discovered that participants with a malleable or incremental mindset of intelligence were less likely to perceive job‐related stress and, in turn, less likely to engage in organizational CWB. Such results are consistent with the study of Tao et al (2021), which reported a positive link between FMI and teachers' job‐related stress. The results also supported the idea that perceptions of self‐control influence perceptions of stress (Fox & Spector, 2006); this is because individuals with a fixed mindset tend to attribute negative performance outcomes to controllable internal factors, such as effort (Dweck, 2006).…”

“…Those growth‐mindset individuals are more resilient to setbacks due to their proactive approach in responding to adversity and challenges (Dweck, 1999; Yeager & Dweck, 2012). Such beliefs in self‐control and management of difficulties helps growth‐mindset people have more positive attitudes toward job stressors and diminished perceptions of stress (e.g., Ghandi et al, 2017; Tao et al, 2021). For example, Tao et al (2021) empirically examined the influence of the implicit theory of intelligence on job stress, and found that FMI was positively related with job stress among Chinese secondary school teachers.…”

Support for increasing low-wage workers’ compensation: The role of fixed-growth mindsets about intelligence.

“…When faced with a setback, students with a fixed mindset were more likely to attribute the failure to their lack of ability even in the presence of limited evidence, whereas those with a growth mindset attribute failure to lack of effort (Dweck et al, 1993; Erdley & Dweck, 1993; Henderson & Dweck, 1990). Similarly, teachers with a fixed mindset were more likely to attribute students’ poor performance to their lack of ability, and those with a growth mindset, to lack of effort (Rattan et al, 2012; Tao et al, 2021; also see Yeager et al, 2013).…”

Implicit theories of women preschool pre-service teachers and emotional intelligence

“…Focusing on teachers, Stockinger et al (2021) showed that in a university teacher population, those with a tendency toward incremental theory showed higher teaching quality, as measured by their teaching goals. A study by Tao et al (2021) , in a sample of secondary school teachers, found that entity theorists had higher levels of stress mediated by the interpretation of student failure as immutable.…”