# A Learning Strategy Intervention to Promote Self-Regulation, Growth Mindset, and Performance in Introductory Mathematics Courses

## TL;DR

This study examines how teaching learning strategies in math courses affects students' mindset, learning habits, and performance, finding that prior mindset and preparation are more important than the intervention itself.

## Contribution

The study introduces a mixed-methods approach to evaluate learning-strategy instruction's impact on growth mindset, self-regulated learning, and performance in introductory math courses.

## Key findings

- The intervention had no significant effect on growth mindset or self-regulated learning.
- Baseline mindset and pre-course preparedness strongly predicted academic performance.
- Explicit learning-strategy instruction did not improve performance and had a slight negative direct effect.

## Abstract

This study investigates the effectiveness of integrating explicit learning-strategy instruction into gatekeeper mathematics courses to foster a math growth mindset, self-regulated learning (SRL), and improved academic performance among underrepresented minority students. The intervention was implemented across four key courses—College Algebra I/II and Calculus I/II—and incorporated evidence-based cognitive, metacognitive, and behavioral learning strategies through course materials, class discussions, and reflective assignments. Grounded in a conceptual framework linking learning-strategy instruction, growth mindset, SRL, and performance—while accounting for students’ social identities—the study explores both direct and indirect effects of the intervention. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, we first collected quantitative data via pre- and post-surveys/tests and analyzed performance outcomes, followed by qualitative focus groups to contextualize the findings. Results showed no significant effects of the intervention on growth mindset or SRL, nor evidence of mediation through these constructs. The direct effect of the intervention on performance was negative, though baseline mindset, SRL, and pre-course preparedness strongly predicted outcomes. No moderation effects were detected by student identities. The findings suggest that while explicit learning-strategy instruction may not independently shift mindset or SRL in the short term, pre-existing differences in these areas are consequential for performance. Qualitative findings provided further context for understanding how students engaged with the strategies and how instructor implementation shaped outcomes. These insights inform how learning strategies might be more effectively embedded in introductory math to support success and equity in STEM pathways, particularly in post-COVID educational contexts.