Cultural Differences in Feedback Interpretation and Mindset: Implications for Intervention

Abstract

Growth mindset literature suggests that an emphasis the ability to improve yields positive learning outcomes for many American institutions, where a fixed mindset philosophy is common. Growth mindset interventions, however, have not been widely conducted on populations from East Asian cultures. Results and findings from both cultural and developmental scholarships suggest that there may be similarities between the growth mindset and East Asian cultural values, but individuals from East Asian cultures may still be underperforming due to exposure from American institutional fixed mindedness. This literature review proposes that 1) the phenomenon of high-achievement observed in East Asian populations is a manifestation of inherent key growth mindset concepts in their cultural way of being, and that 2) the implementation of growth mindset interventions can serve as a tool for addressing institutional mismatches in cultural expressions of feedback and growth, while narrowing achievement gaps.