Growth Mindset and Confidence in Self-Directed Learning among Students in Four Southeast Asian Countries: The Mediating Role of Mathematics Self-Efficacy

Source abstract

Growth mindset has been widely studied in relation to students' motivation and academic achievement, yet less is known about how it relates to students' confidence in managing their own learning. This study examined whether mathematics self-efficacy helps explain the association between growth mindset and confidence in self-directed learning among Southeast Asian students. PISA 2022 data from 4,693 students in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand were analysed using Pearson correlations and structural equation modelling, with gender and socioeconomic status included as covariates. Growth mindset was positively associated with mathematics self-efficacy (β = .086), while mathematics self-efficacy showed a stronger positive association with confidence in self-directed learning (β = .373). The direct association between growth mindset and confidence in self-directed learning was not significant (β = −.019). However, a small but significant indirect association through mathematics self-efficacy was observed (β = .032, 95% CI [.017, .042]). These findings suggest that mathematics self-efficacy may represent one pathway linking broader beliefs about the development of ability with students' confidence in managing their learning. The results also indicate that growth-mindset approaches may be more meaningful when accompanied by opportunities to strengthen task-specific confidence.