The mediated interaction between SES and growth mindset is small but positive (about 0.006), indicating only minimal moderation of the SES effect¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r3 · q3
Currency · newest study 2025 · checked against its sources 2026-10-27 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? The mediated interaction effect is 0.006, accounting for only about -1% of the total effect (Prop. INT_med = -0.010). → Madia 2025

Evidence¶

Madia 2025¶

Madia, J. E., Gruijters, R. J., Raabe, I. J. & Hübner, N. (2025). Growth mindset and socioeconomic inequality in academic achievement across seventy-three PISA countries. npj Science of Learning. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-025-00365-8

q3 · i? · associational · r3

Four-way decomposition of PISA 2022 math scores across 73 countries; Table 1 reports INT_med = 0.006 across all mediator-fixing specifications, with Prop. INT_med = -0.010.

"The Mediated Interaction (Q4 in Table2), representing how SES and mindset interact when SES influences mindset formation, shows a small but positive effect (0.006)."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Mindset — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Socioeconomic Status — predictor: outcomes differ by group: a gap reflecting circumstances and treatment, not a cause

Related Claims¶

• The proportion of the SES effect mediated by growth mindset varies across countries, reaching at most 0.11 in a few countries while most fall between 0 and 0.08 — related
• Growth mindset mediates only a small share (about 2.9–3.2%) of the effect of SES on academic achievement across 73 countries — related
• The direct effect of SES on achievement dominates: the controlled direct effect accounts for about 98% of the total SES effect in math — related
• Children from low-SES backgrounds hold more negative academic self-views, which partially mediate the SES-achievement association across 70 countries — related