“Einstein Worked his Socks off”. Conceptions of Intelligence in University Teaching Staff

There is vast amount of research that links implicit theories of intelligence with several learning-relevant variables in both learners and teachers alike. However, there is a gap in the literature, as there is almost no research done with university teachers. Furthermore, most scientific research polarizes incremental and fixed views of intelligence in spite of data that show there is heterogeneity in participants’ views. This study explores the implicit theories of intelligence of university teachers (N = 20), employing a category system for the analysis of semi-structured interviews designed to capture heterogeneity. Participants were asked to express their opinion about several small vignettes regarding intelligence. The number of participants’ explanations related to intelligence and the complexity in their argumentation was considered. Results show differences in both measures among different fields of knowledge and gender, but not in relation to years of teaching experience. Future implications for research, intervention, and implicit theories measurement are discussed.

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Self-beliefs among students: Grade level and gender differences in self-esteem, self-efficacy and implicit theories of intelligence

Learning and Individual Differences ◽

10.1016/j.lindif.2014.06.003 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 35 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 59

Author(s):

Åge Diseth ◽

Eivind Meland ◽

Hans Johan Breidablik

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Grade Level ◽

Implicit Theories ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Implicit Theories Of Intelligence ◽

Theories Of Intelligence ◽

And Gender

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Heterogeneity in the conceptions of intelligence of university teaching staff

Culture & Psychology ◽

10.1177/1354067x20936926 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1354067X2093692

Author(s):

Jose Antonio Matias-Garcia ◽

Rosario Cubero-Pérez

Keyword(s):

Teacher Training ◽

Cultural Psychology ◽

University Teaching ◽

Systematic Sampling ◽

Teaching Staff ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

University Teachers ◽

Category System ◽

Contradiction Analysis ◽

Different Parts

Using Cultural Psychology as a framework, this research project aims to measure and analyze the heterogeneity of university teachers’ conceptions of intelligence. To this end, we have developed a new method of analysis: Heterogeneity by Contradiction Analysis (HCA). We conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 university teachers, presenting them with a series of short cases or vignettes depicting different facets of intelligence. Based on the discourse elicited, we first created a category system. Then, we pre-defined a series of possible contradictions among pairs of categories. Using these pre-defined contradictions, a systematic sampling of theoretical contradictions could be obtained from the discourse. Finally, a researcher reviewed these sampled contradictions in order to find and code real contradictions, which were later analyzed. 85% of all participants presented at least some heterogeneity in their discourse by expressing an idea and its opposite in different parts of the interview. The content of the discourse and its context are analyzed in the expression of heterogeneity, which yields future implications for research, intervention, and teacher training.

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Teachers' Implicit “Theories” of Children's Intelligence

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.1991.69.3f.1195 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 69 (3_suppl) ◽

pp. 1195-1201

Author(s):

Jeanne Murrone ◽

Malcolm D. Gynther

Keyword(s):

Student Teachers ◽

Implicit Theories ◽

Teaching Experience ◽

Academic Skills ◽

Years Of Experience ◽

Implicit Theories Of Intelligence ◽

Theories Of Intelligence ◽

Clear Cut ◽

Years Of Teaching Experience ◽

Interpersonal Competencies

Information about teachers' implicit notions of children's intelligence was obtained by having 50 student-teachers and 79 teachers with 1 to 4 years of experience rate 150 descriptors on applicability to an hypothetical child described as above average, average, or below average in intellectual functioning. Each teacher-subject was classified by dogmatism score and by years of teaching experience. A factor analysis disclosed that Academic Skills and Interpersonal Competencies summarize the implicit notions. Analysis of variance showed that all levels of hypothesized intelligence only affected teachers' expectations of academic skills and that the effect of intelligence was dependent upon the teachers' dogmatism. There were no clear-cut findings associated with years of experience. Results supported previous observations that people have implicit “theories” of intelligence; however, the specific composition of their ideas varies according to the context within which the rater and the person observed are placed.

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Assessing Gifted Students’ Beliefs About Intelligence With a Psychometrically Defensible Scale

journal for the education of the gifted ◽

10.1177/0162353216671835 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 39 (4) ◽

pp. 288-314 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Sunhee Park ◽

Carolyn M. Callahan ◽

Ji Hoon Ryoo

Keyword(s):

Implicit Theories ◽

Gifted Students ◽

Goal Orientations ◽

Learning Goals ◽

Implicit Theories Of Intelligence ◽

Incremental Theory ◽

Entity Theory ◽

Theories Of Intelligence ◽

And Gender ◽

Item Scale

The psychometric qualities of the six- and eight-item implicit theories of intelligence scales that Dweck suggested were compared using a confirmatory factor analysis with data from 239 gifted students (100 students in Grades 5–7, 139 students in Grades 8–11). The results indicate that the six-item scale fits the data better than the eight-item scale. The factor reliabilities of data from the six-item scale were .853 for the entity theory and .878 for the incremental theory. We found evidence for measurement invariance across age and gender using measurement and structural invariance tests. Using the scale to investigate the beliefs about intelligence of gifted students and the association between their beliefs about intelligence and goal orientations, we found that the higher the incremental theory held by gifted students, the higher the learning goals they tend to pursue. Older students had a greater tendency to hold an entity theory than younger students.

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Examining the Effects of Task Instructions to Induce Implicit Theories of Intelligence on a Rational Thinking Task

Zeitschrift für Psychologie ◽

10.1027/2151-2604/a000291 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 225 (2) ◽

pp. 146-156 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ivar Bråten ◽

Andreas Lien ◽

John Nietfeld

Keyword(s):

Implicit Theories ◽

Male Students ◽

Task Instruction ◽

Rational Thinking ◽

Implicit Theories Of Intelligence ◽

Entity Theory ◽

Theories Of Intelligence ◽

Theory Of Intelligence ◽

Task Instructions ◽

Culture Specificity

Abstract. In two experiments with Norwegian undergraduates and one experiment with US undergraduates, we examined the potential effects of brief task instructions aligned with incremental and entity views of intelligence on students’ performance on a rational thinking task. The research demonstrated that even brief one-shot task instructions that deliver a mindset about intelligence intervention can be powerful enough to affect students’ performance on such a task. This was only true for Norwegian male students, however. Moreover, it was the task instruction aligned with an entity theory of intelligence that positively affected Norwegian male students’ performance on the rational thinking task, with this unanticipated finding speaking to the context- and culture-specificity of implicit theories of intelligence interventions.

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