2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Promoting a growth mindset enables students to recognize that learning is achievable for everyone and that dealing with challenging tasks will enhance their cognitive abilities, especially in engineering education (Yeager & Dweck, 2020; Campbell et al., 2021). Therefore, measuring growth mindset with reliability and validity is necessary to ensure that interventions are properly implemented, to understand the motivation of students, and to identify factors that will eventually influence academic achievement. This study aims to validate the Growth Mindset Scale (23 items) by conducting a psychometric analysis using Rasch measurement theory (RMT), with a sample of elementary students in the Southeastern United States. Specifically, we will evaluate evidence of construct validity by examining item fit, reliability, dimensionality, and differential item functioning (DIF) across gender and grade levels to assess the measurement properties of the scale and ensure its fair use across diverse student groups. Findings of this study will provide empirical evidence that the use and interpretation of scores from the Growth Mindset Scale are fair and valid and further contribute to advancing research and practice in fostering growth mindsets among students.